Compare software

IceWM vs JWM: catalog facts
IceWM	JWM
Best for: Older or low-powered machines that need a simple desktop with a taskbar	Best for: Lightweight desktops on older or low-powered Linux machines
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Linux	Linux
Low resource use Built-in taskbar, tray and menu All 4 strengths for IceWM Low resource use Built-in taskbar, tray and menu Large collection of themes Fully usable from the keyboard	Very small footprint, needing only Xlib Runs well on old hardware and the Raspberry Pi All 4 strengths for JWM Very small footprint, needing only Xlib Runs well on old hardware and the Raspberry Pi Optional multi-monitor, SVG and antialiased font support Available as a package in many distributions
X11 only Dated look without a theme	X11 only, no Wayland support Stacking only, with no tiling layouts All 3 limitations for JWM X11 only, no Wayland support Stacking only, with no tiling layouts Plain appearance compared with full desktop environments
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for IceWM ice-wm.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for JWM joewing.net/projects/jwm Catalog checked September 24, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.