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IceWM vs Xfwm4: catalog facts
IceWM	Xfwm4
Best for: Older or low-powered machines that need a simple desktop with a taskbar	Best for: Xfce users and anyone wanting a simple, low-overhead stacking window manager on Linux
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source as part of the Xfce desktop.
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	Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off All 4 strengths for Xfwm4 Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off Supports freedesktop, GNOME and KDE window manager standards Large choice of installable themes
X11 only Dated look without a theme	Designed for X11 sessions No tiling layouts beyond basic edge snapping
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
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 Xfwm4 docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfwm4/start Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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