Compare software

Jay vs Sway: catalog facts
Jay	Sway
Best for: Linux users who want an i3-style tiling compositor on Wayland	Best for: Use an i3-style tiling workflow on Wayland
Free Free to build and use from its public repository.	Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.
Linux	Linux
i3-like tiling on Wayland Vulkan rendering All 4 strengths for Jay i3-like tiling on Wayland Vulkan rendering Configurable through TOML or Rust Active development with regular commits	Supports much of the i3 configuration format Arranges windows with keyboard-driven layouts
Linux only Smaller user base than Sway or Hyprland	Some X11 applications and workflows need compatibility layers or alternatives.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Jay github.com/mahkoh/jay Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Sway swaywm.org github.com/swaywm/sway Catalog checked September 22, 2026

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