Compare software

Jay vs SwayFX: catalog facts
Jay	SwayFX
Best for: Linux users who want an i3-style tiling compositor on Wayland	Best for: Sway users who want visual effects on a tiling Wayland desktop
Free Free to build and use from its public repository.	Free Free and open source.
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	Keeps Sway's tiling behaviour and configuration Adds blur, rounded corners and shadows All 3 strengths for SwayFX Keeps Sway's tiling behaviour and configuration Adds blur, rounded corners and shadows Packaging help for Debian and Nix
Linux only Smaller user base than Sway or Hyprland	Linux and Wayland only Effects add overhead compared with plain Sway All 3 limitations for SwayFX Linux and Wayland only Effects add overhead compared with plain Sway Tracks upstream Sway, so features may lag behind it
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
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 SwayFX github.com/wlrfx/swayfx Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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