Compare software

JWM vs Xfwm4: catalog facts
JWM	Xfwm4
Best for: Lightweight desktops on older or low-powered Linux machines	Best for: Xfce users and anyone wanting a simple, low-overhead stacking window manager on Linux
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source as part of the Xfce desktop.
Linux	Linux
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	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, 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	Designed for X11 sessions No tiling layouts beyond basic edge snapping
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for JWM joewing.net/projects/jwm Catalog checked September 24, 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.