Compare software

Karousel vs PaperWM: catalog facts
Karousel	PaperWM
Best for: KDE Plasma users who want scrolling, column-based tiling	Best for: GNOME users who want keyboard-driven scrollable tiling
Free Free to download from its GitHub repository.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Adds scrollable column tiling to an existing Plasma desktop Runs inside KWin, so no compositor change is needed All 3 strengths for Karousel Adds scrollable column tiling to an existing Plasma desktop Runs inside KWin, so no compositor change is needed Windows can extend past the edge of the screen	Scrollable tiling keeps windows at useful widths Runs inside GNOME Shell, no separate window manager needed All 3 strengths for PaperWM Scrollable tiling keeps windows at useful widths Runs inside GNOME Shell, no separate window manager needed Settings pane for keybindings and per-app window rules
Only works on KDE Plasma Scrolling tiling takes some adjustment for users of traditional tiling	GNOME Shell only Scrolling layout takes time to get used to All 3 limitations for PaperWM GNOME Shell only Scrolling layout takes time to get used to Extensions can break with new GNOME Shell releases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Karousel github.com/peterfajdiga/karousel Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for PaperWM github.com/paperwm/PaperWM Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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