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nwg-drawer vs nwg-menu: catalog facts
nwg-drawer	nwg-menu
Best for: sway or Hyprland users who want a GNOME-style app grid	Best for: Sway and wlroots users who want a start-menu style app menu
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Graphical app grid with search for tiling Wayland setups Styled with a plain CSS file All 3 strengths for nwg-drawer Graphical app grid with search for tiling Wayland setups Styled with a plain CSS file Part of the wider nwg-shell toolset	Start-menu layout with simplified categories Works as an nwg-panel plugin or standalone All 3 strengths for nwg-menu Start-menu layout with simplified categories Works as an nwg-panel plugin or standalone Styled through a CSS file
Limited to wlroots-based Wayland compositors Launches applications only, no calculator or command actions	Standalone use needs command-line arguments Aimed at sway and wlroots compositors
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for nwg-drawer github.com/nwg-piotr/nwg-drawer Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for nwg-menu github.com/nwg-piotr/nwg-menu Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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