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nwg-drawer vs Slingshot: catalog facts
nwg-drawer	Slingshot
Best for: sway or Hyprland users who want a GNOME-style app grid	Best for: elementary OS and Pantheon desktop users
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and included with elementary OS.
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	Integrated with the Pantheon panel and desktop Type-to-search for installed applications All 3 strengths for Slingshot Integrated with the Pantheon panel and desktop Type-to-search for installed applications Ships by default on elementary OS
Limited to wlroots-based Wayland compositors Launches applications only, no calculator or command actions	Designed for Pantheon and not meant for other desktops
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not 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 Slingshot github.com/elementary/applications-menu Catalog checked October 2, 2026

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