Compare software

PaperWM vs Karousel: catalog facts
PaperWM	Karousel
Best for: GNOME users who want keyboard-driven scrollable tiling	Best for: KDE Plasma users who want scrolling, column-based tiling
Free Free and open source.	Free Free to download from its GitHub repository.
Linux	Linux
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	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
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	Only works on KDE Plasma Scrolling tiling takes some adjustment for users of traditional tiling
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for PaperWM github.com/paperwm/PaperWM Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Karousel github.com/peterfajdiga/karousel Catalog checked October 2, 2026

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