Compare software

river vs Pinnacle: catalog facts
river	Pinnacle
Best for: Linux users who want to build or choose their own Wayland window manager	Best for: Former AwesomeWM users who want a programmable tiling compositor on Wayland
Free Free and open source.	Free Free to build and use from its GitHub repository.
Linux	Linux
Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol All 3 strengths for river Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol Actively developed with regular releases	Configuration written in Lua or Rust AwesomeWM-style programmable tiling on Wayland
Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain All 3 limitations for river Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain Older configurations belong to river-classic	Linux only Configuring through code takes more effort than a simple settings file
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for river isaacfreund.com/software/river Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Pinnacle github.com/pinnacle-comp/pinnacle Catalog checked October 2, 2026

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