Compare software

river vs Wayfire: catalog facts
river	Wayfire
Best for: Linux users who want to build or choose their own Wayland window manager	Best for: Linux users who want a customisable Wayland compositor with effects
Free Free and open source.	Free Free, with source code on GitHub.
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	Plugin-based design for window management and effects Improved fractional scaling in the 0.11 release All 3 strengths for Wayfire Plugin-based design for window management and effects Improved fractional scaling in the 0.11 release Lightweight compositor with desktop effects
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 and Wayland only Releases can be far apart All 3 limitations for Wayfire Linux and Wayland only Releases can be far apart Needs configuration to build a full desktop
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 Wayfire wayfire.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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