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Slingshot vs nwg-drawer: catalog facts
Slingshot	nwg-drawer
Best for: elementary OS and Pantheon desktop users	Best for: sway or Hyprland users who want a GNOME-style app grid
Free Free and included with elementary OS.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
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	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
Designed for Pantheon and not meant for other desktops	Limited to wlroots-based Wayland compositors Launches applications only, no calculator or command actions
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Slingshot github.com/elementary/applications-menu Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for nwg-drawer github.com/nwg-piotr/nwg-drawer Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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