Compare software

spectrwm vs i3: catalog facts
spectrwm	i3
Best for: Linux and BSD users who want a minimal tiling window manager	Best for: Arrange X11 windows in a keyboard-controlled tiling workspace
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.
Linux	Linux
Small and lightweight with few dependencies Single plain-text configuration file All 3 strengths for spectrwm Small and lightweight with few dependencies Single plain-text configuration file Runs on Linux and the BSDs	Uses a tree-based window layout Supports workspaces and configurable key bindings
X11 only, no Wayland support Keyboard-centric workflow has a learning curve	Runs on X11 rather than Wayland.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: ISC	License: BSD-3-Clause
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for spectrwm github.com/conformal/spectrwm Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for i3 i3wm.org github.com/i3/i3 Catalog checked September 22, 2026

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