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StumpWM vs herbstluftwm: catalog facts
StumpWM	herbstluftwm
Best for: Lisp users who want a tiling window manager they can reprogram while it runs	Best for: X11 users who want scriptable, manually controlled tiling
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Can be reconfigured live from Common Lisp Fully keyboard-driven tiling All 4 strengths for StumpWM Can be reconfigured live from Common Lisp Fully keyboard-driven tiling Module collection in stumpwm-contrib Versioned manuals in several formats	Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag All 3 strengths for herbstluftwm Settings change live without restarting Tiling and floating layers on every tag Virtual monitors for splitting large screens
X11 only, no Wayland support Customisation requires learning Common Lisp All 3 limitations for StumpWM X11 only, no Wayland support Customisation requires learning Common Lisp Minimal look with no built-in decorations	X11 only Manual tiling means arranging frames yourself
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for StumpWM stumpwm.github.io Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for herbstluftwm herbstluftwm.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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