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Sway vs SwayFX: catalog facts
Sway	SwayFX
Best for: Use an i3-style tiling workflow on Wayland	Best for: Sway users who want visual effects on a tiling Wayland desktop
Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Linux
Supports much of the i3 configuration format Arranges windows with keyboard-driven layouts	Keeps Sway's tiling behaviour and configuration Adds blur, rounded corners and shadows All 3 strengths for SwayFX Keeps Sway's tiling behaviour and configuration Adds blur, rounded corners and shadows Packaging help for Debian and Nix
Some X11 applications and workflows need compatibility layers or alternatives.	Linux and Wayland only Effects add overhead compared with plain Sway All 3 limitations for SwayFX Linux and Wayland only Effects add overhead compared with plain Sway Tracks upstream Sway, so features may lag behind it
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Sway swaywm.org github.com/swaywm/sway Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for SwayFX github.com/wlrfx/swayfx Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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