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Xfwm4 vs KWin: catalog facts
Xfwm4	KWin
Best for: Xfce users and anyone wanting a simple, low-overhead stacking window manager on Linux	Best for: KDE Plasma users who want detailed control over window behaviour
Free Free and open source as part of the Xfce desktop.	Free Free and open source as part of KDE Plasma.
Linux	Linux
Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off All 4 strengths for Xfwm4 Light on resources Built-in compositor that can be tuned or turned off Supports freedesktop, GNOME and KDE window manager standards Large choice of installable themes	Per-application window rules Built-in tiling and scripting support All 3 strengths for KWin Per-application window rules Built-in tiling and scripting support Full Wayland compositor with desktop effects
Designed for X11 sessions No tiling layouts beyond basic edge snapping	Closely tied to KDE Plasma and its libraries Many options can be overwhelming to configure
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Xfwm4 docs.xfce.org/xfce/xfwm4/start Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for KWin invent.kde.org/plasma/kwin Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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