1
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Waybar provides a customizable status bar for Wayland compositors such as Sway and wlroots-based environments.
Alternatives
The Best Sway Alternatives in 2026
24 alternatives0 free · 22 open source
Looking for something like Sway? Here are 24 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 22 are open source.
Sway offers an i3-compatible tiling compositor for Wayland-based desktop sessions.
Top picks at a glance
First suggestionWaybarWaybar provides a customizable status bar for Wayland…Another optionArch WikiSway is an i3-compatible tiling compositor for Wayland…
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waybar | — | Yes | — |
| 2 | Arch Wiki | — | Not stated | Web |
| 3 | LabWC | — | Yes | — |
| 4 | SwayFx | — | Yes | Windows |
| 5 | wayfire | — | Yes | — |
| 6 | river | — | Yes | — |
| 7 | Forge | — | Yes | — |
| 8 | BSPWM | — | Yes | Windows |
| 9 | Wearewaylandnow | — | Yes | Linux |
| 10 | Simple Config | — | Yes | Linux |
All Sway alternatives
2
Arch Wiki
wiki.archlinux.org/title/SwayAlso covers desktop customization
Sway is an i3-compatible tiling compositor for Wayland, documented in the ArchWiki.
3
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
labwc provides a Wayland compositor that stacks windows rather than tiling them.
4
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
SwayFX extends the Sway compositor with visual effects through changes to its rendering layer.
5
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Wayfire offers a modular Wayland compositor with extension points and customizable behavior.
6
Also covers desktop customization · same kind of open-source project
river separates the Wayland compositor from the window manager, allowing a compatible manager to be chosen.
7
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Forge adds window tiling and management controls to the GNOME Shell desktop.
8
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Arrange desktop windows as leaves in a binary tree with bspwm, a tiling window manager that responds to X events.
9
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
This repository contains the source for wearewaylandnow.com, an opinionated site about the Wayland desktop environment.
10
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
These dotfiles configure Hyprland with a dynamic tiling setup for Arch Linux and Fedora.
11
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Awesome Hyprland curates a list of community resources for the Hyprland compositor.
12
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
nwg-look edits GTK settings for desktop environments using the wlroots Wayland environment.
13
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Awesome Wayland collects resources related to the Wayland display system.
14
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Ironbar is a customizable GTK4 status bar for Wayland, written in Rust.
15
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
The Pop OS Shell project provides a shell interface for its Linux desktop environment.
16
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Arc provides a flat GTK theme with transparent elements for desktop shells and applications.
17
Arch Wiki
wiki.archlinux.org/title/HyprlandAlso covers desktop customization
Hyprland is a tiling Wayland compositor with dynamic tiling and a custom renderer, documented in the ArchWiki.
18
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
WinDynamicDesktop brings macOS Mojave-style dynamic desktop wallpapers to Windows, with themes and scheduling.
19
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Awesome Linux Ricing collects themes, tools, and applications for customizing Linux desktops.
20
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Apply Ant, a flat visual theme for GNOME and other GTK-based desktop environments.
21
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Wallhaven Desktop is an unofficial app that uses the Wallhaven API to browse wallpapers.
22
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
The awesome project provides a window manager for the desktop with a Lua configuration interface.
23
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Polybar provides a desktop status bar with configuration options for displaying system information.
24
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
AeroThemePlasma offers a KDE Plasma shell with a design based on the Windows 7 desktop.
No alternatives match this filter.
Alternatives to similar tools
Arc24 alternativesWearewaylandnow24 alternativesPop!OS Shell24 alternativesWinDynamicDesktop24 alternativeswallhaven-desktop24 alternativesArch Wiki24 alternatives
What is the best alternative to Sway?
Based on features, tags and platforms, the closest alternatives to Sway are Waybar, Arch Wiki, and LabWC.
Are there open-source alternatives to Sway?
Yes: Waybar, LabWC, SwayFx, and wayfire.
Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative