Hyprland is a tiling Wayland compositor with dynamic tiling and a custom renderer, documented in the ArchWiki.
i3wm
i3 is a tiling window manager for X11 with documented code and Xinerama support.
About i3wm
i3 is a tiling window manager for X11, written from scratch for GNU/Linux and BSD operating systems. It arranges windows in a tree structure, assigns each workspace to a virtual screen for multi-monitor use, and provides vim-like modes and an IPC interface for commands and event subscriptions.
It is primarily targeted at advanced users and developers. Its code is described as Free and Open Source Software under the BSD license, and development focuses on bug fixes and stability, with new features added only when the benefit outweighs added complexity.
Key features
- Tiles windows using tree structure for flexible layouts
- Assigns each workspace to a virtual screen for multi-monitor setups
- Supports attaching, detaching, and rotating monitors during operation
- Provides vim-like modes with separate keybindings per mode
- Offers IPC interface for commands and event subscriptions
- Uses xcb instead of Xlib
Best for: Advanced users and developers on GNU/Linux and BSD who need a tiling X11 window manager.
Good for
- Readable, documented code that explains internal workings for extension
- Multi-monitor handling with workspace-to-screen assignment and rotation support
- IPC interface allows other programs to send commands and subscribe to events
Watch out for
- Primarily targeted at advanced users and developers
- Focuses on bug fixes and stability over adding new features
- Only documented behavior is supported
i3wm at a glance
- Website
- i3wm.org
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Desktop Customization
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux, Web, Windows
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
i3wm alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
Sway is an i3-compatible tiling compositor for Wayland, documented in the ArchWiki.
The ArchWiki explains window managers and links to a comparison of tiling window managers.
Configure Qtile with Python and use its full-featured tiling window manager for arranging windows.
xmonad provides a dynamically tiling window manager for X11, written and configured in Haskell.
herbstluftwm arranges windows through a manual tiling window manager for the X window system.
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i3wm FAQ
Which operating systems does i3 target?
GNU/Linux and BSD operating systems.
How does i3 handle additional monitors?
It assigns each workspace to a virtual screen and supports attaching and detaching monitors like projectors during operation, plus rotated monitors.
Will updates break my configuration?
The project states it never breaks configuration files or existing workflows, and breaking changes require a major version bump.
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