Sawfish AlternativesWindow Managers and other similar apps like Sawfish

Sawfish is described as 'Extensible window manager using a Lisp-based scripting language. Its policy is very minimal compared to most window managers. Its aim is simply to manage windows in the most flexible and attractive manner possible' and is a Window Manager in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Sawfish for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Wayland, Windows, Mac and X11 apps. The best Sawfish alternative is niri, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Sawfish are Openbox, Cardboard (Wayland compositor), awesome and KWin.

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Alternatives
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Alternatives list

  1. niri icon
     16 likes

    Windows are arranged in columns on an infinite strip going to the right. Opening a new window never causes existing windows to resize.

    84 niri alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Wayland
    Good alternative?
     
  2. Openbox icon
     77 likes

    Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

    78 Openbox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  3. Cardboard is a unique, scrollable tiling Wayland compositor designed with laptops in mind. Based on wlroots.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Wayland
    Good alternative?
     
  4. awesome icon
     39 likes

    awesome is a highly configurable, next generation framework window manager for X. It is very fast, extensible and licensed under the GNU GPLv2 license.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  5.  9 likes

    KWin is a window manager for the X Window System, and is in the process of becoming a Wayland compositor. It is an integral part, and the default window manager of the Plasma Workspaces, but it can also be used on its own or with other desktop environments.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Qtile icon
     8 likes

    A full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written and configured in Python.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  7. Sxmo icon
     2 likes

    A minimalist Linux smartphone environment that is truly yours to control. Sxmo, or Simple X Mobile, is a collection of simple and suckless X programs and scripts used together to create a fully functional mobile UI adhering to the Unix philosophy for the PinePhone and other...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • postmarketOS
    • Linux Mobile
    Good alternative?
     
  8. Preme is a free software for Windows which lets you add cool desktop features and enhances the desktop functionality.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  9.  4 likes

    9Desks - Virtual Desktops, desktop manager, multi desktops, enhanced virtual desktops

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  10. Nimi Visuals icon
     12 likes

    Adds eye-candy effects to windows (and start menu) like deformations (e.g: jelly windows - that makes moved window wiggle like being made from jelly; or fold - which hides windows by folding up horizontally, and unfolds when showing), physics (e.g.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Japokwm icon
     2 likes

    A dynamic tiling Wayland compositor (forked from dwl) that makes it a breeze to create custom layouts with a simple configuration. 🚀

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 58 Sawfish alternatives