Sway vs dwm

Sway9.3Visit Ddwm8.9Visit

Higher score Sway #2 in Window Management Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Sway

vs

D dwm #6 in Window Management Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit suckless.org

• Sway fits best

  Linux users wanting an i3-compatible Wayland option

• dwm fits best

  Linux, OpenBSD, or Solaris users wanting tiling

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Side by side

Feature	Sway 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Ddwm 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.9
Ranking	#2 in Window Management Software	#6 in Window Management Software
Best for	Linux users wanting an i3-compatible Wayland option	Linux, OpenBSD, or Solaris users wanting tiling
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Linux
Integrations	4 integrations	3 integrations
Features Sway 2/4 · dwm 3/4
Layout presets	Not checked yet	—
Application rules	✓	✓
Window grouping	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Virtual desktop controls	✓	✓
Specs
Platforms	linux	linux, openbsd, solaris
Maximum displays	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Offers tiling, stacked, tabbed, and floating layouts Places matched apps on chosen workspaces or outputs Supports i3 configurations and X11 apps through Xwayland	Offers tiled, monocle, and freely movable floating layouts Uses tags, multi-tag views, and application-specific placement rules Supports Xinerama and RandR multi-monitor controls
Cons	Linux only, so it does not fit cross-platform setups Requires familiarity with window-manager configuration Not suited to users seeking a graphical window-management interface	Configuration is compiled from source rather than changed in a settings interface Focused on X window management rather than a broad desktop suite Requires comfort building and customizing software
Our verdict	Sway is a tiling Wayland compositor for Linux, designed as a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager. It is aimed at people who want to arrange application windows with keyboard-driven rules and workspaces rather than rely on a… Read the review →	dwm is a lightweight dynamic window manager for the X Window System, aimed at Linux, OpenBSD, and Solaris users who want direct control over window placement. Its layouts cover tiled windows arranged in master and stacking areas, a monocle… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Sway — where it wins

  • Offers tiling, stacked, tabbed, and floating layouts
  • Places matched apps on chosen workspaces or outputs
  • Supports i3 configurations and X11 apps through Xwayland

  Where it doesn't

  • Linux only, so it does not fit cross-platform setups
  • Requires familiarity with window-manager configuration
  • Not suited to users seeking a graphical window-management interface

• dwm — where it wins

  • Offers tiled, monocle, and freely movable floating layouts
  • Uses tags, multi-tag views, and application-specific placement rules
  • Supports Xinerama and RandR multi-monitor controls

  Where it doesn't

  • Configuration is compiled from source rather than changed in a settings interface
  • Focused on X window management rather than a broad desktop suite
  • Requires comfort building and customizing software

• Sway9.3/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source Wayland compositor for configurable window layouts and i3 users.

  Visit SwayFull verdict →
• Ddwm8.9/10 · Free plan

  A focused tiling manager for users comfortable configuring and compiling source code.

  Visit suckless.orgFull verdict →