Sway vs XMonad

Sway9.3Visit XMonad9.0Visit

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

vs

XMonad #5 in Window Management Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit XMonad

• Sway fits best

  Linux users wanting an i3-compatible Wayland option

• XMonad fits best

  Linux users wanting extensible Haskell layouts

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Side by side

Feature	Sway 9.3/10 Visit ↗	XMonad 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.0
Ranking	#2 in Window Management Software	#5 in Window Management Software
Best for	Linux users wanting an i3-compatible Wayland option	Linux users wanting extensible Haskell layouts
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Linux
Integrations	4 integrations	6 integrations
Features Sway 2/4 · XMonad 2/4
Layout presets	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Application rules	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Window grouping	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Virtual desktop controls	✓	✓
Specs
Platforms	linux	linux
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	Configurable Haskell layouts can vary by virtual workspace. Supports floating, tabbed, decorated, and automatically tiled windows. Reload configuration on the fly; extend it with xmonad-contrib.
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 in Haskell is a poor fit for users who want a graphical editor. Designed for X11, not a general-purpose window manager across platforms. Multi-monitor support relies on Xinerama.
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 →	XMonad is a dynamically tiling window manager for X11, written and configured in Haskell. It is aimed at Linux users who want predictable, keyboard-driven control and are comfortable shaping their desktop through configuration. Windows can… 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

• XMonad — where it wins

  • Configurable Haskell layouts can vary by virtual workspace.
  • Supports floating, tabbed, decorated, and automatically tiled windows.
  • Reload configuration on the fly; extend it with xmonad-contrib.

  Where it doesn't

  • Configuration in Haskell is a poor fit for users who want a graphical editor.
  • Designed for X11, not a general-purpose window manager across platforms.
  • Multi-monitor support relies on Xinerama.

• Sway9.3/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit SwayFull verdict →
• XMonad9.0/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source Linux window manager for keyboard-driven, Haskell-configurable layouts.

  Visit XMonadFull verdict →