Software Alternatives & Startups

Compiz VS keyd

Compare Compiz VS keyd and see what are their differences

Compiz

Project information. Maintainer: PS Project Management Team. Driver: Compiz Maintainers. Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2. 1, MIT / X / Expat Licence.

Rating
0 reviews
keyd

Linux lacks a good key remapping solution. In order to achieve satisfactory results a medley of tools need to be employed (e.g xcape, xmodmap) with the end result often being tethered to a specified environment (X11).

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Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, keyd seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 7 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 7
Window Manager popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
111 vs 10

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Compiz
keyd
Website compiz.org github.com
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Compiz 5 features
keyd 0 features
  • Enhanced Aesthetic Appeal
    Compiz provides a variety of visually appealing effects and animations, improving the overall look and feel of the user interface.
  • Customizability
    Users can extensively customize their desktop experience with various plugins and settings to tailor their environment to their personal preferences.
  • Improved Productivity
    Features such as the Exposé-like window overview, workspace switching animations, and enhanced window management help users stay organized and switch between tasks more efficiently.
  • Wide Range of Plugins
    Compiz offers a vast collection of plugins that extend its functionality, allowing users to add new features or enhance existing ones.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Compiz invites community contributions and continuous improvements, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Overhead
    Running Compiz may consume considerable system resources, potentially impacting performance on lower-end hardware.
  • Stability Issues
    Some users may encounter instability or crashes, especially when using certain plugins or running it on unsupported hardware configurations.
  • Complexity
    The extensive customization options and numerous plugins can be overwhelming for users unfamiliar with Compiz, making it challenging to set up and manage.
  • Compatibility
    Compiz may not be fully compatible with all desktop environments or applications, potentially leading to graphical glitches or reduced functionality in some cases.
  • Maintenance
    As Compiz is heavily driven by community contributions, the pace of maintenance and updates can vary, sometimes resulting in delayed support for new features or bug fixes.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Compiz
keyd

Overall verdict

  • Compiz is considered to be a good choice for those who desire an enriched desktop experience with advanced visual effects. However, it is important to note that it may require a well-configured environment and might not be necessary for everyone, especially those who prefer simplicity over aesthetic enhancements.

Why this product is good

  • Compiz is a compositing window manager for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. It's known for its visually appealing and smooth animations, which enhance the user interface experience. Users appreciate Compiz for its ability to provide a more dynamic and engaging desktop environment.

Recommended for

  • Users who want an enhanced visual desktop experience.
  • Individuals interested in experimenting with advanced window management effects.
  • Those running older Linux distributions that support Compiz.
  • Developers or enthusiasts looking to customize and tweak their desktop appearance.

Overall verdict

  • keyd is a highly regarded, open-source key remapping daemon for Linux that operates at a low level to provide fast, reliable, and application-agnostic keyboard customization. It is considered excellent for users needing powerful, system-wide key remapping without relying on desktop environment or X11-specific tools.

Why this product is good

  • Works at the kernel/evdev level, so remappings apply system-wide across X11, Wayland, and the console
  • Supports advanced features like layers, dual-function keys (tap vs hold), and QMK-style configuration
  • Lightweight, fast, and has minimal latency since it operates as a low-level daemon
  • Simple, human-readable configuration files that are easy to manage and share
  • Free and open-source with an active community and responsive maintainers
  • Independent of display server, making it a robust solution for Wayland users where many remapping tools fall short

Recommended for

  • Linux power users who want deep, system-wide keyboard customization
  • Wayland users who need remapping tools that work outside of X11
  • People who want QMK-like functionality (layers, dual-role keys) without custom firmware
  • Developers and vim/emacs enthusiasts who rely on heavily customized key bindings
  • Users of laptops or standard keyboards wanting to remap keys without hardware-level programming

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Compiz 3 videos + Add
keyd 0 videos + Add

Fedora 32 mate compiz install and review.

More videos

  • - Linux Ubuntu 11.10 Kernel 3.0.0.12 compiz / review from a Windows guy
  • - VIDEO SATISFACTORIO, REVIEW DE MANJARO XFCE + COMPIZ

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Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Compiz
keyd
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
68% 68%
32% 32%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using Compiz and keyd. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Compiz 0 mentions
keyd 7 mentions

Tracking Compiz since Mar 2021.

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Alternatives to Compiz and keyd

When comparing Compiz and keyd, you can also consider the following products.