Software Alternatives & Reviews

i3 VS Qubes OS

Compare i3 VS Qubes OS and see what are their differences

i3 logo i3

A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

Qubes OS logo Qubes OS

Qubes is a security-oriented, free and open-source operating system for personal computers that allows you to securely compartmentalize your digital life.‎Download Mirrors · ‎Qubes R4.
  • i3 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19
  • Qubes OS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-13

i3 videos

30k Miles with the BMW i3 - End of Lease Review

More videos:

  • Review - 2016 BMW i3 - Review and Road Test
  • Review - 2018 BMW i3s Range Extender (REx) Review - The Future Of Cars?
  • Demo - Gaming With Intel's Core i3 9100F - The First Turbo Boosted Desktop i3
  • Review - The best EV for the money? Used BMW i3 Review

Qubes OS videos

Qubes OS Review | Windows Integration

More videos:

  • Review - Qubes OS Part 1: Overview and Features
  • Tutorial - Qubes OS Tutorial | Install, Config, and Introduction

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to i3 and Qubes OS)
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Operating Systems
0 0%
100% 100
Linux
65 65%
35% 35
Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare i3 and Qubes OS

i3 Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Sway is a tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that dynamically arranges app windows to rationally maximise desktop space. It is free, open-source, and lightweight. By default, it arranges windows in a grid and supports practically all of the i3 commands.
Source: www.hubtech.org
Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
i3-wm is one of my most loved standalone window managers, qualifying it to easily fit under the desktop environment list! The configuration is just very easy, and you can change everything that you see on screen. This includes what information you see on the bottom panel, how windows behave, and keyboard shortcuts to move, align, and set up windows on the screen.
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
Sway is a free, open-source, and lightweight tiling Wayland i3-compatible window manager that automatically arranges app windows to logically maximize desktop space. It arranges windows into a grid by default and supports almost all the commands included in i3.
Source: www.tecmint.com
5 Great Tiling Window Managers for Linux
I begun testing i3 just this week. I was always fascinated by the Tiling WM’s as they seem really light on system resources and functional. To my surprise , although i3 is really easy to customize, and works really well (at least for my needs) , I found that it isn’t really that lightweight. I had Mate desktop environment use the same amount of RAM. Maybe I was mislead to...

Qubes OS Reviews

The 10 Best Immutable Linux Distributions in 2024
Given the nature of immutable distributions, a strong emphasis on security is essential. Distributions that implement robust security measures, whether through sandboxing applications, using secure package management systems, or providing advanced isolation techniques (like in Qubes OS), were given priority.
Best Linux distro for privacy and security of 2024
Thanks to its radically different approach, Qubes does have a learning curve. However it isn’t abrupt enough to prevent you from using the distro like a normal Linux installation. Qubes is based on Fedora and uses the Xfce desktop environment. But instead of a list of apps, its application menu lists several qubes such as work, personal, untrusted, each of which rolls the...
Top 5 Secure Operating Systems for Privacy and Anonymity
In short, Qubes is an operating system that separates tasks and applications into distinct VMs and further isolates them using containers. By leveraging these technologies, Qubes OS can deliver enhanced performance and security.
The 5 Best Privacy-Focused Operating Systems
Qubes OS is a unique privacy-focused Linux distribution that prioritizes security through virtualization. It allows you to create isolated virtual machines (VMs) for different tasks, enhancing privacy and security. Each VM runs separately, reducing the risk of data leaks and malware infections.
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
Qubes is unique in that it uses Xen-based virtualization, which enables strong isolation of different pieces of software - which can include operating systems. Multiple operating systems can run at the same time through Qubes - and they won't even "know" other operating systems exist.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, i3 should be more popular than Qubes OS. It has been mentiond 89 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

i3 mentions (89)

  • "We understand" ;)
    This is partially why I use tools like i3 (/ sway). I like the tool; it works extremely well for me; the design has stayed the same for 20 years; there's no profit motive to come along and fuck everything up. It just works. It is boring in the best way possible. Source: 5 months ago
  • what machines have you used for development, and what do you prefer?
    I use MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid-2014) with Manjaro as OS using i3 as a window manager. It isn't perfect, but I'm thrilled with it. I have been a Mac OS user for the last 15 years and wouldn't change what I have now for a Mac OS because I don't need more than what I'm using for development. Source: 10 months ago
  • Machine for pentesting and general use?
    For daily usage I really like kubuntu with i3wm, but it takes some configuration and getting used to the shortcuts, but it's well worth it. Source: 12 months ago
  • What's the difference between Gnome and KDE? Do applications written for one work in the other?
    Some window managers are meant to be used as-is, and provide a minimalist yet functional environment that use very little resources or give power users an almost HUD-like interface. Examples of those window managers are OpenBox and i3wm for X, and Weston and Hyprland for Wayland. Source: 12 months ago
  • tiling window manager
    I did use i3 exclusively for a few years. The reasons I chose it were. Source: 12 months ago
View more

Qubes OS mentions (55)

  • Unprivileged Process Injection Techniques in Linux
    If you care about security, consider Qubes OS, which relies on hardware virtualization to provide a much higher security than ordinary Linux: https://qubes-os.org. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • The Windows installer of ImageMagick will no longer be signed
    You may be interested in trying Qubes OS, which provides security through compartmentalization: https://qubes-os.org. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Richard Stallman on why GNU su didn't support the “wheel” group
    The solution is to use https://qubes-os.org. My daily driver, can't recommend it enough. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: What projects are trying to reinvent core software infrastructure?
    > operating systems https://qubes-os.org, a reasonably secure operating system. Smartphones: Librem 5 running desktop GNU/Linux and desktop apps. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Google tries internet air-gap for some staff PCs
    Or they could simply use Qubes OS: https://qubes-os.org. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing i3 and Qubes OS, you can also consider the following products

dwm - dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

Tails - Tails is a Debian based live CD/USB with the goal of providing complete Internet anonymity for the...

awesome - A dynamic window manager for the X Window System developed in the C and Lua programming languages.

Arch Linux - You've reached the website for Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple. Currently we have official packages optimized for the x86-64 architecture.

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

Whonix - Whonix aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity by helping you use your applications...