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nwg-panel VS Stacky

Compare nwg-panel VS Stacky and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

nwg-panel logo nwg-panel

Nwg-panel is a GTK3-based panel for sway and Hyprland Wayland compositors. The panel is equipped with a graphical configuration program that frees the user from the need to manually edit configuration files.

Stacky logo Stacky

Simple app enhancing windows task bar functionality with stacks of shortcuts.
  • nwg-panel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-06-30
  • Stacky Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-18

nwg-panel features and specs

  • Customizability
    nwg-panel offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor the panel to fit their specific needs and preferences. Widgets, colors, positioning, and behaviors can be adjusted, making it versatile for various desktop environments.
  • Lightweight
    The panel is designed to be lightweight, which makes it an excellent choice for users who want minimal resource usage, beneficial for older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Wayland Support
    nwg-panel is designed to work with Wayland, providing a modern alternative to X11, which is useful for users planning to transition to or already using Wayland compositors.
  • Active Development
    The project is actively maintained, ensuring that bugs are addressed, and new features are added, which enhances the overall reliability and functionality over time.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, nwg-panel allows users to freely use, modify, and contribute to the project, fostering a community-driven approach to further development.

Possible disadvantages of nwg-panel

  • Limited Documentation
    The documentation may not be as comprehensive as some other projects, potentially making it difficult for new users to set up or troubleshoot the panel.
  • Niche Application
    As it specifically targets Wayland compositors, users on X11-based systems will not be able to use nwg-panel, limiting its applicability based on the userโ€™s setup.
  • Dependency on Wayland
    Users who rely on specific X11 features or applications may face challenges, as nwg-panel requires a Wayland environment, which might not support all X11 applications.
  • Potential Stability Issues
    As with any software that is actively developed, there might be occasional bugs or stability issues, particularly when new features are introduced.

Stacky features and specs

  • Open Source
    Stacky is open source, allowing developers to contribute to and enhance the project according to their needs.
  • Community Support
    As a GitHub-hosted project, it benefits from community collaboration, where users can share improvements, report issues, and request new features.
  • Free to Use
    Being an open-source tool, Stacky can be used for free, which is advantageous for developers and companies looking to cut costs.
  • Customizable
    Developers have the ability to fork the project and customize it to better fit their specific use cases and requirements.

Possible disadvantages of Stacky

  • Lack of Documentation
    Stacky may not have comprehensive documentation, making it challenging for new users to understand and implement the tool effectively.
  • Potential for Bugs
    As with many open-source projects, there may be less rigorous testing, leading to the potential presence of unresolved bugs or issues.
  • Limited Features
    Depending on the project's current state, it may have fewer features compared to more established alternatives, limiting its utility for some use cases.
  • Maintenance Uncertainty
    The project's future updates and maintenance depend on the community or the project owner's interest, which could be inconsistent.

Analysis of nwg-panel

Overall verdict

  • nwg-panel is a solid, actively maintained GTK-based panel designed specifically for wlroots-based Wayland compositors like Sway and Hyprland, offering a highly configurable and lightweight solution for users transitioning away from X11 panels.

Why this product is good

  • Purpose-built for Wayland compositors (Sway, Hyprland) using the wlr-layer-shell protocol
  • Highly configurable through a graphical configuration editor (nwg-panel-config), lowering the barrier to customization
  • Includes many built-in modules such as taskbar, workspace switcher, tray, clock, controls (brightness/volume/battery), and custom executors
  • Actively maintained by the nwg-shell project with regular updates and good documentation
  • Integrates well with the broader nwg-shell ecosystem (nwg-drawer, nwg-bar, nwg-dock) for a cohesive desktop experience
  • Open source and free, with a responsive maintainer and community on GitHub

Recommended for

  • Users of Sway, Hyprland, or other wlroots-based Wayland compositors
  • People who want a customizable panel without hand-editing complex config files
  • Linux users building a lightweight, modern Wayland desktop setup
  • Those already using or interested in the nwg-shell ecosystem tools
  • Tinkerers who value flexibility and a GUI-driven configuration workflow

nwg-panel videos

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Stacky videos

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Vertical Gardening with Mr. Stacky set up, seed planting, and review.

More videos:

  • Review - Vertical Gardening with Mr. Stacky
  • Review - NOOB vs PRO vs HACKER in Stacky Dash

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to nwg-panel and Stacky)

nwg-panel

Stacky

App Launcher
71 71%
App Launcher
29% 29
Productivity
48 48%
Productivity
52% 52
Note Taking
65 65%
Note Taking
35% 35
LMS
100 100%
LMS
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Stacky seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

nwg-panel mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of nwg-panel yet. Tracking of nwg-panel recommendations started around Jun 2025.

Stacky mentions (1)

  • My multi-monitor desktop setup (not pretty but useful)
    Programs (mostly free/sharewares): Google desktop apps: Google Chrome or MS Edge or whatever you use as a browser. And if you're lazy: https://chromeless.app/ to create the apps. Microsoft PowerToys: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/ Total Commander: https://www.ghisler.com/ ContaCam: https://www.contaware.com/contacam.html Open Hardware Monitor: https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ Stickies:... Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing nwg-panel and Stacky, you can also consider the following products

Quickshell - A Flexible toolkit for making desktop shells with QtQuick, targeting Wayland and X11.

RocketDock - RocketDock is a Mac OS X dock clone.

ironbar - Customisable Wayland gtk bar written in Rust.

MaxLauncher - A simple tabbed application launcher.

Yambar - Modular status panel for X11 and Wayland, inspired by polybar.

Winstep Nexus - The Winstep Nexus Dock is a FREE* professional dock for Windows. With Nexus, your most frequently used applications are only a mouse click away - and Nexus turns working with your computer into a fun and exciting experience.

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