Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

slstatus VS Quickshell

Compare slstatus VS Quickshell and see what are their differences

slstatus logo slstatus

slstatus is a status monitor for window managers that use WM_NAME or stdin to fill the status bar.

Quickshell logo Quickshell

A Flexible toolkit for making desktop shells with QtQuick, targeting Wayland and X11.
  • slstatus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-06-30
Not present

slstatus features and specs

  • Lightweight
    slstatus is designed to be minimalistic and lightweight, which makes it efficient in terms of resource usage. It's ideal for users who want a simple status monitor without unnecessary bloat.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize slstatus to display various system information. It allows for a good degree of flexibility in how the status bar appears.
  • Integration with dwm
    slstatus is part of the Suckless Tools suite and integrates well with dwm (Dynamic Window Manager), making it a preferred choice for users in the Suckless ecosystem looking for seamless compatibility.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source tool, slstatus allows users to view, modify, and contribute to its source code. This transparency is valued by users who prefer open-source solutions.

Possible disadvantages of slstatus

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more feature-rich status monitors, slstatus has a limited set of features. Users looking for advanced functionality might find it lacking.
  • Manual Configuration
    Configuration of slstatus requires editing the source code and recompiling, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming, especially for users not familiar with programming.
  • Unix-specific
    slstatus is primarily designed for Unix-like operating systems and may not be suitable for users on other platforms.

Quickshell features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Quickshell is designed to simplify the shell experience, making it more user-friendly for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Customization
    The platform offers various customization options that allow users to tailor the interface and functionality to their specific needs.
  • Integration
    Quickshell integrates well with other tools and services, providing a seamless workflow for users who rely on multiple applications.
  • Performance
    It is optimized for speed and efficiency, ensuring that users can perform tasks quickly without unnecessary lag.

Possible disadvantages of Quickshell

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it is user-friendly, Quickshell may lack some of the advanced features that experienced developers might require.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its ease of use, there might still be a learning curve for users who are completely new to shell environments.
  • Platform Dependency
    It might depend on specific platform requirements or compatibility, which could limit its usability across different systems.
  • Pricing
    If there is a cost associated, price could be a barrier for users looking for a free alternative.

slstatus videos

More dwm and slstatus customization

More videos:

  • Review - artixlinux compile on boot dwm slstatus dmenu

Quickshell videos

No Quickshell videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to slstatus and Quickshell)
App Launcher
53 53%
47% 47
Note Taking
49 49%
51% 51
Productivity
49 49%
51% 51
LMS
37 37%
63% 63

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing slstatus and Quickshell, you can also consider the following products

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

wf-shell - wf-shell is a repository which contains the various components needed to built a fully functional DE based around wayfire. Currently it has only a GTK-based panel and background client.

ironbar - Customisable Wayland gtk bar written in Rust.

Waybar - Highly customizable Wayland bar for Sway and Wlroots based compositors. :v: :tada: - GitHub - Alexays/Waybar: Highly customizable Wayland bar for Sway and Wlroots based compositors.

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.

xfce-panel - Xfce componet to switch between opened windows, launch applications, switch workspaces and menu plugins to browse applications or directories.