Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Wayfire VS qtile

Compare Wayfire VS qtile and see what are their differences

Wayfire logo Wayfire

Wayland compositor with 3d effects.

qtile logo qtile

Qtile is a full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written in Python.
  • Wayfire Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-19
  • qtile Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14

Wayfire features and specs

  • Customizability
    Wayfire offers a high degree of customizability with plugins, allowing users to modify and extend the functionality of the window manager to fit their personal workflow and preferences.
  • Modern Compositor
    Being based on Wayland, Wayfire benefits from modern graphical capabilities and is well-suited for contemporary hardware, with support for efficient rendering and better security features compared to X-based systems.
  • Dynamic Effects
    Wayfire includes a variety of built-in effects and animations, providing users with an aesthetically pleasing environment that can be tailored or disabled as needed.
  • Lightweight
    Wayfire is designed to be lightweight, offering fast performance with minimal resource usage which can improve speed and responsiveness, especially on older hardware.
  • Active Development
    It is actively maintained with continuous updates and improvements, ensuring that users have access to the latest features and security patches.

Possible disadvantages of Wayfire

  • Wayland-Specific
    As a Wayland compositor, it might not yet support all X11 applications natively, possibly requiring compatibility layers like XWayland, which can introduce complexity or limitations.
  • Limited Support
    Compared to more mainstream window managers, there may be less community and documentation support for troubleshooting and user assistance.
  • Plugin Dependency
    While plugins provide flexibility, the heavy reliance on them can lead to compatibility issues or instability if not managed properly, especially for users who want a simple setup.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may encounter a learning curve, especially if they are unfamiliar with Wayland or the plugin-based architecture, requiring time to fully leverage its capabilities.
  • Desktop Environment Integration
    Wayfire's integration with specific desktop environments may be less seamless compared to other managers designed with broader DE support, limiting its appeal for users who prefer tight DE integration.

qtile features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    Qtile is written in Python, which makes it highly customizable and easy to script. Users can define their own layouts, widgets, and keybindings.
  • Lightweight
    Qtile is designed to be minimalistic and lightweight, which helps in maintaining a low system resource footprint.
  • Active Community
    It has an active open-source community, which means regular updates, a wealth of shared configurations, and user-contributed extensions.
  • Flexibility
    Qtile allows dynamic management of windows, making it flexible for various workflows whether you prefer tiling, stacking, or floating window layouts.
  • Multi-Monitor Support
    It offers excellent support for multi-monitor setups, enabling independent workspaces on each screen.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Qtile provides comprehensive documentation that makes setup and customization more straightforward for both beginners and advanced users.

Possible disadvantages of qtile

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its high degree of customization and flexibility, new users might find it difficult to get started compared to more traditional desktop environments.
  • Limited Out-of-the-Box Experience
    The default configuration is minimal, requiring users to spend time tweaking and configuring to meet their specific needs.
  • Dependency on Python
    Because itโ€™s based on Python, performance can be slower compared to window managers written in lower-level languages such as C.
  • Possible Bugs
    As with any open-source project, there can be occasional bugs or regressions in updates, especially considering the highly customizable nature of Qtile.

Analysis of qtile

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Qtile is a good window manager, especially for users who prefer customization and scripting capabilities.

Why this product is good

  • Qtile is a highly configurable tiling window manager written in Python, which makes it attractive to those who are familiar with the language. It provides the flexibility to customize window layouts, key bindings, and startup behavior according to personal preferences. Additionally, its active community and comprehensive documentation make it easier for new users to get started.

Recommended for

    Qtile is recommended for Python programmers, Linux enthusiasts who enjoy customizing their desktop environment, and users looking for a keyboard-driven tiling window manager that can be extensively tailored to their workflow.

Wayfire videos

GNOME 3.36: macOS-like apps with KAWAII BLUR ..on Wayfire :p

More videos:

  • Review - Wayfire: Wayfire config manager + wf-panel
  • Review - Micro Review 2/2 Rayban Wayfire

qtile videos

Obscure Window Manager Project - Qtile

More videos:

  • Review - I tried Qtile (a tiling window manager written in python)
  • Review - Qtile review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Wayfire and qtile)
Linux
41 41%
59% 59
Window Manager
29 29%
71% 71
Utilities
31 31%
69% 69
Desktop Environments
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 Wayfire and qtile

Wayfire Reviews

We have no reviews of Wayfire yet.
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qtile Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Custom layouts, commands, and widgets are simple to create in Qtile. It may also be remotely scripted to create workspaces, update status bar widgets, and manipulate windows, among other things. It comes with extensive documentation in case you have any questions.
Source: www.hubtech.org
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
Qtile features easy to write custom layouts, commands, and widgets. It can also be scripted remotely in order to set up workspaces, update status bar widgets, manipulate windows, etc. It has comprehensive documentation in case you need clarification along the way.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, qtile should be more popular than Wayfire. It has been mentiond 6 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.

Wayfire mentions (2)

  • Cant change the system GTK theme/icons
    So im trying to change my GTK theme/icons (on Wayfire) I tryed changing them using LXAppearance and it "changes" in LXappearance until I close it then they goes back to default (no other application changes themes/icons). Source: almost 4 years ago
  • [Wayfire] System locks up when trying to build wf-shell
    Im trying to build/install Wayfire (on Debian Testing, using Openbox) using wf-install and I cant seem to get past building wf-shell (i have also tried building using wf-shell instructions, same result),. Source: almost 4 years ago

qtile mentions (6)

  • Qtile Logs in to a Blank Screen
    Yes, all the dependencies listed in qtile.org are installed. Source: over 2 years ago
  • docs.qtile.org down? Any information to be found?
    I think yesterday qtile.org itself seemed to be working properly. Now it is also offline. Source: over 2 years ago
  • New to Linux and qtile, need help.
    Try python -m py_compile ~/.config/qtile/config.py first. You can find this from https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Qtile#Installation which you should be using as your main resource along with qtile.org. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Free/Total Disk Space Widget?
    I was just curious if there is a Qtile widget that would show how much space I have left on my SSD. I looked through the Qtile widgets on qtile.org and couldn't seem to find anything like this which is actually kind of odd to me. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Issue with installing Qtile?
    I possess followed installation guide fromโ€โ€โ€Žโ€โ€โ€Žโ€โ€โ€Žโ€โ€โ€Žยญthe qtile.org. Error occurs when I type command startx. https://preview.redd.it/6x0qri1b4n361.png?width=801&format=png&auto=webp&s=bee71e4eb593c08b56f9fd07b30e9c9eca6fd00f. Source: almost 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Wayfire and qtile, you can also consider the following products

Hyprland - Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on its looks. - GitHub - vaxerski/Hyprland: Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that doesn't sacrifice on ...

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

bspwm - A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

Sway - Sway is a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager, but for Wayland instead of X11.

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.

Labwc - Labwc stands for Lab Wayland Compositor, where lab can mean any of the following: