Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

bspwm VS Hyprland

Compare bspwm VS Hyprland and see what are their differences

bspwm logo bspwm

A tiling window manager based on binary space partitioning

Hyprland logo 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 ...
  • bspwm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14
  • Hyprland Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

bspwm features and specs

  • Highly Configurable
    Bspwm is known for its high level of customizability, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of their window management experience through simple scripts and configuration files.
  • Efficient Use of Screen Space
    As a tiling window manager, Bspwm automatically arranges windows in a way that maximizes screen real estate, minimizing overlap and unused space.
  • Lightweight
    Bspwm is extremely lightweight, making it suitable for older hardware and systems with limited resources. It does not come with additional software bloat.
  • Scriptable with Unix Philosophy
    Bspwm adheres to the Unix philosophy of 'doing one thing well'. It functions without managing keybindings, allowing users to use other programs (like sxhkd) for keybinding management, which offers greater flexibility.
  • Active Community Support
    Bspwm has an active community and comprehensive documentation, which helps new users get started and troubleshoot any issues they might encounter.

Possible disadvantages of bspwm

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The configuration process can be complex and overwhelming for beginners. Unlike more mainstream window managers, bspwm requires learning various scripts and commands.
  • Lack of GUI Configuration Tools
    Bspwm does not come with graphical configuration tools, which might be inconvenient for users who prefer a GUI for managing settings.
  • Sparse on Built-in Features
    Since bspwm follows the Unix philosophy closely, it lacks many built-in features and utilities that other window managers might offer. Users need to set up additional tools for tasks such as wallpaper management or system trays.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some applications that expect a floating window manager might not work well with bspwm, requiring extra configuration or using alternative software.
  • Limited Out-of-the-box Experience
    Bspwm does not come with a pre-configured environment, which can be a disadvantage for users looking for a ready-to-use experience out of the box.

Hyprland features and specs

  • Dynamic Tiling
    Hyprland offers dynamic tiling, allowing windows to be organized automatically and efficiently on your screen based on your workflow.
  • Wayland Support
    Hyprland is built on Wayland, providing smoother graphics, better performance, and modern features as opposed to older technologies like X11.
  • Customization
    The environment provides extensive customization options, enabling users to tailor the interface and behavior to their preferences.
  • Active Development
    Hyprland has an active and growing developer community, ensuring regular updates and improvements to the software.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Hyprland is designed to be lightweight, making it efficient in terms of resource usage, which is beneficial for older or less powerful hardware.

Possible disadvantages of Hyprland

  • Early Development
    Hyprland is relatively new and may lack some stability and features found in more mature window managers.
  • Compatibility Issues
    As an early-stage Wayland compositor, some applications might face compatibility issues, particularly those heavily reliant on X11.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to tiling window managers or Wayland might face a steep learning curve when transitioning to Hyprland.
  • Limited Documentation
    Documentation can be sparse or incomplete, making it challenging for new users to find help or resources.
  • Feature Gaps
    Certain functionalities present in well-established window managers might be missing or underdeveloped in Hyprland.

bspwm videos

Switching To Bspwm - Initial Thoughts

More videos:

  • Review - BSPWM - Its like I3 but not.
  • Review - BSPWM Review

Hyprland videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to bspwm and Hyprland)
Window Manager
80 80%
20% 20
Linux
72 72%
28% 28
Utilities
87 87%
13% 13
Productivity
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 bspwm and Hyprland

bspwm Reviews

Top 13 Best Tiling Window Managers For Linux In 2022
Support for multiple windows, limited support for EWMH, automatic mode for automatically determining the location of app tiles, and configuration and control via messages are among the characteristics of bspwm.
Source: www.hubtech.org
13 Best Tiling Window Managers for Linux
bspwm’s features include support for multiple windows, partial support for EWMH, automatic mode for automatically setting the position of app tiles, and it is configured and controlled through messages, among others.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Hyprland Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, bspwm seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 21 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.

bspwm mentions (21)

  • well... thinkpads are awesome
    Over on Linux, I’ve been learning kinda a-lot about linux tools and workflows. I've recently got into window managers, bspwm was my first one and I'm thinking of moving towards a Arch+Hyprland setup in future. Setting it up was way easier than I thought, and I got inspired by a YouTuber named jvscholz, who’s all about minimalism and productivity. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • What WM should I use?
    Use BSPWM. It supports right clicks by default and its modular. You might want to look for status bars that work with it, slstatus does not work. Good luck, supremacist! Source: over 1 year ago
  • What are some OpenSource apps that are the best of their kind?
    I had not heard of bspwm but I am a fan of telling WMs. Looking at the documentation now, I really like the pragmatic approach lol https://github.com/baskerville/bspwm. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Got some questions before moving to linux...
    I am not familiar with that distro at all, so no idea. KDE Plasma is fine, I use it myself (with BSPWM as my window manager, but that's irrelevant). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • MacBook Setup - OS Ventura 13.1 - Samsung QLed 43” - VM: yabai - Terminal: Hyper
    There's a paradigm shift required for a lot of people to start using automatic tiling window managers. Yabai is basically a bspwm port for MacOS and it follows the rules of binary space partitioning. In fact, bspwm has a great diagram on its github readme that illustrates how it works. This will limit the number of windows you can have on any given desktop. To overcome this limitation you use multiple desktops. A... Source: about 2 years ago
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Hyprland mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Hyprland yet. Tracking of Hyprland recommendations started around Apr 2022.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing bspwm and Hyprland, you can also consider the following products

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

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.

Openbox - Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

qtile - Qtile is a full-featured, hackable tiling window manager written in Python.

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

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