# Hyprland review (2026): is it any good? > Dynamic tiling Wayland compositor with animations Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Hyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor that adds animations, live-reloading configuration, window groups and plugins written in C++. It also lists socket-based IPC, special workspaces and touchpad gestures. The source on GitHub is under the BSD-3-Clause license. - **Category:** Window Managers & Launchers - **Made by:** Hyprland project - **Website:** https://hypr.land/ - **Runs on:** Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use Windows or macOS, as it is Linux only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Hyprland is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Free software; the project publishes its source and lists no paid edition. | Read from https://hypr.land/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Hyprland before buying. ## Key features - **Dynamic tiling:** Automatic tiling with several layouts that can be fine-tuned. - **Animations:** Offers animated window transitions that the site highlights. - **Live-reloading config:** Configuration changes apply when the file is saved. - **Plugins:** Official and community plugins, which can be written in C++. - **IPC and gestures:** Socket-based IPC, global shortcuts, window groups, special workspaces and touchpad gestures. ## Good for - Linux users who want a tiling compositor with visual effects - People who script their desktop through plugins or IPC ## Worth knowing - Wayland only, so apps that need X11 depend on compatibility layers. - Setup is done by editing text config files. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Hyprland is a free tiling Wayland compositor with animations, live-reloading config, plugins and socket IPC. It runs on Wayland only and is set up by editing text files. - **Value for money: A.** Free to download under the BSD-3-Clause license with no paid edition. - **Free plan and trial: A.** The whole program is free to download and run, with no cap and no paid edition. - **Features: B.** Dynamic tiling, plugins, IPC, groups, special workspaces and gestures, with no core gap on the listing. - **Ease of use: D.** No rating on record, and setup is by editing text config files. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Linux on Wayland only, with no other operating system and no integrations listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the Hyprland project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. Its home page would not load as text here, so the grades rest on the listing. ## Where it stands among window managers and launchers - Hyprland's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 23 of the 48 other window managers and launchers we grade, and level with 11. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 23 of 48) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Hyprland has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/window-managers ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Hyprland is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could not: Control over other apps' windows. - You could not: A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: An API that other software can build on. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Window management, Open source, Public API ## Alternatives - [Sway](https://toolgpa.com/tools/sway): i3-compatible tiling Wayland compositor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hyprland-vs-sway) - [i3](https://toolgpa.com/tools/i3): Tiling window manager for X11 on Linux and BSD. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hyprland-vs-i3) - [Awesome](https://toolgpa.com/tools/awesome): Lua-configurable framework window manager for X. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/awesome-vs-hyprland) - [Vicinae](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vicinae): Keyboard-driven launcher for Linux, macOS and Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hyprland-vs-vicinae) - [Albert](https://toolgpa.com/tools/albert): Plugin-based keyboard launcher for Linux and macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/albert-vs-hyprland) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://hypr.land/ - https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/hyprland Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).