# Sway review (2026): is it any good?

> i3-compatible tiling Wayland compositor

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

Sway is a tiling Wayland compositor presented as a drop-in replacement for the i3 window manager. It works with an existing i3 configuration and supports most of i3's features plus some extras. It is documented through manpages and published under the MIT license.

- **Category:** Window Managers & Launchers
- **Made by:** Sway project
- **Website:** https://swaywm.org/
- **Runs on:** Linux
- **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use Windows or macOS, as the site gives no version for them.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, Sway 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://swaywm.org/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Sway before buying.

## Key features

- **i3 compatibility:** Reads existing i3 configuration and supports most i3 features.
- **Tiling grid:** Arranges windows logically in a grid by default, controllable from the keyboard.
- **Wayland compositor:** Runs as a Wayland compositor rather than on X11.
- **Manpage documentation:** Documented through manpages, with a wiki and support chat linked.

## Good for

- i3 users moving from X11 to Wayland
- Linux users who want a plain, keyboard-first tiling setup

## Worth knowing

- Wayland only; the site gives no Windows or macOS version.
- Documentation is mainly manpages, and setup is by config file.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Sway is a free tiling Wayland compositor that reads existing i3 configs. It runs only on Wayland, and setup is a config file with manpages for documentation.

- **Value for money: A.** Free to download under the MIT 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.** An i3-compatible tiling grid driven from the keyboard, with nothing missing on the listing for a tiling manager.
- **Ease of use: D.** No rating on record, and it is set up through a config file and manpages.
- **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 Sway project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among window managers and launchers

- Sway'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).
- Sway 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.** Sway 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: 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, Keyboard-first

## Alternatives

- [i3](https://toolgpa.com/tools/i3): Tiling window manager for X11 on Linux and BSD. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/i3-vs-sway)
- [Hyprland](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hyprland): Dynamic tiling Wayland compositor with animations. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/hyprland-vs-sway)
- [Awesome](https://toolgpa.com/tools/awesome): Lua-configurable framework window manager for X. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/awesome-vs-sway)
- [Vicinae](https://toolgpa.com/tools/vicinae): Keyboard-driven launcher for Linux, macOS and Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/sway-vs-vicinae)
- [Albert](https://toolgpa.com/tools/albert): Plugin-based keyboard launcher for Linux and macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/albert-vs-sway)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://swaywm.org/
- https://github.com/swaywm/sway

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/sway
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).