compare
i3 vs Sway
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | i3 | Sway |
|---|---|---|
| Language | C | C |
| Licence | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Stars | 11k | 17k |
| Latest | 4.25.1 | 1.12 |
| Last push | 2026-10-08 | 2026-09-21 |
| Release cadence | too few releases | too few releases |
| Active contributors | 4 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 8 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Sway replaces i3. Alternatives to i3 →
Drop-inReads i3 configuration files and speaks the same IPC protocol on Wayland.
i3
This repository publishes tags, not GitHub releases.
i3
✓ signed The latest release, 4.25.1, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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Sway
✓ signed The latest release, 1.12, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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