eww vs Noctalia
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A Rust tool for building your own custom desktop widgets on Linux window managers.
Open source · MIT
A configurable Wayland desktop shell with bar, launcher, notifications, wallpaper and lock screen.
The short answer
Choose eww if you need…
- Linux users who run a tiling or minimal window manager and want custom bars or panels
- People who enjoy designing their own desktop look and are comfortable editing config files
- Users who want to replace a default status bar with something fully customized
Choose Noctalia if you need…
- Linux users running a Wayland compositor such as Niri, Hyprland or Sway who want a complete shell
- People who want one configuration format and a consistent look across bar, launcher and notifications
- Users who like customizing their desktop with TOML config, themes and hot reload
- Tinkerers who are comfortable editing config files and reading documentation
Side-by-side
| eww | Noctalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.7k | 11.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | Rust | C++ |
| Last code update | 4 months ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
eww
Eww (Elkowars Wacky Widgets) is a standalone widget system written in Rust. It lets you create custom on-screen widgets such as bars and panels for your desktop, and it is designed to work with any window manager. People use it to build personalized desktop setups, often shared in the Linux customization community.
Noctalia
Noctalia is a desktop shell for Linux that runs on Wayland and supplies the visual layer around a window manager or compositor. It bundles a bar, app launcher, control center, notifications, wallpaper picker, lock screen and session actions into one configurable program, instead of requiring separate tools for each. People use it to get a consistent, customizable desktop without assembling many small components.
Best for
eww
- Linux users who run a tiling or minimal window manager and want custom bars or panels
- People who enjoy designing their own desktop look and are comfortable editing config files
- Users who want to replace a default status bar with something fully customized
Noctalia
- Linux users running a Wayland compositor such as Niri, Hyprland or Sway who want a complete shell
- People who want one configuration format and a consistent look across bar, launcher and notifications
- Users who like customizing their desktop with TOML config, themes and hot reload
- Tinkerers who are comfortable editing config files and reading documentation
Strengths
eww
- Works with any window manager, not tied to one desktop environment
- Written in Rust and open source under the MIT license
- Has an active community sharing example setups and guides
Noctalia
- Covers many desktop surfaces in one cohesive program, per the README
- Built on Wayland and OpenGL ES with no Qt or GTK dependency
- Configurable through TOML with hot reload and an example config provided
Not ideal for
eww
- Users who want a ready-made desktop with no configuration, since widgets must be written by hand
- People on Windows or macOS, as the README frames it around Linux window managers and GTK
- Anyone who needs a stable, fully documented configuration format, since the README notes some examples use an old syntax
Noctalia
- Users on X11 or who do not run a Wayland compositor, since the README describes it as built directly on Wayland
- People wanting a full desktop environment; the README says it is a shell, not a DE, and window management is left to the compositor
- Anyone who wants a turnkey setup with no configuration, since the project centers on customization
Trade-offs
eww
- Requires writing your own widget configuration, which has a learning curve
- The README notes some examples still use an older configuration syntax
- The latest release, v0.6.0, has no prebuilt binaries, so you will likely need to build it yourself
Noctalia
- Depends on compositor support; the README notes reduced integration on compositors that lack needed protocols
- Requires a Wayland compositor, so it is not a drop-in for every Linux setup
- README is truncated here, so detailed build dependencies must be checked in BUILDING.md
Getting started
Noctalia
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctaliaFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between eww and Noctalia?
eww: A Rust tool for building your own custom desktop widgets on Linux window managers. Noctalia: A configurable Wayland desktop shell with bar, launcher, notifications, wallpaper and lock screen. eww suits linux users who run a tiling or minimal window manager and want custom bars or panels, while Noctalia suits linux users running a wayland compositor such as niri, hyprland or sway who want a complete shell.
Are eww and Noctalia free?
eww: Free and open source. Noctalia: Free and open source.
Is eww or Noctalia more popular?
eww has more GitHub stars (12.7k) than Noctalia (11.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to eww and Noctalia?
Other options people compare them with include Polybar, Waybar, giscus.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.