eww vs Polybar
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 customizable status bar for Linux desktops, mainly used with X11 window managers.
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 Polybar if you need…
- Linux users who run a tiling window manager such as i3 or bspwm
- People who want a custom desktop bar without writing much shell code
- Users who want built-in modules for audio, music player, network and battery
- Users who want a lightweight bar and are comfortable editing a config file
Side-by-side
| eww | Polybar | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.7k | 15.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Rust | C++ |
| Last code update | 4 months ago | 14 months 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.
Polybar
Polybar is a program that draws a status bar along the edge of your Linux desktop. The bar can show things like workspaces, the window title, volume, battery, network, CPU and memory load, and the time. It is configured through a settings file rather than by writing scripts, and the README says it is built to avoid needing shell-scripting skills.
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
Polybar
- Linux users who run a tiling window manager such as i3 or bspwm
- People who want a custom desktop bar without writing much shell code
- Users who want built-in modules for audio, music player, network and battery
- Users who want a lightweight bar and are comfortable editing a config file
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
Polybar
- The README describes it as fast and easy to use, and it has built-in modules for many common services
- It is free and open source under the MIT license
- It is packaged for many Linux distributions, so it is often installable with the system package manager
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
Polybar
- Users on macOS or Windows, since the README and topics focus on Linux and X11 window managers
- Users who want a bar that works out of the box with no configuration, because the README points to the wiki for setup and configuration
- Users of Wayland-only desktops, since the README does not describe Wayland support
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
Polybar
- Setup depends on editing configuration and reading the wiki, which the README sends users to for details
- The README focuses on X11 and window managers such as i3 and bspwm, so fit with other environments is unclear from the text provided
Getting started
Polybar
Debian or Ubuntu install
sudo apt install polybarArch Linux install
sudo pacman -S polybarFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between eww and Polybar?
eww: A Rust tool for building your own custom desktop widgets on Linux window managers. Polybar: A customizable status bar for Linux desktops, mainly used with X11 window managers. eww suits linux users who run a tiling or minimal window manager and want custom bars or panels, while Polybar suits linux users who run a tiling window manager such as i3 or bspwm.
Are eww and Polybar free?
eww: Free and open source. Polybar: Free and open source.
Is eww or Polybar more popular?
Polybar has more GitHub stars (15.4k) than eww (12.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to eww and Polybar?
Other options people compare them with include Waybar, giscus, AeroSpace, Amethyst.
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.