Compare tiling window manager layouts, side by side

Reflow is a browser tool for comparing how tiling window managers arrange your windows. Add a few windows, drag one around, and four algorithms (BSP, spiral, master-stack, and dwindle) retile the same list at the same moment, so you can watch how each one behaves instead of reading a description of it.

How the four layouts differ

• BSP recursively splits the largest region in half, alternating vertical and horizontal cuts. It is how i3 and bspwm feel.
• Spiral (Fibonacci) carves a shrinking slice off the remaining space for each new window, winding around the screen. Common in Hyprland and dwm patches.
• Master-stack keeps the first window in a large master area on the left; everything else shares a vertical stack on the right. The classic dwm and xmonad default.
• Dwindle halves the leftover region toward one corner on every insertion, so later windows get progressively smaller.

Questions

What is a tiling window manager?

A window manager that arranges windows in non-overlapping tiles instead of free-floating, overlapping panels. You add a window and the layout algorithm places it automatically, so you rarely drag or resize anything by hand.

How do BSP, spiral, master-stack, and dwindle differ?

They differ in where a new window lands and what shrinks to make room: BSP halves the biggest region, spiral winds slices around the screen, master-stack keeps one big pane plus a stack, and dwindle keeps halving toward a corner. Reflow shows all four reacting to the same input at once.

Which real window managers use these layouts?

BSP drives bspwm and i3's split model; master-stack is the dwm and xmonad default; spiral/Fibonacci ships with dwm patches and Hyprland; dwindle is a built-in Hyprland layout. Reflow is a teaching model of the algorithms, not a config generator.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Reflow runs entirely in the browser with no account and no download. Nothing is saved; refresh to start over.

Can I reorder windows?

Yes. Drag a window onto another to change its slot, or use the keyboard: arrow keys select, Enter picks a window up, arrow keys move it, Enter or Escape drops it. Reordering reflows all four panes together.