Openbox
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Openbox is a free, ultra-light Linux window manager . solid for tinkerers and old hardware, not a commercial product to 'buy'.
New check
Comparison
Openbox vs LXQt
Openbox lands on Depends, and LXQt lands on Worth it.
LXQt
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Adopt it if you're reviving old hardware or want the lightest full Linux desktop . it's free, open source, and reviewers agree on the speed.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Minimalist Linux desktops | Reviving old or low-RAM hardware |
| Who it's not for | Non-technical users wanting plug-and-play | Wayland-first users . support is still catching up |
| Privacy | No CVEs found for the window manager itself; Fedora advisories cover obconf, its config tool.⁸ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Community forums only, no vendor | No support data in sources |
| Public sentiment | Users praise Openbox's lightness and theming but note setup effort, community-only support, and a divisive reputation.¹ | Users consistently call it the lightest desktop around and ideal for old hardware, while noting Wayland support lags and features trail KDE. |
| Biggest gotcha | Development appears discontinued per AlternativeTo; bug fixes may stall⁴ | Security page 404s . no official vulnerability or patch info published |
Pick Openbox when
- Minimalist Linux desktops
- Old or low-spec machines
- Raspberry Pi and Termux setups
- Tinkerers who enjoy hand-editing config
When Openbox is not a fit
- Non-technical users wanting plug-and-play
- Anyone on Windows or macOS
- Businesses evaluating SaaS tools
- People who expect polished defaults
Pick LXQt when
- Reviving old or low-RAM hardware
- Minimalists wanting a fast classic desktop
- Tinkerers comfortable configuring Linux
- Lightweight setups like DietPi or single-board PCs
When LXQt is not a fit
- Wayland-first users . support is still catching up
- Anyone wanting a polished, feature-rich desktop like KDE Plasma
- Beginners wanting out-of-the-box . it's a desktop layer, not a distro
- Offices needing vendor support, SLAs, or paid help
Sources
- Anyone here still running Openbox?reddit.comreview
- Minimal Openbox desktop on Termuxreddit.comreview
- Why is openbox kinda hated?reddit.comreview
- Openbox Alternatives: Top 12 Window Managersalternativeto.netreview
news
- openbox (aarch64) packagearchlinuxarm.orgofficial
- Moving to Openbox . Arch Linux forumsbbs.archlinux.orgreview
- Fedora 45 obconf Update Addresses Critical CVElinuxsecurity.comsecurity
- Fedora 45 lxappearance-obconf Resolves CVElinuxsecurity.comsecurity
- Openbox 3.3.1 review and downloadnixbit.comreview
- [Openbox] Actually love dark themereddit.comreview
- LXQt official sitelxqt-project.orgofficial
- LXQt Downloadslxqt-project.orgofficial
- LXQt Screenshotslxqt-project.orgofficial
- LXQt Aboutlxqt-project.orgofficial
- LXQt on Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgofficial