XQuartz
Ranked 2 of 3 X11 servers by recommenders
Free X11 server that runs Linux graphical apps on a Mac, recommended for working well over many years. Critics say it integrates poorly with macOS windows and feels slow.
Free X11 server that runs Linux graphical apps on a Mac, recommended for working well over many years. Critics say it integrates poorly with macOS windows and feels slow.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 50%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works well for heavy use
“XQuartz which works fine, but doesn't exactly play well with the rest of macOS's windowing system”
Comment from 22 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What's the best virtual Linux desktop experience on macOS for devs?” “I use it pretty heavily and have no complaints”
Comment from 28 Mar 2026 in “Cocoa-Way – Native macOS Wayland compositor for running Linux apps seamlessly” “XQuartz has worked great for decades.”
Comment from 28 Mar 2026 in “Cocoa-Way – Native macOS Wayland compositor for running Linux apps seamlessly”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow, bloated, janky performance
“XQuartz performance has been broken for a couple of years now”
Comment from 18 Oct 2026 in “macOS 15.8.2 Breaks OpenGL” “it’s been bloated, slow, and just janky to use”
Comment from 28 Mar 2026 in “Cocoa-Way – Native macOS Wayland compositor for running Linux apps seamlessly”
Other X11 servers people recommend
The two most recommended other X11 servers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix X server | 18 | 10 | 64% | 4 | — | — |
| XQuartzThis page | 6 | 6 | 50% | 3 | — | — |
| Yserver X11 server | 5 | 6 | 45% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“XQuartz is almost unusable now since new windows don't get focus.”
“XQuartz performance has been broken for a couple of years now”
“as far as I know is completely dead”
“I would only expect and want X applications I run through Xquartz (all zero of them)”
“XQuartz would take over the whole screen in rooted mode and you had to switch between it and the Mac desktop”
“X apps look like ass against the elegant Mac environment”
“it’s been bloated, slow, and just janky to use”
“I use it pretty heavily and have no complaints”
“XQuartz has worked great for decades.”
“XQuartz which works fine, but doesn't exactly play well with the rest of macOS's windowing system”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.