difference between x servers in windows

Solution 1:

VcXsrv is a open source project under GPLv3 license about building reliable X Server using Visual Studio in potentially optimal manner. It's common knowledge Microsoft Compilers are very good for Windows platform, since there are free variants it's tempting option. It was my first choice for X Server when I tried Windows Subsystem for Linux for the first time in Windows 10.

Xming is a weird project which under term Donation hides a price for the installable binaries. I always though donations are voluntary, but it seems the author has different perception. This project was the only option to have X Server on Windows natively for very long time, but since we have VcXsrv, there is choice.

I personally have very good experience with VcXsrc, it's easy to install and works very fast. I'm surprised it's not more popular. As far as I know their code is more clean version of original X server and doesn't relate to Cygwin.

Solution 2:

Both are compiled from modified X.org source code.

VcXsrv handles screen-shots correctly when you Alt-Tab between windows, and puts proper icons in the task-bar. I haven't got that working with the Xming public domain version.

Xming comes with more programs to start-up, VcXsrv relies on Xlaunch.

On my Samsung Notebook 9 pen with Intel UHD 620 graphics, VcXsrv tries to do hardware acceleration by default, which doesn't work, don't know why. I had to unclick the option when running Xlaunch. Xming defaults straight to software OpenGL.

I had trouble with both version switching monitors on a Surface Book. VcXsrv crashed, Xming just didn't display properly.