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4.7 star rating
0
What is the best alternative to dwm?
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Hyprland
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Smooth
Animations smoother than you can imagine.
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Con
Early development stages
It has a few bugs and missing features.
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Top
Pro
Uses wlroots
The best Wayland compositor library built on standards.
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Con
Difficult setup
It has a lot of dependencies which is difficult to find and build in Debian. Also most dependencies are not found in the system repository.
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Top
Pro
Beautiful
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Pro
Plugins
Has a plugin system.
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Pro
Easy to customize
Has a nice wiki which makes customizing it very easy.
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Specs
License:
BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" License
Type:
Tiling
Programming Language:
C++
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Experiences
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60
6
Hammerspoon
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Pro
1512 issues are closed in the download page in GitHub
https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon/issues They do fix issues that come from the community.
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Con
Has 324 issues on their download page in GitHub
https://github.com/Hammerspoon/hammerspoon/issues I can not list all the issues.
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Top
Pro
Deeply customizable
Hammerspoon's Lua scripting and broad API allows you to perform any action you can imagine on your mac. It hooks into many OS APIs directly and has some high-level APIs to manipulate things like Spotify or iTunes. See the full list here.
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Con
Some knowledge of programming required
Hammerspoon is scripted in the Lua programming language, and some familiarity with programming in general will be needed to use it. Some plugins exist that can be used by adding some files to a specific folder, but this will not give the flexibility that is so key to Hammerspoon
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Pro
Automate actions based on the operating system
Hammerspoon lets you hook into OS level events and trigger any action you can imagine. From setting up a simple keyboard shortcut to launching a complex workflow using multiple apps and scripts.
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24
1
Swish
All
9
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Best window manager for trackpad power users
Gestures are faster than dragging or keyboard shortcuts.
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Top
Con
The tutorial within the app is not that thorough
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Top
Pro
Multi-monitor and spaces support
Switch intuitively between screens and spaces based on their physical location.
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Top
Con
Limited keybinding customization
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Pro
Sleek and intuitive
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Top
Pro
Easy to use
Intuitive gestures, doesn't get in the way like BetterTouchTool.
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Pro
Custom grid offsets
The default setting uses a clean single-pixel divider without any overlaps.
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Pro
Matches the Mac language
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Top
Pro
Fast
Just squeezing on top of an icon to close the app is a breeze compared to right clicking and selecting "quit," using Command + Q, or APP NAME -> Quit.
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Experiences
$5
54
0
Gnome
All
16
Experiences
Pros
12
Cons
4
Top
Pro
Easy to use
GNOME 3 has been designed to make it simple and easy to use. Press a button to view your open windows, launch applications or check if you have new messages.
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Top
Con
No taskbar by default
GNOME doesn't have a taskbar by default, and might be confusing to people migrating from Windows for that reason. It is however possible to install it through http://extensions.gnome.org.
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Top
Pro
Very productive
With a clean layout and well-thought keyboard shortcuts, Gnome 3 is simply the best for people looking to be productive with their computer.
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Top
Con
Some areas are unpolished and lack features
Some aspects are still unpolished and lack features - the gnome design team works well, but seems to not be taking input from the outside world.
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Pro
Online account management
GNOME 3 integrates with your online accounts, so that all your data can be accessed from the same place.
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Con
Extension system is basically unsupported
Backward compatibility is not guaranteed and extensions seems like second class citizens in the GNOME environment.
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Pro
Adheres to standards
Allowing for interoperability and shared technology for X Window System desktops.
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Top
Con
It tries to reinvent the wheel
It isn't a traditional interface. Very different to adjust to.
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Top
Pro
Does not get in the way
GNOME 3 lets you do the things you want without getting in the way. It won't bother you or badger you with demands, and it has been designed to help you comfortably deal with notifications.
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Top
Pro
Great for high dpi displays
Adjustable scaling factor makes it great for high resolution laptops and far away TVs.
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Top
Pro
Powerful search
A powerful search feature lets you access all your work from one place.
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Pro
Fallback mode offers a classic look
For people looking for older, more classic looks, Fallback mode offers just that. Ubuntu users can have this option by installing a package called "GNOME-Session-Fallback." In the future to be released GNOME 3.8, the Fallback Mode will not be included, so this is really not a long-term solution.
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Pro
Easy theming
Changing the look (and feel) of Gnome Shell is easy, shell theme, icon, windows and graphical elements (gtk). individually for each user. Mostly its installing some packages or unpacking some archive to a themes folder and using selecting the new theme in e.g. gnome-tweak-tool. There a lot of really good theme on deviantart.
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Pro
Customizable with easy-to-install extensions
With the right plugin enabled in your browser (comes with Firefox by default) you can browse and install with two clicks the many Shell Extensions available from http://extensions.gnome.org. These are listed automatically based upon the version of Gnome Shell you currently have installed.
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Pro
Touchscreen friendly
It works well with any touchscreen-enabled system, including newer laptops, even to the point of including a well-designed on-screen keyboard.
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Pro
Keyboard friendly
It's (mostly) usable without touching a mouse, so you can keep your hands on the keyboard. Shortcuts can be defined in the gnome setting. There are even more shortcuts available when using the gesetting or dconf tool, e.g. switch to desktop 5 to 9.
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Experiences
178
36
Yabai
All
9
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Con
Can be a steep learning curve at first
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Top
Pro
Fast
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Top
Con
Needs disabling SIP to get full benefit
SIP is a security feature for Mac. You can use most of the features without disabling it.
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Top
Pro
Integrates with other apps
Like skhd, sketchybar, hammerspoon scripts, ubersicht Gives you more control and oversight of your machine
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Top
Con
Needs additional tools to get the full benefit
Install "skhd" to use keyboard shortcuts
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Top
Pro
Actively developed
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Top
Pro
Reliable
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Pro
Extremely programmable
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Specs
License:
MIT
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Experiences
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8
0
SizeUp
All
7
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Keyboard centric
SizeUp has user-configurable keyboard shortcuts for a set of pre-defined actions.
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Top
Con
Nag window
If a license is not purchased there is a nag window (which suspends function) that pops up when loading the app (at user login). The nag pop-up is also summoned at certain time intervals and by performing a certain number of commands (manually or by keyboard shortcut).
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Top
Pro
Supports multiple monitors / spaces
Windows can be sent to different monitors and spaces. It can also be aligned as needed.
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Top
Con
No on-the-fly split screen window settings
Unlike some other tiling window managers, SizeUp has no way to change the size of split screen actions on-the-fly. Any time a user wants to change how much room on the screen a window takes up when using the split screen function, they will need to manually change the settings, which can be time consuming.
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Pro
Simple
SizeUp is easy and simple to use without having to configure.
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Top
Pro
AppleScript support allows extending functionality
AppleScript permits adding features such as tiling all open windows. Additionally, FastScripts it allows the user to add keyboard shortcuts to AppleScripts.
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Pro
Menubar dropdown for shortcuts
Learning a bunch of keyboard shortcuts right off the bat may be difficult to remember at first, which is why a menubar shortcut for the app exists with all the shortcuts listed.
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Experiences
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17
2
KWM
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Works in the same way that Xmonad & i3 does for Linux
For those who would like the same tiling window management of Xmonad and i3.
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Top
Con
No longer being developed
Sadly the developer has moved on to work on a different project (chunkwm), so there will be no more updates for KWM. However the code works well; no matter what version of macOS you are using.
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Pro
Runs in the background
The application runs in the background. There is no indication that it is running except the automatic tiling of the windows. There is no menu bar icon or icon in the dock.
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Con
Takes long to set up
You need to use the terminal and edit the configuration file in order to adjust it to the way you want. This might be a little confusing for basic users. But once you have it set, you can just copy the config file and use it on a multiple amount of machines.
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Pro
Windows respond very fast
Most users claim the tiling and splitting of the windows in KWM respond more quickly and more reliably than the only other known window manager of its type: Amethyst.
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Con
You need HomeBrew to install it
Homebrew is required to install it. Takes more to get it work in the terminal to get it installed and working on your system.
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Pro
Software is free and open source
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Pro
Highly configurable
Using the config file (kwmrc) you can configure a variety of options including Window spacing and padding, borders, hot-key commands, etc... There are those who would say that the possibilities are limitless.
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Experiences
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8
1
SMBAct
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
Window manager + switcher
SMBAct works not only as a tiling window manager, but also as a window switcher. This ensures smooth transitions from one functionality to another when you work with two monitors.
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Top
Con
Not free
Can be used for free for a month right now, but it's generally available for a fee after free-trial: $14.00.
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Top
Pro
Good for those who prefer the keyboard to the mouse
You can do everything with the keyboard. Many preset hotkeys for different actions, but you can set your own. Easy to find and activate any action even if you forget the hotkey through a special window with a quick search.
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Top
Con
No possibility to snap to the edges and corners
They promise to add it in the next update, but it is currently not present.
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Top
Pro
User friendly
There is a video tutorial with detailed descriptions of how to use it. In addition, the program itself has a lot of tips.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Mac
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14.99
2
0
Breeze
All
4
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Simplicity
In Breeze, the user can very quickly assign pre-set window positions to hot-keys, although there are not many advanced hot-key options.
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Top
Con
No Adobe CC support
Adobe CC products do not respond to Breeze.
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Top
Pro
Ease of use
The following are number of benefits of using Breeze: It's super simple to setup. It focuses on basic window management. It works with Spaces. "Nag" mode cab be used indefinitely.
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Top
Pro
Runs in the menu bar
Breeze lives in the menu bar and there are no windows to clutter my UI.
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3.99
2
0
Hyperdock
All
7
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
2
Top
Con
Not under active development
Hyperdock doesn't seem to be under active development and hasn't been updated since october 2014.
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Top
Pro
Lots of small improvements to the dock
Hyperdock adds a lot of small improvements to the default mac dock, like better iTunes controls and calendar event previews.
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Top
Con
Can't bring back the 3d dock
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Top
Pro
Select individual application
Select individual application windows just by moving the mouse on a dock item, use mouse clicks to quickly open new windows and many more.
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Top
Pro
Lets you easily find a window you have open
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Pro
Scroll up/down on menu bar to change size
Scroll up for full size.
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Top
Pro
Snaps to corners
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Experiences
$9.99
45
6
ShiftIt
All
8
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Easy to configure
ShiftIt is configured through a simple UI where you simply press the hotkeys you wish to map to a certain action.
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Top
Con
A little slow
Similar to Spectacle, but it has a few more features, such as being able to pick the size adjustment increments. Spectacle was a little faster, though. Repeated size changes or moves in succession can cause it to wait for it to complete.
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Top
Pro
Free
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Con
Imprecise when readjusting sizes
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Top
Pro
Intuitive
ShiftIt is very straight-forward to use for most frequent usages.
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Top
Con
Doesn't support moving windows between workspaces
There's no way to move a window to a different workspace with hotkeys in ShiftIt.
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Top
Pro
Open source
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Pro
Configuration can be committed to your personal dotfiles repository
Configuration winds up living in .hammerspoon/init.lua and .hammerspoon/Spoons/ShiftIt.lua. Very easy to track configuration changes.
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Experiences
Free
86
12
Amethyst
All
12
Experiences
Pros
9
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Pro
It's free and open-source
Amethyst is published under the MIT license making it open-source and id offered completely free. This allows anyone to give the tiling window manger a try, which is great.
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Top
Con
Can be buggy at times
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Pro
Recently updated and rewritten in Swift.
The application was written in Objective-C, but was recently updated and completely rewritten in Apple's new native language Swift.
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Top
Con
There are more user friendly window managers available
There are certainly more user friendly window managers available for MacOS, such as Divvy or Moom. Amethyst, however, is more powerful and customizable than the more user friendly options available and therefore may be a better choice for a user looking for more advanced capabilities and customization.
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Top
Pro
Works with keyboard shortcuts, no mouse needed
As it's designed to work closely to how xmonad, Amethyst uses keyboard shortcuts to control the windows being used, meaning no mouse input is necessary. This can make for a faster way to control windows.
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Top
Pro
Multi-monitor suppport
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Pro
Has many common layouts to choose from (fullscreen, floating, row, column, wide, etc)
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Top
Pro
Can switch between tiling and floating mode
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Top
Pro
Under active development
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Top
Pro
Configured via UI
No CONFIG file provides security and will avoid making amethyst crash. Instead configured via simple UI
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Pro
True tiling means never losing track of windows under a huge pile of others
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Specs
License:
MIT
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Experiences
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52
10
Moom
All
10
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
4
Top
Pro
Customizable keyboard shortucts
Moom comes with many preset keyboard shortcuts. The user can go into the graphical settings of the app and change any one of them to a different combination of keys.
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Top
Con
UI for settings can be confusing
The settings for the app are pretty jumbled and are hard to get a grip of, especially for first time users. While all the settings one would need are there, they are difficult to find or understand, which requires a good bit of playing around with the settings in order to get a feel for them and what they offer.
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Top
Pro
You can save tiling window position and size
Users can set window position and size themselves, allowing for a great way to set up a tiling window experience.
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Top
Con
Not free
Moom is not free: it costs $9.99.
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Top
Pro
Windows can be snapped to the edges of the screen
In addition to using the grid or the overlay, Moom can move and zoom windows by dragging them to screen edges.
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Top
Con
Non customisable popover
The pop over is not customisable and has two presets which are odd for instance two presents are two split windows horizontally.
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Top
Pro
Simple customization
While you can set keyboard shortcuts, Moom has a very easy-to-use GUI and GUI-based customization features to help you get going right away.
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Top
Con
Two steps needed, while some tools only need one
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Top
Pro
Adds a zoom button for all apps
Moom adds an overlay zoom button to the corner of all apps which allows any app to go full screen or be placed to certain sections of the screen (such as the top, bottom, or sides). This works even on apps that do not normally allow for full screen views.
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Top
Pro
Multi-monitor support
Moom has excellent support for multi-monitor setups. You can drag a window to the edge of your screen into another monitor and snap it there.
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Experiences
$9.99
242
35
BetterSnapTool
All
3
Experiences
Pros
1
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Custom Snap Areas
With this feature, you can move any window into the desired position, select 'advanced: create a custom snap area (using current window as template)' from the toolbar and also edit settings for the snap area. It is also possible to edit the size, position, and presentation of the drop-zone, the shortcut for the custom snap area, and a list apps for which the snap area should be available (eg: only show this zone for VLC).
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Top
Con
Vertical monitor orientation snap area bug
The snap feature currently is not working on monitors with vertical orientation. The snap areas show up, but the window never snaps in place. You have to manually adjust each window on the vertical orientation monitor.
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Con
Costs
BetterSnapTool is no longer free and now costs $3.
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$2.99
60
12
MoveIt
All
6
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Simple to understand window actions
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Con
Must be familiar or willing to learn Lua to customize
Hammerspoon-based applications require knowledge of text editing and the Lua programming language.
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Top
Pro
Can change keybindings easily
...as long as you are good with a text editor and know lua.
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Top
Pro
Simple code that can be modified to meet your needs
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Top
Pro
Lua based code and configuration
Code and configuration can be captured in personal dotfiles repo.
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Top
Pro
Build on hammerspoon
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0
1
0
Slate
All
10
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
4
Top
Pro
Extremely configurable
Slate is similar to Linux WMs like Xmonad in that it is nearly infinitely configurable. You can either use the default configuration file or just Javascript for very complex/dynamic settings. Slate also offers editing a ".js" or a ".slate" file for configuration.
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Top
Con
Project is no longer in development
Development is no longer active on this project as of 2017.
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Top
Pro
Based on hotkeys
Hotkeys can be set to re-size and focus windows, as well as activate layout presets.
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Con
Hard to configure
There's no graphical user interface for configuring Slate, meaning it has to be done from the command line interface or by editing a config file. This makes it somewhat difficult and time-consuming.
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Pro
It's free
Slate is completely free to download and use, which is a great option in a field of Mac WMs that often costs money to use.
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Con
Missing features
Unable to perform all tasks of software it was meant to replace. Can not move windows between 'Spaces' (virtual desktops).
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Top
Pro
Allows for tiling
Slate allows for customizing the config file in order to emulate tiling windows.
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Top
Con
Video fail
Demonstration video failed to highlight any of the advantages of the windowing system. Or at least, the advantages were so subtly intrinsic that no-one who didn't already use the system could appreciate them.
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Top
Pro
Lets you set default layouts
By using a feature called "snapshots", users can set up different default window layouts in Slate that they can switch to and from on the fly.
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Top
Pro
Window hints
Slate offers window hints which are an intuitive way to change window focus.
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Experiences
Free
93
21
Spectacle
All
12
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
5
Top
Pro
Free and open source
Spectacle is licensed under MIT with source code available on GitHub.
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Con
Not maintained
The software is free, but no longer seems to be maintained.
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Top
Pro
Simple hotkeys
Spectacle offers easy-to-remember preset hotkeys.
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Con
Impossible to add new functions
While keyboard shortcuts can be changed for the available actions, there is no way to add custom actions which in turn limits the functionality of the app.
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Top
Pro
Mouseless
All windows in Spectacle can be controlled with keyboard shortcuts, so no mouse is needed. This makes for a fast way to control windows.
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Con
Limited window sizing capabilities
You can use 1/2 of the screen vertically and horizontally (divide into 4 parts). You can also use the screen in thirds too, but only the left and right third: you can't use the 1/3 in the center. There is no way to do a more granular distribution.
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Top
Pro
Great UX
Spectacle is easy to use and configure. It's plug and play.
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Top
Con
Breaks on macOS High Sierra / Chrome or Firefox
Doesn't support side by side windows.
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Pro
Low footprint
Spectacle only uses up 18-19 MB of RAM, which means there is not much overhead by using this app.
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Top
Con
Doesn't work with any Adobe products
There are some apps like Adobe Reader that do not work with Spectacle. Basically, any app with a heavily customized UI that breaks OS X accessibility will not work correctly under Spectacle.
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Top
Pro
Multi-monitor support
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Pro
7+ years of use
Using it for 7 years
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Experiences
Free
146
32
Gridsutra
All
9
Experiences
Pros
9
Top
Pro
Good Adobe support
Gridsutra has Adobe support with the ability of stacking Adobe windows.
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Top
Pro
Simple UI
The interface if Gridsutra is well thought through and easy to use.
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Top
Pro
Window arrangement with a single click
Windows can be arranged or snapped in Gridsutra with a single click.
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Top
Pro
Intuitive UI and delightful user experience
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Top
Pro
A great tool for a reasonable price
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Top
Pro
Highly flexible
Gridsutra works with most MacOS applications.
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Top
Pro
Great drag and drop functionality
The drag and drop option in the layout gives freedom to the user for arrangement of any windows to any positions desired.
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Pro
Useful ignore/unignore feature
The ignore / unignore feature in Gridsutra allows the user to block unwanted applications to be listed in the layout option.
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Pro
Custom layout support
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Experiences
$4.99
15
5
AROW
All
6
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
1
Top
Con
Trouble with GUI
Yosemite (10.10.5) it works but it's impossible to open the application GUI.
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Top
Pro
Support for multiple monitors
If you use external monitors, the app is useful. It also supports retina screen without problems.
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Top
Pro
Customizable options
You can customize the app in Option, for example, where you can change the appearance of the preview outline, adjust the width of the recognition areas, and set keyboard hotkeys for quick window snapping.
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Top
Pro
Define OS X window buttons
AROW enables you to change the actions of OS X’s window buttons. It only requires either a right or a left-click for the action to take place.
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Top
Pro
Smart Panel to move and resize windows
The customizable grid panel is very intuitive and is an accurate way to resize and move windows. Simply drag your mouse across its grid, the window will be moved, and resize to the exact position instantly.
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Pro
Easy ways to snap windows
Simply drag windows to the edges of your Mac’s screen. Once the cursor reaches the screen’s edge, the window will automatically move and resize to fill exactly half or quarter of the screen.
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3
1
Cinch
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Con
Does not support the border of multiple displays well
When using multiple displays, the ability to dock a window to half of a display only works on one side of the screen divide. It can work (with some very careful cursor placement) only on the external monitor and not dividing edge of the native (laptop) monitor. It does not support quarter-splits either. Bottom line, this was a great initial app, adding this capability before anyone else did, but it has been eclipsed by newer apps.
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Top
Pro
Free and paid versions
There are both versions of Cinch available, though the free version can be naggy.
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Top
Pro
Simple and easy to use
So simple, even my grandma can use it
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3
1
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