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Add to SafariWhen comparing KWM vs SMBAct, the Slant community recommends KWM for most people. In the question“What is the best window manager for Mac?” KWM is ranked 18th while SMBAct is ranked 32nd. The most important reason people chose KWM is:
For those who would like the same tiling window management of Xmonad and i3.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
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.
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.
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.
Pro Software is free and open source
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cons
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
