AeroSpace alternatives: what to use instead, and who each suits

Why people look for an AeroSpace alternative

AeroSpace is a good tool. It's free, MIT-licensed, fast, and the closest thing to i3 on a Mac. Plenty of people should stay on it. The reasons others move on tend to be the same few:

• Its own workspaces. AeroSpace ignores macOS Spaces and runs its own. Windows on an inactive workspace are moved into the bottom-left or bottom-right corner of the screen, which means every monitor needs a free corner, Mission Control shows windows very small, and a thin sliver of hidden windows can stay visible. If you rely on Spaces, full-screen apps or Mission Control, this is the main friction.
• It's a public beta. The project is open about expecting breaking changes until 1.0, and it lists known issues such as windows occasionally jumping to the focused workspace.
• It isn't notarized. The Homebrew cask from the author's tap strips the quarantine flag so macOS will run it. Some people would rather not run an app that has to bypass Gatekeeper this way.
• Config is a file, forever. AeroSpace says it will never add a settings GUI. That suits some people and not others.
• No trackpad gestures are documented.

None of these are bugs so much as design choices. If they bother you, here's what else is out there.

The alternatives at a glance

Tiling managers that use native Spaces

yabai

yabai is the other big name in Mac tiling. It splits the screen with binary space partitioning, works with native Spaces, and is configured with a shell script plus a hotkey tool such as skhd. Its basic tiling works with SIP on; extras like creating Spaces, transparency and animations need SIP partly disabled, which yabai without SIP explains. Pick it if you like AeroSpace's keyboard-first style but want real Spaces. More in Ribbon vs yabai.

Amethyst

Amethyst tiles automatically, in the spirit of xmonad. You cycle through layouts like Tall, Wide, Column, Fullscreen and BSP, and windows rearrange as you open and close them. It has a preferences window, with an optional YAML file for people who want one, and needs only Accessibility. It's the gentlest move for someone who wants tiling without writing config. See Ribbon vs Amethyst.

Scrolling window managers

A scrolling manager puts windows on a strip wider than the screen. New windows add a column instead of shrinking the others, and you scroll to them. It's a different feel from AeroSpace's tree, and worth trying if your windows always end up too narrow.

Ribbon

Ribbon is our app, so weigh this accordingly. It's a scrolling strip with a native settings window, a trackpad swipe that follows your fingers, stacks and tabbed columns, and one strip per display and per Space. It runs on macOS 13 and later on Apple silicon (M1 or later), is notarized, and never touches SIP. The engine is built on Paneru, which is free and open source; if you're happy with a config file and the terminal, Paneru on its own may be all you need. Ribbon costs $9.99 once, and all sales are final: no refunds (see the terms), so watch the live demo before you buy. The head-to-head is Ribbon vs AeroSpace.

OmniWM

OmniWM offers niri-style scrolling or a BSP layout per workspace, plus an overview, scratchpads and a command palette. It's free and open source. Like AeroSpace, it runs its own workspaces, and it needs macOS 26 Tahoe on Apple silicon. See Ribbon vs OmniWM.

PaperWM.spoon

PaperWM.spoon brings a scrolling strip to Hammerspoon. It uses native Spaces, is configured in Lua, and has an opt-in trackpad swipe. Good for people who already use Hammerspoon; our PaperWM.spoon setup guide gets you started.

Simple snapping tools

If you mostly put two windows side by side, a full tiling manager may be more than you need.

• Rectangle gives you keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge snap areas for halves, thirds, quarters and more. Free and open source. It can't move windows between Spaces.
• Loop uses a radial menu: hold a trigger key, move the cursor in a direction, and the window snaps there. Free and open source, macOS 13 and later.
• macOS's own tiling (Sequoia and later) handles halves and quarters by dragging to screen edges, the green button, the Window menu, or shortcuts like Fn + Control + arrow keys. How to tile windows on a Mac covers it.

How to choose

1. Want AeroSpace's style but with native Spaces? Try yabai.
2. Want tiling without writing config? Try Amethyst.
3. Want windows that keep their size, on Ventura through Tahoe? Try Ribbon.
4. On Tahoe with Apple silicon and want free and open source? Try OmniWM.
5. Only snapping? Rectangle, Loop or the built-in tiling.

Whatever you pick, quit AeroSpace first. It moves all windows back on screen when it quits, so nothing gets lost.