OmniWM alternatives for Macs that can't (or won't) run it

Why people look past OmniWM

OmniWM is a strong free project: a niri-style scrolling layout, a dwindle (BSP) layout, an overview, its own workspaces and a long list of extras. Three things send people elsewhere:

• It needs macOS 26 Tahoe on Apple silicon. Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia aren't supported, and neither are Intel Macs.
• It brings its own workspaces. It wants one macOS Space per display and manages workspaces itself. If you live in Mission Control with several Spaces, that changes your habits.
• It does a lot. Some people want a scrolling strip and nothing more.

If none of that bothers you, OmniWM is probably the right choice, and Ribbon vs OmniWM compares the two in detail.

The alternatives at a glance

"Not stated" means the project doesn't say, not that it fails. Check its page before you rely on it.

Ribbon: Ventura through Tahoe on Apple silicon

Ribbon gives you the scrolling strip without asking you to give up anything macOS already does. Each Space on each display gets its own strip, so Mission Control, full-screen apps and your Space-switching swipe keep working. Every setting is a control in a settings window, a three- or four-finger swipe moves the strip with your fingers, and a Mac Setup page checks the macOS settings that commonly get in the way. Default shortcuts are Control + Option plus one key, such as ⌃⌥L to focus right.

What it lacks compared with OmniWM: its own workspaces, an overview, a BSP layout and a config file. It costs $9.99 once for one Mac, and all sales are final: no refunds (see the terms). Watch the live demo first to see whether it suits you.

Nehir: OmniWM's slimmer relative

Nehir is a fork of OmniWM cut down to a single niri-style column layout. Stacks that don't fit turn into tabs, and it keeps an overview, a command palette and a workspace bar. It's free under GPL-2.0, configured through split TOML files under ~/.config/nehir/ plus a settings window, and installed with brew tap guria/tap && brew install --cask nehir.

The catches: it needs macOS 15 Sequoia, so Ventura and Sonoma are out, and it doesn't say whether Intel Macs work. It uses its own workspaces, like OmniWM. Its last pre-release came out in August 2026 and the repo has been quiet since. After a crash, windows it parked off-screen can be left at the screen edge.

PaperWM.spoon: free and scriptable on Ventura and up

PaperWM.spoon is a free MIT plugin for Hammerspoon, a Lua automation app that needs macOS 13 or later. It keeps a strip per native Space and screen, can stack windows in a column, and has an opt-in trackpad swipe. You configure everything in init.lua. The README is candid about limits: off-screen windows sit in a visible strip at the screen edges, and multiple screens should be arranged vertically. Our PaperWM.spoon setup guide walks through the install.

Paneru: the engine Ribbon builds on

Paneru is a free, MIT-licensed scrolling window manager with a strip per monitor and per native Space, a configurable swipe, and experimental virtual workspaces. You configure it in TOML or Lua, both of which reload live, and drive it from the command line. Ribbon's engine is built on Paneru. If you're happy editing a text file and using the terminal, Paneru gives you the same core idea for free. Ribbon adds the native app, settings window and Mac Setup checks on top.

Two caveats: it doesn't state a minimum macOS, and Homebrew's prebuilt package (brew install paneru) only covers Tahoe on Apple silicon, so other Macs compile from source. It also recommends stacking side-by-side monitors vertically.

komorebi for Mac: many layouts, early days

The macOS port of the Windows tiler offers BSP, columns, grids, stacks and a Scrolling layout. It's at v0.1.x, the Scrolling layout works with one monitor only, and using it at work needs a paid licence. Details are on our komorebi for Mac page.

AeroSpace and yabai: if you want a grid after all

Some people who try OmniWM mostly use its dwindle layout. If that's you, a scrolling manager isn't the answer. AeroSpace is a free i3-style tiler with its own workspaces that never needs SIP changes. yabai is a free BSP tiler built around native Spaces, though several of its features need SIP partly disabled. See AeroSpace alternatives and Ribbon vs yabai.

ChainYourMac

ChainYourMac is another paid scrolling window manager, also built on a fork of Paneru. It costs $19.99, supports macOS 13 and later, and runs on Apple silicon only.

How to choose

• Tahoe, Apple silicon, want free and open source: stay with OmniWM.
• Sequoia or Tahoe, want free with niri-like workspaces: Nehir, if you can live with a quiet repo.
• Apple silicon on Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia, and you want a settings window: Ribbon.
• Intel Mac: yabai is the one option here that states Intel support; the others are Apple silicon only or don't say.
• Comfortable with code: Paneru or PaperWM.spoon.
• Prefer a grid: AeroSpace or yabai.

The wider field is in the best scrolling window managers for Mac. If Ribbon fits, it's $9.99 for one Mac.