# Alternatives to yabai

Binary-space-partition tiling for Mac.

yabai ranks #7 of 8 in Window managers, with an Alt Score of 50. It is licensed under MIT, free and available on macOS. 6 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/yabai/
Category: Window managers

## Where yabai stands out

- **Tiling (automatic)** — 2 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: macOS power users and developers who manage many windows and want keyboard-driven, automatic window tiling instead of manual dragging and resizing — typically paired with keyboard-centric workflows and often alongside skhd for hotkeys.
- **What you get**: An automatic tiling window manager for macOS based on binary space partitioning, controlled via a command-line interface and a plain-text config file (yabairc). It manages window layout, spaces, and displays, with configurable padding, gaps, split ratios, and per-app rules. An optional scripting addition (requiring partial SIP disabling) unlocks additional features like moving windows between spaces/displays and fully managing floating windows.
- **How it works**: You install yabai via Homebrew, define layout rules and window/space behavior in a yabairc config file, and drive it through its CLI (yabai -m ...) or bind those commands to keystrokes using the companion tool skhd; windows are then tiled automatically as you open, close, or move them.

## Profile

- **License**: MIT (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [BetterTouchTool](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bettertouchtool.md) | 75 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 2 | [FancyZones](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/fancyzones.md) | 75 | MIT | Windows |
| 3 | [Rectangle](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/rectangle.md) | 70 | MIT | macOS |
| 4 | [Hammerspoon](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/hammerspoon.md) | 65 | MIT | macOS |
| 5 | [Magnet](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/magnet.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 6 | [Moom](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/moom.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 7 | [AeroSpace](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aerospace.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Window managers checklist | yabai | BetterTouchTool | FancyZones | Rectangle | Hammerspoon | Magnet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | One-time | Free | Free | Free | One-time |
| Starts at | ? | $15 | ? | ? | ? | $4.99 |
| License | MIT | Proprietary | MIT | MIT | MIT | Proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS | macOS | Windows | macOS | macOS | macOS |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Snap layouts | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Tiling (automatic) | Yes | Partial | Partial | No | Partial | No |
| Multi-monitor profiles | Partial | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Scriptable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Open source | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| One-time purchase option | No | Yes | No | Partial | No | Yes |
| Touchpad gestures | ? | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Menu bar control | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for yabai. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/LICENSE.txt> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy”
- **License**: MIT — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/LICENSE.txt> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The MIT License (MIT)”
- **Platforms**: macOS — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/README.md> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “yabai is a window management utility that is designed to work as an extension to the built-in window manager of macOS.”
- **Status**: active — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/CHANGELOG.md> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “## [7.1.25] - 2026-05-08”
- **Keyboard shortcuts**: Partial — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/README.md> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: No built-in hotkeys; relies on external skhd.
  - Quote: “Keyboard shortcuts can be defined with [ skhd][gh-skhd] or any other suitable software you may prefer.”
- **Tiling (automatic)**: Yes — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/README.md> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “The primary function of yabai is tiling window management; automatically modifying your window layout using a binary space partitioning algorithm to allow you to focus on the content of your windows w”
- **Multi-monitor profiles**: Partial — <https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/wiki/Commands> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Per-display commands; no saved multi-monitor profiles.
  - Quote: “The arrangement indices for displays can be seen in the Displays > Arrangement preference pane in the System Preferences.”
- **Scriptable**: Yes — <https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai/wiki/Commands> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Most commands will return a non-zero exit code upon failure, which is useful for scripting purposes.”
- **Open source**: Yes — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/README.md> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “a short and simple permissive license with conditions only requiring preservation of copyright and license notices.”
- **One-time purchase option**: No — <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/koekeishiya/yabai/master/LICENSE.txt> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Free OSS; no purchase.
  - Quote: “Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/