Open-source alternatives to Spectacle

Hammerspoon is a programmable automation engine for macOS that enables deep system-level control through a Lua scripting environment. By bridging high-level scripts with native Objective-C APIs, it allows users to interact with the operating system's accessibility tree, intercept hardware input streams, and manage the lifecycle of running applications. The project distinguishes itself through an event-driven architecture that registers asynchronous hooks for system notifications and hardware events. This allows for real-time automation, such as remapping keyboard and mouse inputs, managing wi

Material Shell is a tiling window manager and Linux desktop environment that replaces traditional window management with a grid-based organizer. It functions as a spatial layout engine that automatically arranges application windows into non-overlapping grids to maximize screen space. The system acts as a desktop session manager, recording and restoring window positions and workspace assignments to preserve the exact state of a previous session after a restart. It employs a coordinate-based layout engine to map applications to specific rows and cells for consistent placement. The project cov

Amethyst is a tiling window manager for macOS designed to automate the arrangement of application windows. It functions as a productivity utility that organizes windows into non-overlapping layouts, allowing users to manage their desktop environment through keyboard-driven controls rather than manual mouse interaction. The application distinguishes itself by providing a state-machine engine that calculates window geometry based on user-defined tiling patterns. It maintains an accurate representation of the desktop by monitoring system-level notifications for window events, enabling it to auto

Awesome is a programmable tiling window manager for the X11 Window System. It functions as a dynamic window manager that automatically arranges application windows into non-overlapping tiles based on predefined layout rules to maximize screen space. The project provides a scriptable desktop environment where system behaviors and layouts are defined through an embedded Lua interpreter. This allows for the creation of a personalized interface and a keyboard-driven workflow for managing application windows. The system covers dynamic window layout management and the configuration of system behav

Ice is a macOS menu bar manager designed to provide granular control over the visibility, arrangement, and spacing of system status icons. It functions as a workspace organization utility that allows users to hide unnecessary icons and rearrange active elements through a drag-and-drop interface, helping to maintain a clean and focused desktop environment. The application distinguishes itself by prioritizing keyboard-driven navigation and workflow optimization. Users can assign custom global hotkeys to trigger specific menu bar actions or toggle visibility settings, enabling interaction with b

AeroSpace is a tiling window manager for macOS that automatically arranges application windows into grid-based layouts. It functions as a keyboard-driven controller, allowing users to manage window positioning, workspace navigation, and display assignments entirely through customizable keyboard commands. The project distinguishes itself by operating as a background daemon that utilizes system-level accessibility frameworks and low-level window server hooks to enforce tiling behavior. It employs a declarative configuration system to define layout rules and maintains workspace consistency throu

Hidden is a desktop productivity tool designed to manage and organize the macOS menu bar. It functions as a system interface customizer that allows users to consolidate secondary status icons into a single toggleable area, reducing visual clutter and streamlining the desktop workspace. The utility provides granular control over menu bar elements by enabling users to hide specific icons and rearrange them through a drag-and-drop interface. By utilizing system-level hooks and event monitoring, it maintains a persistent configuration of hidden items that can be toggled on or off to suit the user

Rectangle is a desktop window manager that organizes open application windows into predefined layouts and grid positions. It functions as a background utility, allowing users to manipulate window frames through keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures to improve multitasking and workspace efficiency. The application acts as a native interface extension, providing window snapping and tiling functionality that integrates directly with the operating system. It supports multi-monitor setups, enabling the distribution and alignment of windows across various displays. By utilizing the system accessibil

Yabai is a system-level utility for macOS that provides automated window management and workspace organization. It functions as a tiling window manager that uses binary space partitioning to arrange application windows into grid layouts, bypassing standard desktop constraints through direct interaction with the system window server. The project distinguishes itself by offering granular control over the graphical user interface via a socket-based command interface and event-driven system hooks. This allows for the programmatic manipulation of window states, display configurations, and virtual

i3 is a configurable tiling window manager for the X11 window system. It organizes application windows into non-overlapping tiles to maximize screen real estate, utilizing a dynamic layout engine that removes the need for manual positioning or resizing. The system is designed for keyboard-driven desktop workflows, where window organization and behavior are defined through a plain text configuration file. It enables X11 desktop customization by allowing users to programmatically define layouts and keybindings. The manager provides inter-process communication via a Unix domain socket, allowing

escrcpy is an Android device mirroring tool and ADB device manager that enables the display and control of Android screens on a computer via USB or network connections. It functions as a multi-device screen orchestrator, providing a visual interface to arrange and control several mirrored device windows in parallel layouts. The project distinguishes itself as an automation controller that utilizes large language models to translate natural language instructions into actionable device commands. It further differentiates its capabilities by acting as a reverse tethering client, allowing a compu

Alt-tab-macos is a productivity utility designed to replace the default application switcher on macOS. It functions as a background application that aggregates active windows across all monitors and virtual desktops into a single, keyboard-driven interface, allowing users to navigate between applications, minimized windows, and hidden processes. The tool distinguishes itself by providing granular control over window states and visibility, enabling users to close, minimize, or toggle fullscreen modes directly from the switcher. It supports advanced navigation through customizable keyboard shor

AutoHotkey is a Windows automation scripting language and task automator. It serves as a keyboard macro engine and custom hotkey manager designed to map specific key combinations to scripted actions. The project provides a domain-specific language for automating repetitive tasks and operating system functions. It enables the creation of keyboard shortcuts and macros to replace manual input and streamline digital workflows on Windows. The system covers window and process management, virtual input simulation, and the interception of keyboard and mouse input via operating system hooks. It furth

DockDoor is a macOS application switcher and window manager that functions as a dock enhancement tool. It provides a system-wide interface for navigating, previewing, and managing open application windows using keyboard and mouse inputs. The utility adds live window previews to the system dock, allowing for application window peeking when hovering over dock icons. It also includes a feature to lock the system dock to a specific display in multi-monitor setups to prevent it from automatically jumping between screens. The project covers a broad range of window management capabilities, includin

Glass is an AI desktop assistant and screen-to-LLM interface that processes visual and auditory context from a computer to automate tasks. It functions as a tool for screen analysis, bridging real-time desktop captures with large language models to extract semantic meaning and data insights. The system enables AI-assisted desktop interaction by recording live screen and audio data to provide a persistent digital memory for processing. This allows the application to analyze visible screen information and trigger automation workflows through global keyboard shortcuts.

ImTip is a desktop utility that provides input method visualization and large language model integration. It renders real-time indicators at the system text cursor to track language, layout, and punctuation settings. The project connects large language model APIs to a desktop interface to render rich content, including mathematical formulas and syntax-highlighted code. It uses a scriptable logic engine and global hooks to map programmable hotkeys to complex task sequences and external API calls. The software includes tools for desktop UI customization, allowing users to adjust the style, col

STranslate is a desktop application that combines translation, optical character recognition (OCR), QR code decoding, and silent text-to-speech into a single tool for processing text on screen. It functions as a multi-source translation aggregator, sending queries to dozens of translation services simultaneously and displaying results side by side for comparison, while also offering OCR-based text extraction from images and QR code decoding from screen captures or files. The application distinguishes itself through a comprehensive set of automation and integration capabilities. A global hotke

bspwm is an X11 tiling window manager that organizes application windows into non-overlapping rectangular tiles using binary space partitioning. It treats the screen as a tree of rectangular regions to automatically manage window placement and is compliant with Extended Window Manager Hints. The project is distinguished by a socket-based window controller, which allows layout changes and configuration settings to be updated via a communication socket rather than through a built-in configuration file. It provides independent window tree management for each detected monitor, treating every dis

This project is an X11 window system server that coordinates graphical output and input devices. It functions as a display server, a hardware driver manager for graphics and input modules, and a graphics server capable of rendering directly to a generic framebuffer. The server provides multi-seat display management to isolate input and display devices for different concurrent users. It also implements namespace isolation to separate clients and restrict resource access, preventing interference between different user sessions or processes. The system manages GPU driver integration through dyn

Flow.Launcher is an extensible desktop productivity tool for Windows that provides a centralized, command-line style interface for launching applications, files, and system settings. Built in C#, it functions as a keyboard-driven launcher that allows users to execute system tasks, perform web searches, and manage administrative operations directly from a unified search input. The project is defined by its modular plugin architecture, which enables the integration of third-party extensions to add custom search providers, specialized workflows, and system command capabilities. Users can further

iTerm2 is a high-performance terminal emulator designed specifically for macOS. It functions as a programmable environment that supports advanced session management, including tabbed windows, split panes, and persistent state serialization to maintain complex workflows across application restarts. The application distinguishes itself through deep shell integration and extensive automation capabilities. It utilizes a Python-based scripting bridge and a regex-driven trigger engine to allow users to programmatically control the terminal, automate responses to output patterns, and integrate exter

MeetingBar is a macOS menu bar application that turns your calendar into a one‑click meeting hub. It syncs with your calendar accounts via EventKit, displays your current or next meeting title and countdown directly in the menu bar, and lets you join or create video meetings without opening your calendar app. The app lives as a status‑item popover and can launch automatically at login, register system‑wide keyboard shortcuts, and send local notifications or full‑screen reminders before meetings. What sets MeetingBar apart is its broad support for over fifty video‑conferencing platforms. It de

Dozer is a macOS desktop utility and menu bar manager designed to reduce visual clutter by controlling the visibility of status icons in the macOS menu bar. It functions as an icon toggle that allows users to hide unnecessary system icons from view. The application uses trigger icons to manage the visibility state of the menu bar, enabling users to selectively show or hide status indicators to customize the macOS interface and organize their desktop workspace. The tool implements these capabilities by interacting with native macOS accessibility frameworks and system hooks to query and modify

QWidgetDemo is a collection of reusable GUI components, layout templates, and a desktop UI framework built with the Qt framework. It functions as a component library for creating modern graphical user interfaces, ranging from system event managers and network debugging toolsets to multi-channel video dashboards. The project focuses on creating specialized user interface elements, including frameless windows, flat design aesthetics, and custom themes. It provides the means to implement specialized controls such as battery indicators, resource monitors, and IP address inputs. Its capabilities

KeymouseGo is an input automation tool and macro recorder designed to capture, edit, and replay keyboard and mouse sequences to automate repetitive desktop tasks. It functions as a scriptable input automator that translates recorded user interactions into reusable blueprints for automated playback. The system distinguishes itself through a logic-based scripting framework that supports conditional branching, sub-routine calls, and jump-to-labels for complex workflow control. It further extends runtime behavior via a plugin system that allows for the registration of custom functions to modify t

AltSnap is a window manager utility and layout system that organizes application windows using custom snap grids and mouse-driven resizing and movement. It functions as a low-level input hook that intercepts keyboard and mouse events at the OS level to trigger custom window management actions. The project includes a coordinate-based grid mapper for precise snapping to custom zones and an input remapper that assigns keyboard scan codes to virtual mouse buttons. It also features a window automation CLI used to trigger management tasks on foreground or targeted application windows. The tool pro

Terminal.Gui is a cross-platform .NET toolkit for building interactive text-based user interfaces. It provides a component-based architecture, a terminal rendering engine, and a declarative layout system to create console applications that run consistently across Windows, macOS, and Linux. The framework distinguishes itself with a comprehensive set of interactive console widgets, including data grids, hex editors, and hierarchical tree components. It supports advanced visual capabilities such as 24-bit True Color, Sixel image support, and a relative-coordinate layout system that adapts to ter