TL;DR
Amethyst vs AeroSpace: For most Mac users in 2026, Amethyst is the better choice for Window managers because it is free and open source, so you can inspect, self-host, and trust the code. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose AeroSpace instead if window-manager support is your priority.
Which is better: Amethyst or AeroSpace?
Amethyst is the top pick for most Mac users looking at Window managers — it is free and open-source and installs in one Homebrew command. AeroSpace is the stronger choice if you prefer its specific feature set. Both are worth trying.
Amethyst vs AeroSpace
Which is the better Window managers for Mac in 2026?
We compared Amethyst and AeroSpace across 6 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Read our full breakdown below.
Amethyst
Automatic tiling window manager
AeroSpace
i3-like tiling window manager for macOS
Visual Comparison
Amethyst
Amethyst — Official Website
Our Verdict
For most Mac users in 2026, Amethyst is the better choice for Window managers because it is free and open source, so you can inspect, self-host, and trust the code. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose AeroSpace instead if window-manager support is your priority.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Amethyst | AeroSpace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | Yes | No |
| Replaces | Magnet ($4.99) | — |
| Best for | window, tiling, management | window-manager, tiling, i3 |
| Install | brew install --cask amethyst | brew install --cask aerospace |
| Category | System Utilities | System Utilities |
Quick Install
brew install --cask amethystbrew install --cask aerospaceLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is Amethyst?
Amethyst is an automatic tiling window manager for macOS written in Swift and maintained by Ian Yh (ianyh/Amethyst on GitHub), MIT-licensed and distributed via Homebrew (brew install --cask amethyst) and GitHub Releases. The current release line listed on Homebrew Cask and GitHub Releases in August 2026 is 0.24.3 (published 2 April 2026), following 0.24.2 in March 2026 , evidence the project is alive, not abandonware. Older Catalina-targeted 0.22.2 builds still exist for constrained Intel machines, but Apple Silicon users should stay on 0.24.x. Amethyst treats the screen as non-overlapping tiles: when a window opens/closes/focuses or moves between displays, the layout engine recalculates frames through the macOS Accessibility APIs. Built-in layouts include Tall, Tall-Right, Wide, Two Pane, 3Column-Left/Middle/Right, Widescreen-Tall, Fullscreen, Column, Row, Floating, Binary Space Partitioning (BSP), and a beta path for custom JavaScript layouts. Users cycle layouts, shrink/expand the main pane, change main-pane counts, swap windows, and throw clients across Spaces or screens using configurable mod1 (Option-Shift) and mod2 (Control-Option-Shift) chords, with optional mod3/mod4, and YAML configuration for power users. Amethyst requires macOS 10.15+, Accessibility permission, and , critically , works best with Mission Control's 'Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use' disabled so numbered Space throws stay predictable. Community comparisons in 2026 group Amethyst with yabai and AeroSpace as the 'big three' tiling options, while Rectangle/Magnet occupy the snap-manager niche.
What is AeroSpace?
AeroSpace is an i3-inspired tiling window manager for macOS written in Rust by Nikita Bobko (nikitabobko/AeroSpace on GitHub), MIT-licensed and distributed via GitHub Releases and Homebrew (brew install --cask nikitabobko/tap/aerospace). The current release in August 2026 is 0.16.3-Beta (9 June 2026, brew auto-rebuild Aug 2026), confirming active maintenance through mid-2026 with Tahoe 26.x compatibility notes and ongoing issue/POI discussion. AeroSpace auto-tiles by default but also exposes an i3-like manual tree: split horizontally/vertically, stack/tab containers, named workspaces with per-workspace layout, and floating rules. Configuration lives in ~/.aerospace.toml (exec, gaps, bindings, workspace-to-monitor assignments, on-window-detected callbacks) and reloads live. AeroSpace requires Accessibility permission and is the only i3-faithful tiling WM that stays within Accessibility APIs for most workflows , avoiding the scripting-addition/SIP friction yabai users accept. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel and is the natural next evaluation for tiling users who outgrow Rectangle and find Amethyst's layout-cycle model too opinionated.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Tiling Philosophy
Criticalxmonad-inspired automatic tiling: every window event reflows the chosen layout (Tall/Wide/BSP/Column). No tree , layout choice plus main-pane count/size defines the grid. Re-verified Aug 2026 on 0.24.3 via GitHub/Homebrew.
i3-inspired hybrid: auto-tiling by default with a manual split tree, horizontal/vertical nodes, and stack/tab containers. Per-workspace layout and named workspaces bring i3 workspaces to macOS. Re-verified Aug 2026 on 0.16.3-Beta.
Verdict: xmonad auto-cycle (Amethyst) vs i3 workspace+tree (AeroSpace): pick your lineage, not a 'better' tile.
Layouts & Tree Control
HighTall/Wide/3-Column/Widescreen-Tall/BSP/FullScreen/Column/Row plus JS custom layout beta. Closing a window rebalances automatically; layout cycling is the primary interaction.
Manual h/v splits, accumulation/accordion/stack containers, and per-workspace layout assignments. Tree gives deterministic node placement that layout-cycling cannot.
Verdict: AeroSpace wins deterministic tree control; Amethyst wins automatic rebalance simplicity.
Workspaces & Multi-Monitor
HighPer-display layouts with focus/throw shortcuts across screens; relies on macOS Spaces semantics. Multi-monitor tiling is strong, but workspace semantics are Space-mapped rather than i3-native.
Named workspaces (i3 parity), workspace-to-monitor assignment in TOML, dedicated focus/workspace/move-to-workspace bindings. Multi-monitor mental model maps cleanly for sway users.
Verdict: AeroSpace's i3-faithful workspace model wins for sway/i3 converts.
Configuration Surface
HighGUI prefs plus YAML config (float/ignore rules, mod chords, layout sets). Sufficient for most tiling desks; power users note YAML is thinner than AeroSpace TOML callbacks.
TOML config with exec, gaps, keybindings, workspace rules, on-window-detected, and monitor assignments. Live reload. i3 users can port sway configs with modest edits.
Verdict: AeroSpace's TOML is more expressive for per-workspace and rule-driven setups.
Ease of Onboarding
MediumHeavier than Rectangle but lighter than AeroSpace's tree. Mod1/mod2 chords plus two float lists get you productive in an afternoon , if you accept automatic moves.
Steepest of the three free tilers (Rectangle < Amethyst < AeroSpace). Tree concepts, workspace rules, and floating exceptions arrive together. i3 veterans skip the curve; newcomers need a dedicated evening.
Verdict: Amethyst onboards faster unless you already breathe i3.
System Integration & Friction
MediumAccessibility-only. No SIP change, no scripting addition. The lowest-friction tiling WM alongside AeroSpace, well-documented for Tahoe 26.x.
Also primarily Accessibility-driven in its current beta line, avoiding yabai-class SIP friction for most users. Keep an eye on future layout features that may request additional entitlements.
Verdict: Both remain Tahoe-viable without yabai's SIP tax in their 2026 beta/stable lines.
Pricing & Licensing (2026)
HighFree, MIT. No paid tier. Homebrew/GitHub distribution.
Free, MIT. No paid tier. Homebrew tap distribution.
Verdict: Both remain US$0 forever; choose on workflow, not price.
Maintenance & Platform Fit (Tahoe / Apple Silicon)
Medium0.24.x line into April 2026 with Homebrew freshness. Issue volume is high because tiling on macOS is inherently fiddly, not because the repo is archived.
0.16.3-Beta June 2026 with Homebrew tap rebuilt August 2026 , noticeably more recent cut than Amethyst's April release and with active Rust PR throughput.
Verdict: AeroSpace's June 2026 beta is the more recent ship, edging recency confidence.
Who Should Choose Which?
1xmonad / bspwm convert
Layout-centric auto-tiling maps directly onto Tall/Wide/BSP habits.
2i3 / sway engineer
Named workspaces and manual splits preserve i3 muscle memory on macOS.
3Ultra-wide researcher
Multi-column auto-rebalance fills ultra-wides with less manual tree building.
4Multi-monitor coder needing workspace→monitor rules
TOML monitor assignment makes workspace affinity deterministic across docks.
5First tiling experimenter
Try Amethyst's opinionated layouts for a week before adopting tree concepts.
Migration Guide
Amethyst → Aerospace
Quit Amethyst to free Accessibility claims. Install AeroSpace via Homebrew tap, port float/ignore lists into aerospace.toml's on-window-detected and app-specific rules, translate layout-cycling habits into explicit splits and workspace-assigned layouts, and keep a one-week checklist: if you still crave automatic tall/wide rebalance over manual tree control, tiling may still prefer Amethyst's model.
Aerospace → Amethyst
Quit AeroSpace completely before enabling Amethyst to avoid Accessibility fights. Grant Accessibility to Amethyst, disable Mission Control's automatic Space rearrangement, rebuild TOML workspace→monitor rules as Amethyst mod1/mod2 screen-throw chords, and accept that placement becomes layout-governed rather than node-governed , resist dragging windows against the tiling model.
Final Verdict
Tie , amethyst for xmonad comfort, aerospace for i3 engineers
Winner
Runner-up
Re-verified August 2026: Amethyst 0.24.3 (Swift/MIT, April 2026) and AeroSpace 0.16.3-Beta (Rust/MIT, June 2026) still joint-lead open-source tiling on Tahoe 26.x with Rectangle as the snap-manager alternative. Amethyst wins on xmonad familiarity, gentler first-week curve, and broader casual tiling audience. AeroSpace wins on i3 parity: named workspaces, manual h/v splits, tabular/stack containers, and per-workspace layout that i3/sway converts expect. Both idle efficiently, both are Accessibility-only at their 2026 lines (no SIP tax), and both are US$0. A global winner would obscure the real product split: your Linux lineage decides the right macOS tiler.
Bottom Line: xmonad veterans and first-time tilers: Amethyst. i3/sway engineers who think in workspaces and splits: AeroSpace. Try one for a committed week before declaring the other 'worse' , they solve the same pain at different abstractions.
Video Tutorials
Boost your MacOS PRODUCTIVITY with Amethyst | Tiling Window Manager
Tech Craft • 154.4K views
Amethyst Tiling Window Manager | Demo, Review, & Key Bindings!
How Noah Sees It • 24.2K views
Mouseless MacOS Window Management - Yabai vs Amethyst
Brandon Boswell • 51.3K views
pros don’t need to use a mouse - tiling window managers #developer #coding #programming #cs
Leon Si • 293.1K views
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Author
Explore More on Bundl
Browse Window managers apps, read our complete guide, or discover curated bundles.
Expert Insights
Teams migrating from sway keep one AeroSpace TOML and avoid retraining on layout-cycling habits.
First-time tilers retain Amethyst longer because the Tall/Wide cycle requires less tree vocabulary than h/v splits.
Sources & References
Key Verified Facts
- Amethyst current line is 0.24.3 (2 April 2026, GitHub/Homebrew cask amethyst) and remains MIT free, Accessibility-only.[cite-amethyst-github, cite-amethyst-brew]
- AeroSpace current release is 0.16.3-Beta (9 June 2026, GitHub releases + Homebrew tap) with named workspaces and h/v splits.[cite-aerospace-github, cite-aerospace-brew]
- Both tools are MIT free, Apple Silicon-native, and live without SIP scripting-addition in their 2026 lines.[cite-amethyst-official, cite-aerospace-official]
- 1Amethyst official site
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 2Amethyst GitHub releases (0.24.3 April 2026)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 3Homebrew cask: amethyst
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 4AeroSpace official docs (layouts & workspaces)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 5AeroSpace GitHub releases (0.16.3-Beta June 2026)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 6Homebrew tap: aerospace (formula metadata)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 7AeroSpace tiling WM context (i3 lineage)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026