REDDIT
“My new must have app an all my macs! Its soo smart! Love it and never want to miss it anymore ❤️”
u/FunPoet625
View comment ↗BetterStage user
BetterStage
Window Manager
for Mac Power Users
Give every project its own Stage — apps as tabs, perfectly tiled across every display. Switch the whole desk instantly.
Free to download · 7-day free Pro trial
Product demo
macOS 14+Apple Silicon & IntelFree forever after trial
“seems like it's exactly what I've been looking for”
u/yestimishere
“I’ve been using this since the beginning and love it. The developer has done a great job at fixing bugs. It’s truly unique.”
u/Latter_Pen2421
Install with Homebrew
brew tap terrytz/betterstage https://github.com/terrytz/BetterStage
brew install --cask betterstageBUILT FOR POWER USERS
Every stage arranges itself.
Every monitor in a stage gets its own Window Mode — TabStack or Enhanced Native. Switch projects and the whole desk comes back arranged exactly as you left it, not a blank desktop like Spaces. Pick a stage:
⧉Enhanced Native Mode
Messages
Notes
▤TabStack
VS Code
Safari
Terminal
▤TabStack
Terminal
Opt+123Interactive schematic — each stage keeps its own Window Modes. Scroll sideways on smaller screens to see every monitor.
WINDOW MODES
2 ways to lay out every screen.
Give every monitor its own Window Mode. Every stage remembers it.
Enhanced Native Mode
FREEFree-floating windows, with snapping and shortcuts on top. Best for screens you like to arrange by hand.
Editor
Browser
Chat
v2.0 schematic · Click a tab to switch windows within its pane.
TabStack Mode
PROTiles windows into resizable panes, stacks extras as tabs, and lets you split, join, and swap without leaving the layout. Customize tab bar and pane appearance to suit your desk.
Switch a monitor's mode from the Snap Wheel or the BetterStage menu bar.
WORKSPACES & CONTINUITY
Your whole desk comes back.
BetterStage remembers more than window positions. It protects your stages, every monitor's Window Mode, and each TabStack pane and tab group as one complete workspace.
Automatic Workspace Continuity
Free — recover after restarting BetterStage, waking your Mac, or reconnecting displays.
Save & Load Workspaces
Pro — keep named arrangements and load them with custom shortcuts. Optional Clean Load quits apps and removes stages outside the saved setup.
Display recovery
Load a Saved Workspace onto another display or merge layouts when a monitor is missing. With automatic recovery enabled, reconnecting a display offers Restore or Keep Current Layout.
Load Workspace
Illustrative Saved Workspaces
Docked Development
3 displays · 6 stages
Travel Setup
1 display · 3 stages
↻FREE
Workspace Continuity protected
Latest desk checkpoint stored locally
SNAP WHEEL
Every control, one flick away.
Flick the trackpad — or middle-click — and a radial menu blooms right under your cursor. Snap a window, switch a mode, jump to a stage, all without reaching for a shortcut.
Two rings, custom submenus
Halves and quarters out front in Enhanced Native, plus Center and Window Behavior in More Actions. TabStack shows directional arrows into the adjacent pane, with Reflow as Grid a flick deeper.
Triggered the way you want
A trackpad gesture, a middle-click, or a hotkey — your call.
Yours to rearrange
Remap or hide any slot so the wheel holds exactly what you use.
Enhanced Native
Inner ring snaps the window to a half or quarter of the display. More Actions also includes Center and Window Behavior. Outer ring: Window Modes, Stages, Saved Workspaces, and custom submenus.
KEYBOARD
Every action, a keystroke away.
Prefer the keyboard? Switch stages, send windows, snap, and retile without lifting your hands. Every shortcut is rebindable — including separate mouse and trackpad controls — with ANSI and European layout presets built in.
STAGES
Switch stageOpt+1–9
Send window to stageOpt+Shift+1–9
Cycle stagesOpt+Tab
New stageOpt+N
WINDOWS
Retile windows on active monitorOpt+↓
Cycle Window ModeOpt+B
Focus windowCmd+Opt+J/K/I/L
Toggle Stages BarOpt+↑
SNAPPING
Snap halvesCtrl+Opt+←/→
Snap thirdsCtrl+Opt+A/S/D
Snap quartersCtrl+Opt+U/I/J/K
Center (half × half)Ctrl+Opt+C
MaximizeCtrl+Opt+Return
AI STAGING PRO
Describe your workspace. AI builds it.
Write a plain-English Recipe, @-mention the apps and monitors you mean, and BetterStage previews the exact plan — the best Window Mode for every screen — before a single window moves.
Preview and approve the plan before anything moves
Save multiple Recipes for different workflows
Your own API key, a local model (Ollama, LM Studio), or managed BetterStage AI
1Describe what you need
“Make a writing workspace with Notes, Safari, and Preview on my main display.”
2Review the suggested workspace
WritingMain display · TabStack
Notes
SafariPreview
Two panes. Safari and Preview share the right pane as tabs.
3
Approve, then arrange
BetterStage moves your windows only after you confirm the plan.
Prefer reusable instructions? Learn how to write and save AI Recipes.
MORE FEATURES
The toolkit around Window Modes
The smaller touches that make BetterStage feel built for you.
Workspace Continuity
Recover stages and layouts after restart, wake, or reconnecting displays.
Learn moreMulti-Monitor Stages
One stage spans every display — switch and all screens change at once.
Learn moreCustom Menu Bar
Choose and reorder the logo, Stage index, window count, Stage name, and Window Modes.
Learn moreBUILT FOR MAC
Native window management.
Built with Swift and AppKit. No Electron and no need to disable SIP.
macOS Sonoma+
Built for macOS 14 and later
100% Native
Swift & AppKit, light on resources
One Core Permission
Accessibility — no Input Monitoring or Screen Recording; visible Terminal actions may request Automation
Privacy-First
Window management runs locally. Licensing, optional AI, and website analytics are described in our privacy policy.
Read our privacy policy for licensing, optional AI, and website data handling.
AT A GLANCE
BetterStage gives every project its own stage — a named workspace that snaps into place across every monitor the instant you switch.
BetterStage at a glance
- What it is
- Native macOS window & workspace manager (Swift/AppKit, not Electron)
- Requirements
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later · Accessibility for window management · no SIP disable
- Project switching
- Direct shortcuts with no Spaces-style desktop slide
- Workspaces
- 9 named stages; participating displays switch together
- Window management
- Enhanced Native + TabStack, 16 snap zones including Center, and a radial Snap Wheel
- AI Staging
- Arrange windows from a plain-language prompt — bring your own API key, or use managed BetterStage AI
- Price
- Free tier (3 stages) · Pro lifetime $19.99–$49.99, no subscription · optional BetterStage AI add-on
COMPARE
How it stacks up
What the built-in tools and tiling managers leave out.
Nine named stages instead of an unlabeled recent-app strip. No Spaces transition, no persistent screen-edge UI.
BetterStage
Stage Manager
Spaces
yabai
AeroSpace
Named workspaces
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Visual settings — no config files
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
One workspace spans every monitor
Yes
Partial
Partial
Partial
Partial
Automatic workspace recovery
Yes
No
No
No
No
Save & load complete workspaces
Yes
No
No
Partial
Partial
Auto-tiling (TabStack)
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Tabbed window panes
Yes
Partial
No
No
No
Switch with no animation
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Snap Wheel & mouse-first controls
Yes
No
No
No
No
Fully rebindable shortcuts
Yes
No
Partial
Yes
Yes
Works with SIP enabled
Yes
Yes
Yes
Partial
Yes
AI window staging
Yes
No
No
No
No
App routing (stages or Pinned Displays)
Yes
No
No
No
No
See more comparisonsFeature-by-feature, or read why it’s the best macOS window manager.
FROM THE COMMUNITY
Built for demanding Mac setups.
Real feedback from people who care about fast workflows, flexible layouts, and keeping a lot of windows under control.
REDDIT
“As someone who developed a window manager app back in the day (Windownaut), this looks super awesome! Congrats!”
Hisham K.
Creator of Windownaut
REDDIT
“I’ve been using this since the beginning and love it. The developer has done a great job at fixing bugs. It’s truly unique.”
u/Latter_Pen2421
View comment ↗BetterStage user since launch
REDDIT
“This looks like the best tiling manager app I've come across so far. Great work!”
u/SpaceAngler03
View comment ↗r/macapps
REDDIT
“I love it. I started to work on something similar but it's really hard without disabling SIP and you have to put a lot of work into it. Nice that you have keyboard navigation running as well.”
u/c0desurfer
View comment ↗macOS developer
REDDIT
“Brother, that's impressive. Clearly a lot of love went into this.”
u/stompworks
View comment ↗r/macapps
REDDIT
“seems like it's exactly what I've been looking for”
u/yestimishere
View comment ↗r/MacOSApps
Try BetterStage free7 days of Pro on eligible Macs · no card required
PRICING
Pay once. Yours forever.
7 days of Pro on eligible Macs. Keep Free afterward, own Pro for life, or choose the optional managed AI subscription with Pro included.
Free
$0forever
Everything you need to switch projects fast.
Download free✓3 named stages, forever
✓Automatic Workspace Continuity
✓16 snap zones, including Center + Snap Wheel
✓Fully customizable shortcuts
✓Portable Settings backups
✓Full multi-monitor support
✓Enhanced Native Mode
LIFETIME
Pro
$19.99one-time
Try Pro for 7 days on eligible Macs. No card required.
✓Everything in Free
✓TabStack automatic tiling, panes, and tabs
✓Saved Workspaces, shortcuts & Clean Load
✓All 9 named stages
✓App Routing — auto-assign apps to stages or Pinned Displays with title-aware ordered rules
✓Custom Actions (Experimental) and Snap Wheel submenus
✓AI Staging (your own API key)
✓Pinned Displays
✦
BetterStage AI
SUBSCRIPTIONEvery Pro feature, plus managed AI Staging — no API key needed. 200 credits a month, runs on our servers, cancel anytime.
$4.99/mo · or $39/yr
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Stages, SIP, monitors and AI — answered.
Yes. BetterStage replaces macOS Stage Manager with named workspaces (stages) that span every monitor, full keyboard shortcuts, and no forced animation or wasted screen space.
No. BetterStage works with System Integrity Protection fully enabled. Its window-management features require only Accessibility — no Input Monitoring or Screen Recording. If you choose to show a Custom Action command in Terminal, macOS may separately ask for Automation access.
It can be. Each monitor can use TabStack for automatic tiling and tabbed pane layouts, or stay free-floating in Enhanced Native — every stage remembers its own setup.
Yes. One stage spans all your displays at once, so switching a stage swaps every monitor together. You can also pin a display to keep it constant across stages.
Describe your workspace in plain English and BetterStage previews a stage plan before anything moves. Save multiple Recipes for repeat workflows, then bring your own API key, run a local model, or use managed BetterStage AI with no setup.
Yes — the free tier keeps 3 stages, Enhanced Native Mode, 16 snap zones including Center, portable Settings backups, and window snapping forever. Eligible Macs can start a 7-day Pro trial; previous trials do not reset when you download again or change accounts. Free users on eligible Macs can also try Pro for 15 minutes once every 24 hours. Pro is a one-time purchase from $19.99 — no subscription. BetterStage AI (managed, no API key) is an optional subscription from $4.99/mo.
Stop managing windows. Start finishing work.
Download free, try Pro for 7 days on eligible Macs, and give every project a desk of its own.
No credit card to try · 14-day money-back on Pro · macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
By BetterStage · features updated for 2.0.5 on