Ribbon is the Amethyst alternative for most Mac users, especially when every window has to fit on a small screen. Columns keep their width on a strip, inside native Spaces. AeroSpace, yabai, HyprMac and OmniWM are the fit when you want free tiling of a specific kind. Rectangle is the fit when you want to snap by hand.
The short version
| You want... | Try | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Windows that keep their width on a laptop | Ribbon | $17 once |
| i3-style keys and instant workspaces | AeroSpace | Free, MIT |
| BSP tiling and a scriptable CLI on real Spaces | yabai | Free, MIT |
| Hyprland-style tiling, settings window, Intel too | HyprMac | Free, MIT |
| Dwindle or scrolling per workspace, macOS 26+ | OmniWM | Free, GPL-2.0 |
| To stop tiling and snap instead | Rectangle | Free, MIT |
What Amethyst does well
Amethyst is an "automatic tiling window manager for macOS à la xmonad". It's free, MIT, runs on macOS 10.15 and later, and is maintained: v0.25.0 shipped in November 2026. It uses native Spaces, needs only Accessibility, and has a preferences window plus an optional YAML file.
Its README documents more than a dozen layouts, including Tall, Wide, Column, Row, Fullscreen, Floating and BSP. The keys use two modifiers: mod1 is ⌥⇧ and mod2 is ⌃⌥⇧. mod1-Space cycles layouts, mod1-J and K move focus, mod1-Enter swaps with the main window.
The full breakdown of layouts and keys against a scrolling strip is in Ribbon vs Amethyst.
Why people look for an Amethyst alternative
- Small screens. Every layout shares one rule: every window has to fit. Seven windows on a 14 inch MacBook means slivers.
- Spaces friction. Amethyst's README asks you to turn off "Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use", or keyboard moves between Spaces get unpredictable.
- Settings that don't stick. If a YAML file exists in your home folder, it overrides the preferences window.
- A different keymap. i3 and Hyprland users want the keys they already know.
How we compared
- Model: which kind of tiling, or something else.
- Workspaces: macOS Spaces or the app's own.
- SIP: does any feature need it partly off?
- Config: settings window, file, or both.
- macOS and chip support, from the maker.
Amethyst alternatives at a glance
| Ribbon | Amethyst | AeroSpace | yabai | HyprMac | OmniWM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs SIP disabled | No | No | Never | Partly, for 8 features | No | No |
| Model | Scrolling strip | xmonad-style layouts | i3-style tree | BSP | Hyprland-style dwindle | Dwindle or niri scrolling |
| Workspaces | macOS Spaces | macOS Spaces | Its own | macOS Spaces | Its own, 10 | Its own |
| Config | Settings plus TOML | Settings or YAML | TOML only | Shell script plus skhd | Settings window | Settings plus TOML |
| macOS | 14+, Apple silicon | 10.15+ | 13+ | 11+ Intel, 12+ Apple silicon | 13+, Intel or Apple silicon | 26+, Apple silicon |
| Price | $17 once | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Ribbon
Ribbon doesn't fit every window onto the screen. Each display gets a strip of full-height columns that runs past the edge, and a new window opens beside the focused one without resizing anything else. ⌃⌥← and Right move along the strip, ⌃⌥R cycles the focused column through a quarter, a third, a half, two thirds, three quarters and full. Like Amethyst, it uses native Spaces and has a settings window.
One-time: $17 for one Mac, $39 for three, $59 for five.
Good to know: Ribbon needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later, and there is no free trial. The browser demo shows the model.
AeroSpace, if you want i3 keys and fast workspaces
AeroSpace is "an i3-like tiling window manager for macOS", free and MIT, macOS 13 and later. It runs its own workspaces instead of Spaces, which is how it switches instantly without asking you to touch SIP. Everything lives in ~/.aerospace.toml.
The catch: no settings window, ever, and it's still beta. If you liked Amethyst's preferences pane, you'll be editing text. Best AeroSpace alternatives covers its own trade-offs.
yabai, if you want more control
yabai does BSP tiling on native Spaces and is driven from a shell. Free, MIT, v7.1.25 from May 2026. You add hotkeys with skhd. Core tiling works with SIP on; eight features, including moving Spaces, need SIP partly off.
The catch: two tools to configure, and the SIP step if you want everything. AeroSpace vs yabai compares the two most-asked-about tilers.
HyprMac, if you came from Hyprland
HyprMac is a free, MIT tiler "inspired by Hyprland", for macOS 13 and later on Apple silicon or Intel. Caps Lock acts as the Hypr key, there are ten workspaces, and settings live in a window.
The catch: a much younger project than Amethyst, with its own workspaces instead of Spaces. More in Hyprland for Mac.
OmniWM, if you're on macOS 26
OmniWM is free, GPL-2.0, and offers niri-style scrolling or Hyprland-style dwindle per workspace. Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later only.
The catch: if you're on Sequoia or earlier, it won't run. Ribbon vs OmniWM compares the two.
Rectangle, if tiling isn't for you
Sometimes the honest answer is that automatic tiling isn't your style. Rectangle is free, MIT, macOS 14 and later, and only moves a window when you ask.
Which Amethyst alternative should you pick?
- Laptop, too many windows to fit: Ribbon.
- You know i3: AeroSpace.
- You want to script it: yabai.
- You came from Hyprland, or you're on Intel: HyprMac.
- You're on macOS 26 and want free scrolling too: OmniWM.
- You want to place windows yourself: Rectangle.
- Amethyst mostly works: keep it. Turn off the Spaces rearrange setting and delete the stray YAML file first.