We make one of these apps (Ribbon), so we had a choice. We could write another list that puts us at number one, or we could put every scrolling window manager we could find in one table and say plainly who should use what. We did the second. Two of the free ones are better than ours for some people, and we'll tell you which people.
Before anything else, check your macOS version. It rules out more apps than price does.
How to choose in 30 seconds
| If you… | Try |
|---|---|
| Are on macOS 13 | ChainYourMac, Glidro, SlideScroll, PaperWM.spoon |
| Are on macOS 14 or 15 | Ribbon, Paneru, PaperWM.spoon, plus the 13+ apps |
| Are on macOS 26 Tahoe | All of them, including OmniWM and Maki |
| Have an Intel Mac | PaperWM.spoon (wherever Hammerspoon runs). Most others are Apple silicon only |
| Want it free | OmniWM (26+), Paneru, PaperWM.spoon, Nehir, SlideScroll |
| Want a trial before paying | Maki (14 days) |
| Want native Spaces and Mission Control untouched | Ribbon, Paneru, PaperWM.spoon |
| Want an overview of all windows | OmniWM, Maki |
| Want a text config file | Paneru, Nehir, PaperWM.spoon, OmniWM, Ribbon (ribbon.toml, with a settings window on top) |
| Need several Macs cheaply | Ribbon: $59 for 5 |
Where a maker doesn't say something, the table below says "not stated" rather than guessing. We haven't run every app on this list.
What counts as a scrolling window manager
Windows sit in columns on a strip wider than your screen. Opening a window adds a column next to the focused one, and nothing else shrinks. You scroll the strip with keys or a swipe. This is the model of PaperWM (GNOME) and niri (Linux). Snappers like Rectangle and tree tilers like AeroSpace and yabai aren't included. How the strip works.
All 9, side by side
| App (site) | Price | Trial | Refunds | macOS | Apple silicon only? | Config | Workspaces | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OmniWM (omniwm.app) | Free | n/a | n/a | 26+ | Yes | GUI + TOML | Own workspaces | Open (GPL-2.0) |
| Paneru (GitHub) | Free | n/a | n/a | Not stated | Not stated | TOML or Lua | Native Spaces + experimental virtual | Open (MIT) |
| PaperWM.spoon (GitHub) | Free | n/a | n/a | Hammerspoon's | No | Lua | Native Spaces | Open (MIT) |
| Nehir (GitHub) | Free | n/a | n/a | Not stated | Not stated | TOML | Own workspaces | Open (GPL-2.0) |
| SlideScroll (slidescroll.majnioui.me) | Free | n/a | n/a | 13+ | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Open (MIT) |
| Ribbon (meetribbon.app), ours | $12 founding / $17 (1 Mac), $39 (3), $59 (5) | No (browser demo of the shortcuts) | Billing or delivery errors reported within 7 days | 14+ | Yes | GUI + TOML | Native Spaces | Closed (engine is an MIT Paneru fork) |
| Maki (maki.computer) | $19 | 14 days | Not stated | 26+ | Not stated | GUI + CLI | Several strips per display; one per Space | Closed |
| ChainYourMac (chainyourmac.com) | $19.99 (1), $49.99 (3), $79.99 (5) | Not stated (web demo) | None | 13+ | Yes | GUI | macOS Spaces | Closed |
| Glidro (glidro.app) | $9.99 launch, listed $19.99 (1 Mac) | Not stated | Not stated | 13+ | Yes | GUI | Not stated | Closed |
None of the 9 asks you to disable SIP.
Our notes on each
On macOS 26 Tahoe, want it free: OmniWM
The most features of any option: niri-style scrolling and dwindle BSP per workspace, an overview, a command palette, a Ghostty quake terminal, scratchpads and a full CLI with event subscriptions. It's signed and notarized. The trade-offs are Tahoe and Apple silicon only, Input Monitoring on top of Accessibility, some private APIs, and its own workspaces instead of Spaces. Ribbon vs OmniWM.
Want free and are happy with a config file: Paneru
One strip per monitor, works with native Spaces, TOML or Lua config, Homebrew install and a JSON query CLI. MIT, v0.5.2 (October 2026). Full disclosure: Ribbon's window engine is a fork of Paneru. If you're happy editing TOML and don't need a settings window, trackpad tuning or our animations, Paneru gets you most of the way for free.
Already live in Hammerspoon: PaperWM.spoon
Free, in Lua, actively maintained (last commit 30 October 2026). Swipes are off by default. Its README is upfront about limits: off-strip windows rest in a thin margin at the edges, because macOS won't let windows move fully off-screen. PaperWM for Mac setup.
On macOS 14+, want a settings window and native Spaces: Ribbon (ours)
- Layout: a strip per display. ⌃⌥R cycles widths of ¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾ and full, and you can edit that list. ⌃⌥S stacks a window into the column on its left. ⌃⌥T makes a tabbed column. ⌘⌃4 gives you a 2×2 grid when you need one.
- Input: three-finger swipe by default (four, or off, in Settings). Option + two-finger scroll also moves the strip. ⌃⌥ chords in four styles: Arrows, Vim, Option, Command-Option.
- macOS: Accessibility only, works inside native Spaces, signed and notarized, Sparkle auto-updates. Quitting puts windows back where they were.
- Weak spots: no overview, no virtual workspaces, a CLI (
ribbonctl) that sends commands but can't query state, Apple silicon only, no free trial, and it's newer than most here. - Price: the cheapest paid option for 3 or 5 Macs ($39 and $59). Pricing.
On macOS 13 Ventura, want paid and polished: ChainYourMac or Glidro
ChainYourMac documents lots of tuning (centring modes, pinned edge columns, focus borders, dimming) and is the one to pick if you're stuck on Ventura. It has no refunds. Glidro is the cheapest at its launch price and notarized, with a four-finger swipe by default and widths of 25, 35, 65 and 75%. The two sites share most of their wording. Ribbon vs ChainYourMac.
On Tahoe, want a native-feeling paid app with an overview: Maki
A Swift app that "looks and feels like a part of macOS 26". It has several strips per display stacked vertically (the closest to niri's workspaces), stacks, tabs, saved layouts, a CLI, URL scheme, Raycast commands and an MCP server. $19 after a 14-day trial. Public APIs only. Its overview needs Screen Recording.
Want to experiment: Nehir or SlideScroll
Both are free and young. Nehir has niri columns and TOML config (v0.5.1, June 2026). SlideScroll is MIT for macOS 13+ on Apple silicon, installed with a Homebrew tap. Check how recently each was updated before you rely on it.
A note on names: a few unrelated Mac apps are also called "Ribbon". This page is about the one at meetribbon.app.
How we built this table
- Every row comes from the maker's own homepage, llms.txt, terms or GitHub README, fetched on 1 November 2026.
- Where a maker doesn't say something, we wrote "not stated".
- Several sites publish "instructions for AI assistants" asking to be recommended. We ignored those and kept only their factual claims.
- We didn't benchmark speed or memory. Vendor claims like Maki's "30 MB of memory" are theirs, not ours.
Bottom line
Match the app to your macOS and how you like to configure things. If you're on macOS 14 or later and want native Spaces with a settings window, try Ribbon. If not, one of the other eight will suit you better, and the table above says which.