If you're choosing between these two, here's the uncomfortable truth for both of us: the core is the same idea. Both are paid, one-time-purchase scrolling window managers. Both put windows on a horizontal strip, use ⌃⌥ chords and keep SIP on. Most of the decision comes down to your macOS version, the price, and a handful of features.
ChainYourMac facts were checked on 1 November 2026 against chainyourmac.com, its llms.txt, terms, privacy page and changelog. We haven't run ChainYourMac, so everything about it comes from what its maker publishes. We make Ribbon.
The 10 differences
| # | Difference | ChainYourMac | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | macOS | 13 Ventura and later | 14 Sonoma and later |
| 2 | Hardware | Apple silicon only | Apple silicon only |
| 3 | Price, 1 Mac | $19.99 one-time | $12 founding price (first 10 licences), then $17 |
| 4 | Price, 3 / 5 Macs | $49.99 / $79.99 (also $299.99 for 20) | $39 / $59 |
| 5 | Refunds | None: "All sales are final" | Sales final, except a double charge, an undelivered key or a pricing error reported within 7 days (terms) |
| 6 | Widths | Preset widths plus wider/narrower | Six presets (¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾, full) on ⌃⌥R, editable in ribbon.toml; ⌃⌥0 equalises, ⌃⌥B balances |
| 7 | Grid layouts | Not documented | ⌘⌃2 and ⌘⌃3 columns, ⌘⌃← / ⌘⌃→ three-window stacks, ⌘⌃4/5/6 grids, ⌘⌃\ back to the strip |
| 8 | Pinned edge column | Yes | No |
| 9 | Shortcut presets | Rebind everything, several bindings per action | Rebind everything, plus one-switch styles: Arrows, Vim, Option, Command-Option |
| 10 | Track record | Public changelog up to 2.4.5 | Newer (1.0) |
Closer than either site lets on
Both apps have the same long list of options. On Ribbon's side, these come from our own settings code, so you can hold us to them:
- Focus border, and dimming of inactive windows (Ribbon: 0 to 60%)
- Focus follows pointer, and pointer follows focus
- Keep Original Height
- Drag to reorder (Ribbon: swap or insert)
- A strip indicator (Ribbon calls it the mini-map)
- Stacks and tabbed columns
- A strip per display, per-app float rules, and detection of other window managers
- Sparkle auto-updates
- A URL scheme (
chainyourmac://,ribbon://) and a CLI. ChainYourMac adds Raycast script commands - Three-finger swipe by default with four as an option. Ribbon also takes Option + two-finger scroll
- A text config. Ribbon's is
~/.config/ribbon/ribbon.toml, kept in sync with Settings - No analytics inside either app. Both sell through Dodo Payments
Where ChainYourMac is the better buy
- You're on Ventura. Ribbon won't install on macOS 13. That alone settles it.
- You want a pinned sidebar column, for example Slack stuck to the right edge while the rest scrolls. ChainYourMac documents it, and we don't have it.
- You trust track record over price. Its changelog goes back a lot further than ours.
Where Ribbon is the better buy
- Price. $12 against $19.99 for one Mac at our founding price, and still cheaper at the $17 list price. For five Macs it's $59 against $79.99.
- Grids on demand. Four logs or four video calls want a 2×2, not a strip. ⌘⌃4 does that, and ⌘⌃\ puts everything back.
- Vim keys in one click. Choose the Vim style and every chord becomes ⌃⌥H/J/K/L.
- A narrow refund window instead of none. Neither app refunds a change of mind. We'll fix a double charge or a missing key reported within 7 days.
There's no free trial for either. ChainYourMac has a web demo, and we have the shortcuts in your browser. If you want free, OmniWM (macOS 26+), Paneru and PaperWM.spoon exist. See the scrolling window manager comparison.
Switching from ChainYourMac to Ribbon
- Quit ChainYourMac (⌃⌥Q stops it; then quit from the menu bar) and remove it from login items.
- Install Ribbon (setup) and grant Accessibility.
- Most chords carry over. ⌃⌥R cycles widths, ⌃⌥F is full width, ⌃⌥C centres and ⌃⌥N sends to the next display in both apps. Differences: stacking is ⌃⌥S in Ribbon (⌃⌥] or [ in ChainYourMac), tabs are ⌃⌥T in Ribbon (⌃⌥⇧T in ChainYourMac), and float is ⌃⌥Space in Ribbon (⌃⌥T in ChainYourMac). Check the full shortcut list.
- Re-create per-app float rules in Ribbon's settings.
Bottom line
On the core idea they're close relatives. ChainYourMac is the pick for Ventura, or if you want a pinned column. Ribbon is the cheaper pick on Sonoma and later, with grids and shortcut styles included. See Ribbon's pricing.