AeroSpace vs Komorebi

AeroSpace

• Developers and advanced users who want i3-style tiling on a Mac
• Keyboard-driven work with configuration kept in dotfiles
• Multi-monitor setups that assign workspaces to particular displays

Komorebi

• Windows users who want automatic tiling in the style of bspwm or yabai
• Keyboard-driven control of windows, workspaces and monitors
• Personal use at no cost

AeroSpace

• macOS only: the released binary runs on macOS 13 or later.
• Still a public beta; the README says to expect breaking changes until version 1.0.
• There is no settings window. Configuration is a TOML text file, and the project says it will never add a GUI for it.
• The app is not notarized by Apple, so a manual install can show a macOS security warning; the Homebrew install avoids it.

Komorebi

• The license permits no commercial use: using it at work needs an Individual Commercial Use License, from $10 a month per person.
• It is not open source. The developer calls it educational source software, and the license forbids redistribution and hard forks.
• Setup is through configuration files and the command line, and key bindings need a separate tool such as whkd or AutoHotkey.
• Windows and Mac commercial licenses are bought separately unless you take the multi-platform one, and subscriptions are not refunded.

AeroSpace

Tree-based tiling

Each workspace holds its windows in a tree of containers, a model taken from i3. Focus moves in four directions, and the move and join-with commands reshape the tree.

Tiles and accordion layouts

Four layouts: horizontal and vertical tiles, plus horizontal and vertical accordions that stack windows and leave a padded edge to show the others.

Emulated workspaces

AeroSpace uses its own workspaces instead of macOS Spaces, moving inactive windows off screen so switching has no animation. It does not need System Integrity Protection disabled.

Plain-text configuration

Settings and key bindings live in a TOML file such as ~/.aerospace.toml. Binding modes swap in a different set of shortcuts, as in i3.

Command-line client

The aerospace CLI runs the same commands as key bindings and can query state. Man pages and bash, fish and zsh completion are included.

Callbacks and monitor assignment

An on-window-detected callback runs commands for each new window, for example to send an app to a set workspace. Workspaces can be assigned to particular monitors.

Komorebi

Automatic tiling layouts

Arranges windows without overlap in layouts such as BSP, Vertical Stack, Horizontal Stack, Columns, Rows, Ultrawide Vertical Stack and Grid, chosen per workspace.

Workspaces on every monitor

Each monitor has its own set of virtual workspaces, and commands move or send windows between workspaces and between monitors.

Window stacking

Several windows can share one container as a stack and be cycled through, so a group of windows takes up a single tile in the layout.

Command-line control

The komorebic CLI sends every command to the window manager. Key bindings come from a separate hotkey daemon such as whkd or AutoHotkey.

Status bar

komorebi-bar is an included status bar tied to the window manager, and it can be customized with widgets and themes.

JSON configuration and app rules

Settings live in a komorebi.json file, with example configurations provided. A community-maintained list of rules covers applications that misbehave when tiled.

AeroSpace

• AeroSpace$0

  Tree-based tiling, emulated workspaces, TOML configuration, the aerospace command-line client and multi-monitor support. MIT licensed.

Komorebi

• Personal use$0

  The full window manager, status bar and command-line tool for personal use. Redistribution, hard forks and commercial use are not permitted.

• komorebi for Windows (single-platform)$10

  per month, or $110 billed annually

  Individual Commercial Use License: lets one named person use komorebi for Windows at work. Also valid for whkd and masir.

• komorebi for Mac (single-platform)$10

  per month, or $110 billed annually

  Individual Commercial Use License for one named person on komorebi for Mac, bought separately from the Windows license.

• komorebi for Windows + macOS$15

  per month, or $180 billed annually

  Multi-platform Individual Commercial Use License covering both the Windows and the Mac version for one person.

AeroSpace

No public discounts listed.

Komorebi

• Annual discount

  Annual billing at $110 for one platform

  A single-platform commercial license costs $10 a month or $110 a year, $10 less than twelve monthly payments. The multi-platform license is $180 a year, the same as paying monthly.