AeroSpace vs Moom

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

Moom

• Mac users who rearrange the same windows each time they dock a laptop
• People who want both mouse-driven and keyboard-driven window control
• Buyers who prefer a one-time license that covers all of their Macs

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.

Moom

• macOS only; Moom 4.6 requires macOS 10.13 High Sierra or newer.
• Moom 4 is sold only on the Many Tricks site. The Mac App Store carries Moom Classic, the older Moom 3, at $6.99.
• A license includes at least one year of updates. Later updates may be paid, though the purchased version keeps working.
• There is no direct Shortcuts support; the FAQ says some features can be reached through AppleScript.

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.

Moom

Pop-up palette

Hovering over a window's green button shows a palette of move and zoom actions. It can be customized with up to 61 actions, including folders, layouts and grids.

Saved layouts

Save the positions of a set of app windows and restore them later, for example when a laptop connects to an external display. Any-window layouts apply to the most recently used windows instead.

Snap and drop zones

Drag a window to a snap zone to move and zoom it. A saved layout placed in a snap zone turns its window positions into drop targets.

Custom actions and chains

Custom actions can be chained to run as one combined step or as a loop that advances each time it is used, and organized into nested folders.

Hover

Hold a set of modifier keys and move the mouse to move or resize the window under the pointer, even one in the background, without clicking.

Keyboard control

With the keyboard features enabled, windows can be moved, resized, centered and placed on an on-screen grid without the mouse, and custom actions run from a hot key.

AeroSpace

• AeroSpace$0

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

Moom

• Moom$15

  one-time purchase, license valid forever

  Moom 4 with at least 1 year of updates. One license covers every Mac you use and the family members in your household.

AeroSpace

No public discounts listed.

Moom

• Other savings

  $8 upgrade for existing Moom owners

  People who bought an earlier Moom, from the Mac App Store or directly, can upgrade to Moom 4 for $8 instead of paying the $15 new-license price.

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual license with a year of updates

  A license is perpetual and not a subscription: you own the version you bought, plus any updates released during at least the first year.

• Other savings

  Discounts for buying several licenses

  The license FAQ says Many Tricks has multi-item discount pricing and can work out a custom discount for larger quantities.