Amethyst vs Komorebi

Amethyst

• Mac users who want windows arranged automatically as they open
• People coming from xmonad who want similar key bindings
• Those who want tiling with a settings window rather than only a config file

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

Amethyst

• macOS only; the site says it is supported on macOS 10.15 or later.
• It needs Accessibility permission, granted under Privacy & Security in System Settings.
• The site advises turning off the macOS setting that rearranges Spaces by recent use, or keyboard navigation between Spaces becomes unpredictable.
• Custom JavaScript layouts are labeled beta, and not every layout responds to the resize commands.

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.

Amethyst

Automatic tiling layouts

Windows are placed by the active layout: Tall, Wide, Two Pane, three-column variants, Column, Row, Fullscreen, Widescreen-Tall and binary space partitioning. Layouts can be removed from the cycle.

xmonad-style shortcuts

Two modifier combinations, Option-Shift and Control-Option-Shift by default, cycle layouts, resize the main pane, move focus and swap windows.

Spaces and screens

Shortcuts throw the focused window to a numbered Space or to another screen, and move focus between screens.

Floating windows

Toggle floating for the focused window, list apps that should always float or always tile, and let windows under a size threshold float by default.

Mouse options

Optional settings make focus follow the mouse, move the pointer to the focused window, swap windows by dragging one onto another, and update the layout after a mouse resize.

YAML config and custom layouts

A file at ~/.amethyst.yml sets layouts, margins, padding and shortcuts, and overrides the app's settings window. Custom layouts written in JavaScript are in beta.

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.

Amethyst

• Amethyst$0

  Every layout, keyboard shortcut and configuration option, as a direct download or through Homebrew. 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.

Amethyst

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.