Amethyst vs Moom

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Amethyst

• Amethyst$0

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

Amethyst

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.