Hammerspoon vs Velja
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Velja
Mac browser picker that routes links to a browser, profile or app
Free trial · from $10 one-time
Where they differ
- Hammerspoon is free. Velja starts at $10 one-time purchase.
- Hammerspoon has a free plan. Velja does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Velja lists a browser extension.
- Hammerspoon is open source, according to its own site.
- Velja can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Hammerspoon also covers workflow automation and window management.
- Velja also covers menu bar app.
In commonmacOS
At a glance
| Hammerspoon | Velja | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $10 one-time purchase |
| Free plan | The whole app is free and open source under the MIT license. The developers do not take donations and suggest giving to a charity instead. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Fully functional trial with no stated end date; it reminds you to buy every 12 hours and has no automatic updates |
| macOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Hammerspoon contributors | Sindre Sorhus |
| Price read from | github.com | sindresorhus.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Hammerspoon
- Mac users comfortable writing Lua who want to script their own automation
- Custom window management driven by keyboard shortcuts
- Triggering actions from system events such as joining a Wi-Fi network
Velja
- Mac users who keep separate browsers or profiles for work and personal use
- Sending meeting and design links straight to their desktop apps
- People who want links from one app, such as Slack, to open in a set browser
Worth knowing
Hammerspoon
- macOS only. Release 1.1.1 lists a minimum of macOS 13.0; older Macs need an earlier release.
- Out of the box it does nothing: every behavior has to be written in Lua in ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua or added as a Spoon.
- It depends on the macOS Accessibility permission, which the user has to grant by hand in the system's privacy settings.
- Crash information is collected by default; the FAQ says this can be turned off in the preferences.
Velja
- Mac only, and the current version requires macOS 26 or later. Older versions are free but stop at macOS 15.
- It cannot handle links clicked inside a browser unless you add the Velja browser extension or use a workaround.
- Safari profiles, Arc spaces and Firefox profiles created with about:profiles are not supported.
- Rules do not sync through iCloud; they can only be exported and imported manually. The app is not localized.
Key features
Hammerspoon
- Lua bridge to macOS
- Extensions expose macOS APIs for applications, windows, screens, audio devices, batteries, clipboards, Wi-Fi, location and low-level keyboard and mouse events to Lua code.
- Hotkeys
- A keyboard shortcut can be bound to any Lua function, from showing a notification to running a series of window operations or an AppleScript.
- Window movement and layouts
- Scripts can move and resize the focused window, arrange several apps' windows into a saved layout across screens, and use window filters to act on groups of windows.
- Event watchers
- A configuration can react to application events, Wi-Fi network changes and USB devices, for example muting the volume when the Mac leaves the home network.
- Spoons
- Spoons are pre-made plugins, installed by double-clicking a .spoon file and loaded from the config. The official list includes an app launcher and a window switcher.
- Menu bar items and URL triggers
- Scripts can create menu bar items, draw on the screen and send iMessage or SMS messages, and other apps can trigger them through hammerspoon:// URLs.
Velja
- Browser prompt
- A prompt lists your browsers when you click a link, and you pick one by mouse, number or an assigned letter key. It can be reserved for a modifier key or for links matched by a rule.
- Custom link rules
- Rules open links in a chosen browser by URL pattern, by the app the link was clicked in, or both: for example, every link clicked in Slack can open in a Chrome work profile.
- Browser profiles and private windows
- Opens links in a specific profile of Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi and other Chromium-based browsers, and of Firefox and Zen with new-style profiles, or in a private window.
- Links to desktop apps
- Links to services such as Zoom, Figma, Linear, Asana and Discord can open directly in the matching desktop app instead of a browser tab.
- Tracking parameter removal
- Strips more than 200 common tracking parameters from clicked and copied links, and can expand short URLs so that rules match the final destination.
- Shortcuts and scripting
- A Set Default Browser action for the Shortcuts app, a Focus Filter and a custom URL scheme automate browser switching, and JavaScript can rewrite URLs before or after rules match.
Plans
Hammerspoon
Hammerspoon$0
The complete app with every extension, as a direct download or a Homebrew cask. Open source under the MIT license.
Velja
Velja$10
one-time purchase
The current version from the Mac App Store, for macOS 26 or later. Older versions for macOS 12 to 15 are free but will not run on newer systems.
Ways to pay less
Hammerspoon
No public discounts listed.
Velja
- Education
50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies
The developer's discounts page says educational institutions get 50% off his App Store apps when they buy 20 or more copies of one app through Apple School Manager.
