Loop vs Swish
We give Loop a 3.0 GPA and Swish a 2.8, out of 4.0. Loop grades higher on the free plan. Swish grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Swish
Trackpad-gesture window manager for macOS
Free trial · from $16 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.0GPALoopVery good | 2.8GPASwishGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under the GNU GPLv3 licence. You install it from the GitHub releases page or with Homebrew, and there's nothing to buy. | A$16 once in the US, with no recurring cost, and one license can be active on two machines at a time. That's well under a year of a typical paid utility here. It's also in Setapp if you already subscribe. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free: radial menu, preview window, keyboard shortcuts, cycles, stash and theming. There's no paid tier. | CNo free version. There's a 14-day free trial, and the listing doesn't say whether it asks for a card. After that it's the $16 license or Setapp. |
| Features | BHalves, quarters, thirds, maximize, centre, grow and shrink, undo, and moves to another screen, from the radial menu or a shortcut. Cycles step through positions and Stash hides windows at the screen edge. But its own comparison table lists no trackpad gestures, saved workspaces or resizing of adjacent windows. | ASwipes snap windows into 2×2, 3×2 and 3×3 grids, and dragging the divider between snapped windows resizes several at once. Pinches close or full-screen a window, and more swipes move windows between screens and spaces. The site counts 30 gestures, each switchable, plus keyboard hotkeys. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Hold the trigger key, move the cursor, let go. If you want Caps Lock as the trigger, that needs a remap in System Settings or an app such as Hyperkey or Karabiner-Elements. | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. The gestures copy things your hands already do on a trackpad, and the settings window includes a tutorial. It isn't on the Mac App Store, because it can't run sandboxed. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 13 and later. A loop:// URL scheme lets shell scripts and AppleScript run window actions, and it pairs with Karabiner-Elements and Hyperkey. Nothing for Windows or Linux. | DMac only, on macOS 12 and above. It works with the Magic Trackpad, the Magic Mouse and keyboard hotkeys. A third-party mouse needs a separate app such as Mac Mouse Fix to emulate touch gestures. |
| Best for | snapping Mac windows with a radial menu | arranging Mac windows with trackpad swipes |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Loop and Swish. How we grade
Where they differ
- Loop is free. Swish starts at $16 one-time purchase (US price).
- Loop has a free plan. Swish does not, though it has a free trial.
- Loop is open source, according to its own site.
- Swish can be bought with a one-time purchase.
In commonmacOSWindow management
At a glance
| Loop | Swish | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $16 one-time purchase (US price) |
| Free plan | The whole app is free and open source under the GNU GPLv3 license, installed from the GitHub releases page or with Homebrew. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | MrKai77 | Highly Opinionated (Christian Renninger) |
| Price read from | github.com | highlyopinionated.co |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Loop
- Mac users who want to place windows with one held key and a cursor movement
- People looking for a free, open-source alternative to paid window snappers
- Those who want to theme the menu and preview to their taste
Swish
- MacBook and Magic Trackpad users who prefer gestures to keyboard shortcuts
- Multi-monitor setups where windows move between screens often
- Buyers who want a low one-time price, or who already pay for Setapp
Worth knowing
Loop
- macOS only; the README says it is compatible with macOS 13 and later.
- Its own comparison table lists no trackpad gestures, saved workspaces, pinning windows on top or resizing of adjacent windows.
- Using Caps Lock as the trigger key needs a modifier remap in System Settings or another app such as Hyperkey or Karabiner-Elements.
Swish
- macOS only, version 12 and above. It is not on the Mac App Store because it cannot run sandboxed.
- It is designed mainly for the Magic Trackpad; a third-party mouse needs a separate app such as Mac Mouse Fix to emulate touch gestures.
- A license can be active on two Macs at a time and has to be unlinked in Settings before moving to another Mac.
- The Buy button shows a price that Paddle localizes by country; $16 is the US figure.
Key features
Loop
- Radial menu
- Hold the trigger key and move the cursor in a direction to move and resize the window. The menu's width, shape and color can be changed, and it can be turned off.
- Preview window
- An outline shows where the window will land before the action is committed. Its padding, corner radius and border are adjustable, and it is optional.
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Any key can be paired with the trigger key to run an action: halves, quarters, thirds, maximize, center, grow and shrink, undo, or a move to another screen.
- Cycles
- Pressing the same key combination repeatedly, or left-clicking repeatedly, steps a window through a sequence of positions.
- Stash
- Windows can be hidden at the edge of the screen and brought back by hovering near the edge or with a key binding.
- URL scheme for scripts
- A loop:// URL scheme lets shell scripts and AppleScript trigger window actions, chain several of them, and list the available commands.
Swish
- Title bar snapping
- A quick swipe on a window's title bar snaps it into position, in place of dragging the window to a screen edge.
- Grids and shared dividers
- Snapping supports 2×2, 3×2 and 3×3 grids, and dragging the divider between snapped windows resizes several of them at once.
- Close, minimize and full screen
- Pinching in closes a window, swiping down minimizes it and pinching out sends it full screen, replacing the three title bar buttons.
- Screens and spaces
- Swipes move windows between displays according to how the monitors are physically arranged, and further gestures work with macOS spaces.
- Keyboard hotkeys
- Arrow, WASD, IJKL and Dvorak hotkeys trigger the snapping, screen and spaces actions, configured in the Advanced tab of the settings.
- 30 gestures, each switchable
- The site counts 30 window, Dock and menu bar gestures. Each can be turned on or off by clicking its icon in the settings window, which also includes a tutorial.
Plans
Loop
Loop$0
Radial menu, preview window, keyboard shortcuts, cycles, stash, theming and URL-scheme scripting. GPLv3 licensed.
Swish
Swish license$16
one-time purchase (US price; Paddle localizes it elsewhere)
A full license with no recurring cost, for personal use on two computers. One license can be active on two machines at a time.
Setapp subscription$9.99
per month, after 7 days free, for the whole Setapp catalog
Swish is also available through Setapp, a subscription that the Swish site says includes more than 200 Mac and iOS apps.
Ways to pay less
Loop
No public discounts listed.
Swish
- Education
33% off for students
The Swish FAQ says students get 33% off by sending an email from a .edu address.
