Microsoft PowerToys vs Sip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Microsoft PowerToys grades higher than Sip: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft PowerToys grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Sip grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft PowerToys
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11
Free
Sip
Mac color picker with palettes, formats and a contrast checker
Free trial · from $29.99
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft PowerToys if
- Fits if you want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Works for people who rename files in bulk or resize images from the right-click menu
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, or on Windows 10 older than version 2004
- Not for you if you need key remaps at the log-in screen, per keyboard, or with PowerToys closed
- Tight if you wanted AI pasting to just work: it's off by default, and online providers need your own API key and may charge
- Watch out: FancyZones can't snap some apps, and elevated apps need PowerToys run as administrator
Pick Sip if
- Fits if you collect colors from screens into palettes on a Mac
- Works for designers who check contrast and copy values in the format an app needs
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use Windows, as there is no version for it
- Skip it if you want updates forever: after the first year they cost 70% of the price
- Tight if you want a free tool, as only a 15-day trial exists
- Watch out: sync and sharing are listed as features but plan limits are not described
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMicrosoft PowerToysGood | 2.4GPASipFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. Every utility is free and open source under the MIT licence, a download anyone can run, with no paid edition to be nudged towards. | B$29.99 per seat with a year of updates, then a 70% extension. Over two years it is about $51, under two years of this category's middle subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free, from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet, with no cap anywhere. The one thing that can cost money is pasting with AI, and only if you connect an online model provider that charges for usage. | CA 15-day trial with no credit card, and no free plan. |
| Features | BMore than 30 utilities in one install, covering jobs people usually buy separate apps for: window layouts, a launcher, key remapping, bulk renaming, a colour picker, OCR off the screen. What keeps it off top marks is the rough edges, like remaps that stop when PowerToys isn't running. | BScreen picker, palettes and sub-palettes, format conversion, contrast checker, color vision simulation and a dock. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and there's setting up to do: you enable the utilities you want, draw FancyZones layouts in its grid or canvas editor, and define your own remaps. Apps running elevated need PowerToys run as administrator before FancyZones will snap them. | BNo store rating is on record, but you install it and click a pixel with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only: Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, on x64 or ARM64. Advanced Paste can connect to OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Mistral or Ollama, and it installs through WinGet. Nothing for Mac or Linux. | DmacOS only. There is no Windows version. |
| Best for | a free box of Windows extras from Microsoft | picking and organising colors on a Mac |
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: Microsoft PowerToys and Sip. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- Sip can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, window management, file management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
- Sip also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| Microsoft PowerToys | Sip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $29.99 per seat |
| Free plan | Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 15-day free trial, no credit card required. |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Sip |
| Price read from | learn.microsoft.com | sipapp.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows only: it needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor.
- Paste with AI is off by default and needs a model provider; online providers require your own API key and may charge for usage.
- Keyboard Manager remaps apply only while PowerToys is running, do not work on the log-in screen and cannot differ between keyboards.
- FancyZones cannot snap some listed apps, and apps running elevated need PowerToys to run as administrator.
Sip
- Runs on macOS only; there is no Windows version.
- The license includes one year of updates; after that, updates need a paid extension at 70% of the original price.
- Also available through Setapp.
- Sync and sharing between devices are listed as features, but the pages do not describe plan limits for them.
Key features
Microsoft PowerToys
- FancyZones
- A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- Command Palette
- A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- Keyboard Manager
- Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- Advanced Paste
- Pastes clipboard content as plain text, Markdown, JSON or a file, extracts text from images with local OCR, and can transform text through an optional AI provider that you configure.
- File Explorer tools
- PowerRename renames files in bulk with search and replace or regular expressions, Image Resizer resizes images from the right-click menu, and File Locksmith shows which processes are using a file.
- Screen and text tools
- Color Picker samples colors anywhere on screen, Text Extractor copies on-screen text with OCR, Screen Ruler measures pixels, and ZoomIt zooms, annotates and records the screen for presentations.
Sip
- Screen picker
- Pick one or several colors from anywhere on screen with keyboard shortcuts and send them to other tools.
- Palettes and sub-palettes
- Organize colors with descriptions and nested palettes, and share them with a team.
- Smart formats and profiles
- Detects the frontmost app to choose a color format and applies the matching color profile.
- Contrast checker
- Flags low-contrast text and background pairs and can save corrected colors as a new palette.
- Color vision simulation
- Previews palettes as seen with protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia and achromatopsia.
- Color dock
- Keeps favorite colors on any screen edge.
Plans
Microsoft PowerToys
PowerToys$0
All utilities, installed from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Free and open source under the MIT license.
Sip
Sip license$29.99
per seat, includes 1 year of updates
Keep using the version you downloaded after the year, or extend the license for 70% of the original price. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ways to pay less
Microsoft PowerToys
No public discounts listed.
Sip
- Education
50% education discount
Sip's pricing page offers 50% off to people in education; send proof of enrollment by email, and the page says review can take up to 2 business days.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft PowerToys or Sip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Microsoft PowerToys is free, and Sip starts at $29.99 per seat.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft PowerToys or Sip?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Microsoft PowerToys has a free plan. Sip does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Microsoft PowerToys and Sip run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Microsoft PowerToys lists a Windows app and only Sip lists a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.