IkunaBest Mac Workspace Manager for Multi-Project Work in 2026
If you switch between several projects on a Mac in a single day, your workspace is doing more work than you realize. The right tool depends on which layer of that problem you actually need to solve.
Every project has its own apps, browser tabs, window arrangement, and Focus Mode. Rebuilding that setup by hand each time you switch costs about 10 minutes, and the research on attention residue suggests the real cost is closer to 25 minutes of degraded focus after each context switch.
This guide breaks the macOS landscape into three categories (context managers, workspace managers, and window snappers) and recommends a specific tool for each use case.
TL;DR: which should you use?
Save and restore complete project setups (apps + tabs + windows + Focus Mode): Ikuna. Switch named multi-monitor workspaces with auto-tiling: BetterStage. Snap and resize windows on screen (no workspaces): Rectangle (free) or Moom ($9.99). Power tiling with config files: yabai (requires SIP changes) or AeroSpace. Built-in, install nothing: macOS Stage Manager or Spaces. Trackpad gestures over keyboard: Swish. Launcher with window commands: Raycast.
The three categories, in plain English
These categories are easy to confuse because tools across them all touch windows and workspaces. The difference is what they remember. Context managers save your entire project environment (which apps are open, which browser tabs are loaded, which Focus Mode is active, where each window sits) and bring it all back later. They operate across sessions and restarts. Workspace managers group your currently open windows into named workspaces (also called stages or spaces) and switch between them with a keystroke; they typically include automatic tiling and snapping, and they live in the present moment of your session. Window snappers move and resize individual windows on your screen and have no concept of projects, workspaces, or persistence. You can, and many people do, run one of each. They do not conflict.
Ikuna: the context manager
Ikuna is the only mainstream macOS tool that saves and restores complete workspace context. Each Ikuna is a named bundle that captures your open applications, browser tabs across Safari and Chrome, window positions per monitor, and your macOS Focus Mode setting. Switch to an Ikuna and it relaunches everything in about 3 seconds. What makes it different from workspace managers like BetterStage: Ikuna persists across sessions and restarts. Close your laptop, reopen it tomorrow, switch to your Client A Ikuna, and your full environment comes back, not just the window positions. Built-in context-switch tracking lets you see how often you actually switch and how long you stay in deep work. What it does not do: Ikuna is not a window manager. It does not snap, tile, or resize windows in the moment. Many users pair it with Rectangle or BetterStage for that layer. Free for up to 4 workspaces; Pro is €9/month or €70/year, no lifetime deal. Requires macOS 13+.
Best for knowledge workers, freelancers, and consultants who manage multiple clients or projects and want the complete setup (apps, browser tabs, window positions, Focus Mode) to switch as a single unit.
BetterStage: the workspace manager with tiling
BetterStage is the strongest pure workspace manager on macOS in 2026. Up to 9 named stages each span every connected monitor and switch in under 16ms via Opt+1-9: no animation, no Spaces lag. Each monitor runs its own Window Mode: free-floating, Bento Box auto-tiling, or Tabbed Layout. AI Staging (Pro, bring your own API key) reads your open windows and proposes a stage plan you can refine and apply. Strengths: native Swift app, no SIP changes, instant switching, excellent auto-tiling, and a genuinely useful free tier (3 stages; Pro from $19.99 lifetime, macOS 14+). Limitations: BetterStage organizes what is currently open. It does not save the contents of your workspace across sessions: close Chrome and your tabs are gone, restart and your stages remember positions but not which apps or files you were actually working with. For project state that survives restarts, pair it with Ikuna.
Best for developers and designers with multi-monitor setups who want to switch named workspaces fast and have each monitor run its own layout.
The window snappers: Rectangle, Magnet, Moom, Loop
Rectangle is the most popular free window snapper for macOS: keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge gestures snap windows into preset positions, fast, stable, open source (Pro at $9.99 adds saved layouts, macOS 10.13+). It has no concept of workspaces, projects, or context. Magnet is one of the top-selling paid productivity apps in the Mac App Store ($9.99 one-time, macOS 10.10+), functionally similar to Rectangle with App Store auto-updates and sandboxing. Moom (Many Tricks, $9.99 one-time) has been around since 2011 and is one of the most polished snappers, adding saved custom window layouts you can restore with a click: positions and sizes only, not apps or tabs. Loop is a beautifully designed, free, open-source radial window manager: hold a trigger key, flick toward a zone, and the window snaps. None of them save project state.
The tiling window managers: yabai and AeroSpace
yabai is the most powerful tiling WM on macOS: BSP tiling, deep scripting support, fine-grained control. The cost: partial System Integrity Protection disable for full features, Homebrew install, YAML/shell configuration, and a tendency to break on macOS updates. If you came from i3 on Linux and miss the workflow, yabai is the closest fit. AeroSpace is i3 for Mac without the SIP compromise: tree-based layouts, TOML configuration, workspaces backed by macOS Spaces. Because it rides on Spaces, you inherit the 700ms sliding animation on every workspace switch, a fundamental difference from BetterStage, which builds its own workspace layer. Both are free and open source.
If you do not already know what BSP tiling is, choose something else.
Raycast: launcher with window commands
Raycast is a Spotlight replacement and command launcher with built-in window-management commands. You can snap windows from the Raycast bar or assign hotkeys. It is not a dedicated workspace manager or context manager; the window features are a small slice of a much broader tool. If Raycast is your launcher, the built-in commands cover basic snapping. For project workspaces or context restoration, pair it with Ikuna. Free, with a Pro tier.
The built-ins: Stage Manager and Spaces
Stage Manager groups your currently open windows into visual sets, displayed as thumbnails on the left edge of your screen. Up to 4 unnamed groups, single monitor only (with limited Sonoma extensions). The groups are unnamed, the sidebar eats screen space, and the groups do not persist across restarts. Spaces gives you up to 16 virtual desktops you swipe between with a trackpad gesture or keyboard shortcut, and you can assign apps to specific desktops, but the 700ms sliding animation between desktops is fixed and cannot be disabled. Spaces is a display layer: it does not remember what should be on each desktop after a restart. Both are free and built into macOS. For project state that survives sessions, pair them with Ikuna.
Spencer: workspace state saver
Spencer saves window positions across macOS Spaces, launches apps, and adjusts your desktop layout. It overlaps with Ikuna's territory but operates at the window-position level: it does not capture browser tabs per workspace or integrate with macOS Focus Modes. Paid, with a one-time license. If Spencer's narrower scope fits your workflow, it is an established option in this lane.
| Feature | Ikuna | BetterStage | Rectangle | yabai | Spencer | Stage Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saves complete workspace (apps, tabs, Focus Mode) | Yes | No | No | No | Partial | No |
| Persists across restarts | Yes | No | N/A | No | Yes | No |
| Named workspaces | Yes | Yes | No | Workspaces | Yes | No |
| Window snapping | No | Yes (15 zones) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Auto-tiling | No | Yes (Bento Box) | No | Yes (BSP) | No | No |
| Multi-monitor support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Switch all monitors in one keystroke | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Context-switch analytics | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI-assisted organization | Roadmap | Yes (BYO API key) | No | No | No | No |
| No SIP disable | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes (3 stages) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| macOS requirement | 13+ | 14+ | 10.13+ | 11+ | varies | Ventura+ |
How to choose: a decision tree
Do you switch between multiple distinct projects in a day? You need a context manager (Ikuna) or a workspace manager (BetterStage), depending on whether you need state to survive restarts. Do you need apps and browser tabs to come back when you switch? Ikuna; workspace managers do not save what is inside windows. Do you need each monitor to run its own tiled layout? BetterStage; context managers do not arrange windows on screen. Do you only want to position individual windows, no project switching? Rectangle (free) or Moom ($9.99); Magnet if you want App Store distribution. Are you a power user comfortable with config files and a terminal? yabai (if you accept the SIP trade-off) or AeroSpace (if you do not). Do you want to install nothing? Spaces + Stage Manager, accepting the trade-offs: no project persistence, no fast switching, no naming.
Most users end up with two tools
The categories solve different problems. A common stack: Ikuna as the context layer (saves and restores project state across sessions), and Rectangle or BetterStage as the in-the-moment window layer (snapping or auto-tiling while you work). This is not because either tool is incomplete; it is because manage my windows and manage my projects are two different jobs that one app rarely does well.
- Ikuna: free for up to 4 workspaces; Pro €9/month or €70/year, no lifetime deal. macOS 13+.
- Rectangle: free and open source for snapping, or BetterStage for auto-tiling and named stages.
Native macOS · Local data · Built in EU
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a context manager and a workspace manager?
A workspace manager organizes the windows that are currently open on your screen, typically into named groups you can switch between. A context manager saves your entire project state (apps, browser tabs, window positions, Focus Mode) and restores it later, including across restarts.
What is the best free macOS workspace tool?
For complete workspace context (apps + tabs + Focus Mode), Ikuna has a free tier and is the only mainstream tool in that category. For window snapping, Rectangle is free and the most popular. For named workspace switching with auto-tiling, BetterStage has a free tier with 3 stages.
Can I use Ikuna and BetterStage together?
Yes. They operate at different layers and do not conflict. Ikuna restores your complete project context across sessions; BetterStage organizes the windows once they are open into per-monitor layouts. Many users run both.
Does macOS have a built-in workspace manager?
Spaces (virtual desktops) and Stage Manager (window grouping) are macOS's built-in options. Neither persists project state across restarts, neither saves browser tabs, and Stage Manager is single-monitor with unnamed groups.
Which tool is best for freelancers managing multiple clients?
Ikuna. Switching clients means switching an entire environment (different Slack channels, different browser tabs, different Focus Modes), not just rearranging windows. Ikuna saves each client as a launchable context you can restore in one click.
Do I need to disable SIP for any of these tools?
Only yabai requires partial SIP disable for its full feature set. Ikuna, BetterStage, Rectangle, Moom, AeroSpace, and the built-in macOS tools all work with System Integrity Protection fully enabled.