Comparison · checked November 2026
Transom vs Amethyst
Amethyst is an automatic tiling window manager in the style of xmonad, with a settings UI.
Short answer: choose Amethyst if you like xmonad-style automatic layouts. Choose Transom if you want dialogs and popups to float instead of rearranging everything, and windows that keep their size.
At a glance
| Transom | Amethyst | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Snap + scrolling Strip | Tiling |
| Price | $19 once (1 Mac) · $29 (3 Macs) · 14-day free trial | Free |
| License | Paid, one-time | Open source (MIT) |
| Requirements | macOS 14+, Apple silicon | Recent macOS |
| Restores layouts when you dock/undock | Yes. Desks restore layouts on dock/undock | No |
| Setup | Settings window, no config file needed | Config file or advanced settings |
What Amethyst does well
- Automatic layouts
- Settings UI
- Long-lived project
Where it stops
- Popups can reshuffle the whole layout
- Keyboard-centric
- Windows shrink as you open more
Switching from Amethyst
- Transom floats dialogs, sheets and small panels automatically.
We make Transom, so weigh this page accordingly. Spotted something out of date about Amethyst? Email support@transommac.com and we'll fix it.