Comparison · checked November 2026
Transom vs Paneru
Paneru is an open-source sliding/tiling window manager written in Rust: an infinite strip per display, where opening a window never resizes the others.
Short answer: choose Paneru if you're comfortable with Homebrew and config files and want free scrolling. Choose Transom if you want a signed app with a settings window, Snap and Strip, and dock-aware desks.
At a glance
| Transom | Paneru | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Snap + scrolling Strip | Scrolling |
| 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 | macOS, installed via Homebrew or cargo |
| 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 Paneru does well
- Free and open source
- Lua/TOML config
- Virtual workspaces, session restore
Where it stops
- Installed from the command line
- Config file
- Its README recommends arranging monitors vertically to avoid multi-display issues
Switching from Paneru
- Quit Paneru (or stop its service) before starting Transom.
We make Transom, so weigh this page accordingly. Spotted something out of date about Paneru? Email support@transommac.com and we'll fix it.