Comparison · checked November 2026
Transom vs Ribbon
Ribbon (meetribbon.app) is a scrolling window manager for Mac: windows sit on one horizontal strip per display and new windows open beside the focused one. It launched in November 2026. Not to be confused with ribbonmac.com, a different app with the same name.
Short answer: choose Ribbon if you know you want a pure scrolling strip on every display. Choose Transom if you want to choose Snap or Strip per display, want layouts restored when you dock, and want to try it free for 14 days first.
At a glance
| Transom | Ribbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Snap + scrolling Strip | Scrolling |
| Price | $19 once (1 Mac) · $29 (3 Macs) · 14-day free trial | $12 early price, then $17 (1 Mac); one-time per major version |
| License | Paid, one-time | Paid, closed source (built on the open-source Paneru) |
| Requirements | macOS 14+, Apple silicon | macOS 14+, Apple silicon |
| Restores layouts when you dock/undock | Yes. Desks restore layouts on dock/undock | No |
| Setup | Settings window, no config file needed | Settings or none |
What Ribbon does well
- Clean scrolling model
- Live in-browser demo
- SIP stays on
Where it stops
- Scrolling only: no snapping mode for people who don't want a strip
- No free trial, and sales are final
- Very new; multi-display fixes were still shipping at launch
Switching from Ribbon
- Set your external display to Strip and keep your laptop on Snap to get the best of both.
We make Transom, so weigh this page accordingly. Spotted something out of date about Ribbon? Email support@transommac.com and we'll fix it.