TileOrg vs yabai: Power Without the Maintenance
yabai gives you maximum control over macOS windows. TileOrg gives you project organization without the config files. Here's how to choose.
yabai is the power user's dream
yabai is the most powerful window manager available on macOS. It offers BSP (binary space partitioning) tiling, scriptable window rules, space management, and focus control — all configured through dotfiles and driven by skhd keyboard shortcuts.
If you're coming from i3 or bspwm on Linux, yabai is the closest macOS equivalent. It's free, open source, and incredibly flexible.
The cost of that power
yabai requires investment:
- Config files: You need a
.yabaircand.skhdrcto define rules, layouts, and shortcuts. There's no GUI. - SIP considerations: Some features (like moving windows between spaces instantly) require disabling System Integrity Protection, which has security implications.
- macOS updates break things: Apple changes window management APIs between releases. yabai maintainers are responsive, but expect downtime after major macOS updates.
- Debugging: When something doesn't work, you're reading GitHub issues and tweaking config values.
For developers who enjoy tinkering with their setup, this is part of the appeal. For those who want their tools to stay out of the way, it's a tax.
Where TileOrg differs
| Feature | yabai | TileOrg |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $29 one-time |
| Setup | Config files + skhd | Install and use |
| Tiling model | Automatic BSP | Project pane layouts |
| Project grouping | No (spaces only) | Yes — named projects |
| Session persistence | No | Yes |
| SIP required | Partial (for full features) | No |
| macOS update resilience | Breaks occasionally | Native AppKit, stable |
| Customization depth | Unlimited (scripting) | Focused (projects + panes) |
| AI agent tracking | No | Yes |
Different philosophies
yabai is a general-purpose tiling engine. It can do almost anything, but you have to tell it exactly what to do through configuration.
TileOrg is a project-first workspace manager. It does fewer things, but the things it does — grouping windows by project, switching contexts instantly, persisting sessions — work out of the box with no config.
When to use yabai
If you want every window on your screen automatically tiled at all times, with custom rules for specific apps, scripted behaviors, and maximum control — yabai is unmatched. You'll need to invest time in your config, but the result is a fully tailored environment.
When to use TileOrg
If you want project-based organization without maintaining dotfiles, don't want to disable SIP, and value session persistence and instant context switching — TileOrg gives you that immediately. No config, no debugging, no breakage after macOS updates.
Compare TileOrg with other options in our best macOS window managers guide, or see how it compares to Amethyst, another automatic tiling option.
Try TileOrg
30-day free trial. All features included.
Download TileOrgv0.1.4 · 3.1 MB · macOS 14 Sonoma