ClutterFreeMac vs Moom

Moom moves and resizes windows from a grid on the green button or from shortcuts. ClutterFreeMac keeps every window on a scrolling strip. Which one fits you.

Compare · Updated 13 October 2026

Moom is a long standing Mac app for placing windows. Hover over a window's green button and a palette appears: pick a half, a quarter, or draw a size on a grid. It also has keyboard control and saved arrangements you can recall with a shortcut.

ClutterFreeMac works the other way round. You do not place windows at all. Every window gets a column on one strip that runs past the edges of the screen, and you scroll along it.

How they differ

MoomClutterFreeMac
How a window gets its placeYou choose it, with the palette, a grid or a shortcutAutomatic: a new column on the strip
Windows you have not placedStay where they are and can overlapLine up beside the others
More windows than fitThey overlapThey wait off screen, one scroll away
Saved layoutsYesYes, from the menu bar
Moving aroundSwitch windows as usualSwipe with three or four fingers, or ⌃ ⌥ and the arrows

Who should pick which

Pick Moom if you like to decide exactly where each window goes, and you usually keep a handful of windows open. Its palette is quick and precise.

Pick ClutterFreeMac if you keep more windows open than your screen can show, and you are tired of placing them. Nothing overlaps, and opening one more app never shrinks the rest.

You can try the strip without installing anything: the demo at the top of the home page works with your keyboard and trackpad.

Questions

Is there a Moom alternative that arranges windows automatically?

Yes. Tiling and scrolling window managers place every window for you. ClutterFreeMac puts each window in a column on a strip you scroll, so nothing has to be placed by hand.

Can I save window layouts like Moom does?

Yes. In ClutterFreeMac, Settings, Arrange, put apps in order, set widths, name the layout and save it. Pick it again from Layouts in the menu bar.

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