AltTab alternatives for Mac
AltTab is the best-known window switcher for Mac. Tern is a free alternative with search in the download and exclusions on the shortcut. Below, what each option does, with prices checked on their sites.
Updated
Method
Criteria: price, license, type-to-search, hiding apps, thumbnails, Spaces, and notarization. Claims about Tern come from the code. Claims about the others come from their official pages on the date above. Tern is our app.
| Tern | AltTab | Contexts | Witch | Raycast | Native | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free; Pro US$ 9.99 or US$ 24.99 lifetime | Paid after a 21-day trial | US$ 14 one-time | Switcher on the free plan | Free |
| Open source | MIT | GPL-3.0 | No | No | No | — |
| Search | Yes, free | Pro | Yes; it is the core of the app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Hide apps | Shortcut, rules, snooze, modes | Exceptions in settings | Space and minimized filters | Exclude apps and hide windows | Not documented as exclusions | No |
| Thumbnails | Cards; Screen Recording optional | Yes, plus a full-size preview | List | List | List | App icons |
| Spaces | Lists windows; no Space badge | Yes, with a badge | Filter by Space | Yes | Limited / undocumented | ⌘⇥ is not a cross-Space window queue |
| Notarized | No | Yes, on the distributed binary | Not verified on this page | Not verified on this page | Yes | — |
Sources: alt-tab.app and pricing; contexts.co and the EULA (21 days); manytricks.com/witch (US$ 14); raycast.com/pricing (Switch Windows on the free plan; Pro from US$ 10/month for AI and other features). The Contexts homepage does not list a price.
Tern
A menu bar window switcher, shortcut ⌥ ⇥. Free search, exclusions in the switcher itself, snooze, Focus-linked modes, Shortcuts, and tern://. MIT. No account.
Where it loses. It is not notarized: first launch asks you to Open Anyway. It does not replace ⌘ ⇥. It has no Space badge, unlike AltTab. Off-screen untitled windows may be omitted. The preview is the card, not the window at full size. The project is new.
AltTab
The category default: open source (GPL-3.0), millions of downloads, thumbnails, minimized, hidden, and other-Space windows, with a badge. The free tier covers window switching. Pro is US$ 9.99 (updates for the current major version) or US$ 24.99 lifetime; type-to-search, extra styles, auto-size, and more shortcuts are Pro. 14-day trial. The distributed binary is notarized. Settings include exceptions to hide apps or window types.
Contexts
Built around search: Control-Space, trained shortcuts, Fast Search. It also has a window-level Command-Tab, a sidebar, and gestures. 21-day evaluation, then a license; the homepage does not publish the price. The last note on What’s New is 3.9.0, August 2022 (Apple silicon).
Witch
Several configurable switchers (apps, windows, tabs), search, layouts, excluding apps and hiding windows. US$ 14, free trial, macOS 10.13 or later. Paid and closed source. If you want to tune everything, it has more knobs than Tern.
Raycast
A launcher, not a dedicated switcher. Switch Windows is on the free plan and filters a list as you type. No HUD-style thumbnails. Window Management (tiling) is also free; Pro is something else (AI, sync). If you already live in Raycast, it may be enough. It is not an Alt-Tab of cards.
Native
⌘ ⇥, grave accent, and Mission Control. Free, no extra app, no way to hide anything from the switcher, no queue of every window.
When to pick Tern
If you want free search and hiding apps from the shortcut, without paying for Pro. If you can live with the first-launch warning. If you want the mature, notarized AltTab with Space badges and a large preview, AltTab remains the obvious pick — and its search is Pro.