ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace: scrolling strip vs i3-style tiling

Should you switch?

Switch if reflow bothers you, you want native macOS Spaces instead of AeroSpace's own workspaces, or you'd rather swipe a trackpad than live in a TOML file. Stay if you specifically want i3/sway muscle memory on a Mac — ChainYourMac will not give you that tree. It gives you a strip.

What AeroSpace is

AeroSpace is a free, open-source tiling window manager inspired by i3. Windows are arranged in a tree of splits — vertical and horizontal containers you can nest, resize, and navigate with keybindings. It's configured through a TOML file (~/.aerospace.toml) — its README says it will never have a configuration GUI — driven by the keyboard and a CLI, and it's actively developed (a public beta as of September 2026, v0.21.3). For Linux expats who miss i3 or sway, it's the closest thing the Mac has — and it needs no SIP changes.

Its boldest design decision is workspaces: AeroSpace implements its own virtual workspace system and bypasses macOS Spaces entirely. Switching workspaces is instant — no Mission Control animation — because windows on inactive workspaces are moved off to the bottom-right or bottom-left corner of the screen. It works remarkably well, but your windows live in AeroSpace's world: Mission Control, native full-screen behavior, and the macOS Spaces you already use don't map onto it.

What ChainYourMac is

ChainYourMac is a native macOS app (SwiftUI + a Rust engine) built on the scrolling-strip model instead of a tree: windows sit side by side on an endless horizontal strip at whatever size you give them, new windows slot in at the edge, and you navigate by scrolling — a trackpad swipe that follows your fingers or Vim-style Option shortcuts, with spring animation synced to your display's refresh rate.

Where AeroSpace replaces Spaces, ChainYourMac embraces them: each native macOS Space keeps its own independent strip, and so does each display. Everything is configured from a GUI that applies instantly — no TOML, no CLI required (though there is a CLI and a URL scheme if you want to script it).

Tree vs strip: the layout question

An i3-style tree is a power tool: you decide where each split goes and build exactly the grid you want. The cost is that space is finite — windows share the screen, so adding one to a container squeezes the others, and deep trees take skill to manage.

The strip refuses to squeeze. Every window keeps its width forever; the strip just gets longer and you scroll. You lose the see-everything grid, and gain layouts that never degrade as the day gets messy. Neither is objectively right — it's i3 discipline versus scrolling calm.

The workspaces question

This one matters more than people expect. If you love macOS Spaces — three-finger swipes between them, Mission Control, one Space per project — AeroSpace asks you to give that up for its own (faster) system. ChainYourMac layers onto what macOS already does: your Spaces stay your Spaces, each with its own strip. If you've never liked Spaces, AeroSpace's instant switching may genuinely be the better model for you.

Day-to-day feel

Living with AeroSpace means living in ~/.aerospace.toml: keybindings, workspace assignments, and window rules are all text you write, and the CLI answers anything you can't bind. That's a feature for its audience — the config is versionable, portable, and exact. Movement is instant and unanimated — its README lists animations as a non-goal, which i3 veterans consider correct behavior.

ChainYourMac trades the text layer for a settings window that applies changes instantly: width presets, focus behavior, gestures, and shortcut recording are all clickable, and windows glide into place instead of jumping. Both are light on system resources; the difference is whether configuring your window manager should feel like maintaining a dotfile or adjusting System Settings.

ChainYourMac vs AeroSpace, side by side

Which one should you pick?

Choose AeroSpace if…

• you come from i3 or sway and want that exact mental model on macOS;
• instant workspace switching matters more to you than native Spaces integration;
• free, open source, and keyboard-everything is your happy place, and TOML config feels like home.

Choose ChainYourMac if…

• you want your windows to keep the sizes you set — no tree, no squeezing;
• you like macOS Spaces and want a manager that works with them, not around them;
• you navigate by trackpad as much as keyboard;
• you'd rather adjust a settings panel than maintain a config file.

AeroSpace is the best i3 on a Mac. ChainYourMac isn't trying to be i3 at all — it's trying to make window management something you stop thinking about.

Want to see every option, not just these two? See AeroSpace alternatives for Mac, or i3 for Mac if i3 is where you started.

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