RibbonRibbon vs AeroSpace
AeroSpace tiles windows i3-style from a TOML config. Ribbon puts them on a scrolling strip you swipe along. How they differ, and which suits you.
By Chethan Kumar S N · Updated
AeroSpace and Ribbon both keep your windows from overlapping and both run from the keyboard. They come from different traditions, though: AeroSpace from i3, Ribbon from PaperWM and niri. That decides almost everything about how they feel.
The short version
- Pick AeroSpace if you want an i3-style tree of splits, its own fast workspaces, and a setup you keep in a text file. It’s free and open source.
- Pick Ribbon if you want every window to stay full height and usable however many you open, a trackpad swipe to move through them, and settings you can click.
Side by side
| AeroSpace | Ribbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | i3-style tree: splits and accordions that fill the screen | A strip of full-height columns that runs past the screen’s edges |
| Opening a window | The others shrink to make room | It’s added as a column, and nothing shrinks |
| Workspaces | Its own, replacing macOS Spaces | Works alongside macOS; one strip per display |
| Trackpad | Not the focus | Three- or four-finger swipes that follow your fingers |
| Where you are | Workspace names, if you add a status bar | A strip map that floats up as you move, in six styles |
| Setup | A TOML config file | A settings window, plus ribbon:// URLs, a CLI and Raycast scripts |
| Price | Free, open source | $15 once, 7-day free trial |
| Requires | macOS (see its docs) | macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon |
The layout is the difference
In AeroSpace, the windows in a workspace share the screen. Two windows get half each. Open a third and you have to decide where it goes in the tree, and something gets narrower. On a big monitor that’s fine. On a 14-inch laptop, the third or fourth window is often too narrow to use, so you end up juggling workspaces.
In Ribbon, a window’s width is its own. Open a third or a tenth window and it slides in beside the one you’re in, at a width that suits it (⅓, ½, ⅔ or full, with ⌃⌥R and ⌃⌥F). The screen scrolls along the strip to whatever has focus. You trade “everything visible at once” for “everything usable at once”.
Moving around
AeroSpace is keyboard-first: focus by direction, move by direction, switch workspaces by name. It’s very fast once it’s in your fingers.
Ribbon is keyboard and trackpad. ⌃⌥ ← → moves focus, ⇧ carries the window with you, ⌃⌥1–9 jumps straight to a column. A three-finger swipe moves the strip with your fingers, one to one, and flicking carries it on. A strip map shows every window while you move, so you can find one without remembering its number.
Setup and tinkering
AeroSpace is configured in ~/.aerospace.toml, with commands you bind to keys. If you like your setup in version control, that’s a feature.
Ribbon has a settings window for shortcuts, gaps, widths, focus behaviour and per-app rules (“always float”, or “always in this place on the strip”). For scripting, there are ribbon:// URLs, a ribbon command-line tool and Raycast scripts.
Switching from AeroSpace
- Quit AeroSpace and stop it launching at login.
- Install Ribbon and give it Accessibility access.
- Remap any shortcuts you’d like to keep in Ribbon’s Settings.
- If you used AeroSpace workspaces to group projects, try one long strip with ⌃⌥1–9 to jump around first. Many people find they no longer need the grouping.
You can try the strip in your browser before you install anything.
Questions
Is Ribbon an AeroSpace alternative?
Yes, if what you want from AeroSpace is windows that never overlap and keyboard control. The difference is the layout: AeroSpace splits the screen between windows, while Ribbon gives every window a full-height column on a strip that scrolls, so windows don't shrink as you open more.
Can I use Ribbon and AeroSpace together?
No. Both arrange the same windows, so running them at once makes them fight. Quit one before trying the other.
Does Ribbon replace macOS workspaces like AeroSpace does?
No. Ribbon works alongside macOS rather than replacing its workspaces with its own. Each display has its own strip, and full-screen, minimised and hidden windows keep their place on it.
Ready? Buy Ribbon for $15, or read all the guides.