OmniWM vs Glidro: an honest comparison

What they have in common

Both are native macOS window managers that bring the Niri/PaperWM scrolling model to the Mac. Windows sit in columns on a horizontal strip, and new windows don't squeeze the old ones. Neither needs SIP changes. Both require Apple silicon, and both have a settings GUI. If you like one, you'll probably get along with the other.

OmniWM in brief

OmniWM started in October 2025 and has moved fast: v0.7.0 shipped on 16 September 2026, and it has about 2,950 GitHub stars (as of September 2026). It's GPL-2.0 and promises "no subscriptions, feature paywalls, trial limits". Each workspace gets one of two layouts: Niri-style scrolling or Hyprland-style Dwindle (BSP).

It has a lot of features: a quake-style drop-down terminal (Ghostty), scratchpads, an overview, a command palette, "Menu Anywhere", tabbed containers, a workspace bar, a multi-monitor routing assistant, and the omniwmctl IPC/CLI. Settings live in a GUI (Hotkeys, Monitors, General) and in ~/.config/omniwm/settings.toml. Install with brew install --cask omniwm, from nixpkgs, or from a zip.

Its requirements: macOS 26 Tahoe or later on Apple silicon, the Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions, and "Displays have separate Spaces" turned on (Screen Recording is optional). It uses "selected Apple private APIs".

Glidro in brief

Glidro offers Scrolling. Scrolling uses an endless horizontal strip where opening a window never resizes the others. Inside that model it goes deep. You get stacks (several windows in one column, with stack, pop out and reorder), tabbed columns, width presets plus wider/narrower, full width, and centering of the focused column. It also has a strip minimap while you navigate, a 3- or 4-finger trackpad swipe with adjustable sensitivity, Fn-drag to reorder, and a separate strip on each display.

It pairs a native SwiftUI app with the Glidro Engine. Settings apply instantly in a GUI, and the shortcut recorder works on AZERTY, QWERTZ and Dvorak. Automation uses macglide://action/<action-id> URLs and the GlidroEngine send-cmd helper. It runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia and Tahoe) on Apple silicon and needs only the Accessibility permission. It's paid and not open source.

Side by side

The differences that actually decide it

1. Your macOS version

This decides it for most people. OmniWM needs Tahoe. If your Mac runs Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia, because of work policy, an app that isn't ready for Tahoe, or plain preference, OmniWM isn't an option today. Glidro supports macOS 13 and later.

2. One model or two

OmniWM lets you run a scrolling workspace next to a Dwindle (BSP) workspace. If you sometimes want classic tiling, that's a real advantage. Glidro offers Scrolling. Stacks and tabbed columns give you vertical splits and grouping inside the strip. If "focused" sounds limiting rather than appealing, lean toward OmniWM.

3. Power-user extras

OmniWM adds a quake terminal, scratchpads and a command palette. Glidro also has an overview for finding windows. Glidro puts its effort into the strip itself: stacks, tabs, widths, trackpad navigation, the minimap, and session restore that keeps column order, stacks and tabs across a restart.

4. Permissions and setup

OmniWM asks for Accessibility and Input Monitoring, and it needs "Displays have separate Spaces" switched on in System Settings. Screen Recording is optional. Glidro asks only for Accessibility. Neither touches SIP. Glidro 1.1.0 is Developer ID signed and notarized by Apple. OmniWM installs through Homebrew, nixpkgs or a zip. Glidro release downloads come through Payhip. Unexpected engine exits get up to five recovery attempts before manual Resume is needed; intentional Pause stays paused, and quitting brings every off-screen window back onto the screen.

5. Free vs paid, community vs developer

OmniWM is free, and you can read and change the code. Support comes through GitHub. Glidro is $9.99 one time for a lifetime license with free updates. If you need help, you contact product support.

What about Nehir?

Nehir is an "opinionated fork of OmniWM" that keeps only the scrolling (Niri-style columns) layout. It's GPL-2.0, at v0.5.1 with v0.6.0 release candidates (as of September 2026). It uses split TOML config in ~/.config/nehir/ plus a Settings window, and nehirctl. Install it with brew tap guria/tap && brew install --cask nehir. We haven't verified its minimum macOS or SIP requirements, so check the README.

Who should use what

Pick OmniWM if…

• you're on macOS 26 Tahoe and want free and open source;
• you want both scrolling and Dwindle layouts;
• you'll use the quake terminal, scratchpads, overview or omniwmctl.

Pick Glidro if…

• you're on macOS 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma or 15 Sequoia;
• you want a native tool with Scrolling that installs like a normal app and is configured in a GUI;
• you'd rather contact product support than open a GitHub issue.

Still comparing? See the best scrolling window managers for Mac or AeroSpace alternatives.

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