Open ContextsSide-by-side feature comparison
On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to compare both products.
| Category | Open Contexts | Contexts |
|---|---|---|
| Window selection | Title list in most-recently-used order | Title list with an enhanced Command-Tab |
| Search | App-name and window-title search; ASCII input | Search and modifier-key Fast Search |
| Task organization | Saved named custom groups; pin and order windows | Sidebar groups windows by Space |
| Gestures | Not currently available | Edge scroll gesture for switching windows |
| Price | Free, Apache 2.0 | $9.99 license; free trial available |
| Compatibility | macOS 13+; Intel and Apple silicon | Vendor lists Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia for version 3.9 |
Compare the search workflow and input limits
For a Mac with many similarly placed windows, remembering part of a title can be more useful than remembering its position. Contexts searches app names and window titles. Fast Search lets you hold a modifier, type a query and release the modifier to switch.
Open Contexts also lets you hold the switcher modifier, type an app name or title and release to switch. It matches contiguous text without case sensitivity, combines space-separated terms across app and title, and highlights matches in yellow. Input is printable ASCII; Chinese input and pinyin are not supported. Compare these controls with Contexts rather than assuming their search modes are identical.
A Space-based sidebar versus named task groups
Contexts describes a sidebar that groups windows by Space and can filter the windows it shows. Open Contexts lets you create named groups and manually order or pin windows inside its persistent app bar. A task group is not a macOS Space and does not move a window to a different desktop.
For example, a “Release” group can keep a terminal, issue tracker and editor together even when their apps also contain unrelated work. Saving that grouping records organization for matchable windows; it does not relaunch applications or restore window sizes and positions.
For the actual layouts and setup steps, read the Mac Dock alternative and window sidebar guide.
Price and compatibility boundaries
Contexts offers a free trial and lists its license at $9.99. Its version 3.9 page explicitly lists Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia; test your current macOS version during the trial.
Open Contexts targets macOS 13 and later on Intel and Apple silicon, with Accessibility access required. Every feature is included for free under Apache 2.0, with active open-source maintenance on GitHub.
Choose by the action you repeat
- Choose Contexts if its Search and Fast Search controls or edge-scroll gesture switching fit your workflow.
- Choose Contexts if its Space-oriented sidebar and multiple-switcher configuration already match how you work.
- Choose Open Contexts if you want a free, open-source Contexts alternative with a title list, keyboard search, and saved custom groups you arrange yourself.
Names aside, these are independent projects. There is no automatic transfer of Contexts settings or search shortcuts. Test one workflow after quitting the other switcher to avoid shortcut conflicts.