BetterStage

Named multi-monitor workspaces with AI staging and snap zones

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Category
Window Manager
WM Type
hybrid
License
freemium
Open Source
No
Keybindings
Yes
Scripting
No
Last Update
2026-10-16

Features

  • Named multi-monitor stages
  • AI Staging (Recipe suggestions)
  • TabStack tiling with resizable panes and tabs
  • Enhanced Native free-form placement
  • Snap Wheel radial window and Stage controls
  • Up to 9 named stages
  • Pinned monitor support
  • Directional window focus navigation
  • No SIP disable required

About

BetterStage groups the apps, windows, and layouts for each project or mode of work, then switches the entire Mac workspace across displays. Each Stage and display can use Enhanced Native for free-form window placement or TabStack for tiling, resizable panes, and tabs, with Snap Wheel for radial window and Stage controls and optional AI Staging to propose reviewable layout Recipes.

Who It's For

BetterStage is for power users who outgrow macOS Spaces and need persistent, named working environments that span multiple monitors. If you regularly switch between distinct projects and want to jump between entire multi-monitor configurations with a single keystroke, BetterStage is built for that workflow. It targets people who want workspace management and window arrangement without editing config files.

How It Works

The central concept is a Stage: a named collection of the apps, windows, and layouts for a project or mode of work. BetterStage lets you save up to 9 named stages (3 in the free tier) and switch the entire Mac workspace across every display at once via keyboard shortcuts — Opt+1 through Opt+9 by default.

Each Stage and display can independently use Enhanced Native, which leaves windows in free-form placement, or TabStack, which adds tiling, resizable panes, and tabs. Snap Wheel is a radial menu that surfaces both window and Stage controls.

AI Staging is optional and proposes a Recipe — a suggested grouping of apps and layout — that you can inspect, refine, apply, and undo rather than one that's applied automatically.

Compared to Alternatives

Compared to SpaceJump, which assigns names and icons to native macOS Spaces, BetterStage replaces the Spaces model entirely with its own stage system and adds TabStack tiling and Snap Wheel controls on top. Compared to yabai, BetterStage requires no SIP disabling and no config file editing — at the cost of the programmatic CLI control yabai exposes via its Unix socket. BetterStage is a GUI-first tool; yabai is script-first.

Requirements

  • macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel
  • Accessibility permissions required
  • No SIP disabling required
  • Free tier includes 3 Stages; the initial Pro trial is 7 days with no card required
  • Lifetime Pro is $19.99 for 1 Mac, $39.99 for 3 Macs, or $49.99 for 5 Macs
  • Optional managed BetterStage AI is $4.99/month or $39/year, including 200 credits/month

Getting Started

Download from betterstage.app, launch the app, and grant Accessibility permission when prompted. Use Opt+1–9 to switch between Stages, and open Snap Wheel from the menu bar for radial window and Stage controls.

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