Mission Control AlternativesWindow Managers and other similar apps like Mission Control

Mission Control is described as 'Formerly Exposé, is a feature of the macOS operating system' and is a Window Manager in the os & utilities category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Mission Control for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD and Xfce apps. The best Mission Control alternative is Contexts. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Raskin or KWin. Other great apps like Mission Control are SMBAct, Witch, 9Desks and Nimi Visuals.

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Mission Control, formerly Exposé, is a feature of the macOS operating system.

More about Mission Control
Mission Control alternatives page was last updated Jul 3, 2024
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  1. Contexts icon
     10 likes
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    Switch between application windows effortlessly – with a click, a quick gesture, keyboard shortcuts or search; no matter how many of them you have open; even on multiple spaces & multiple displays.

    23 Contexts alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Discontinued

    The latest version (3.9.0) is from August 2022.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Contexts VS Mission Control

     
    • Contexts is the most popular Mac alternative to Mission Control.

    • Contexts is the most popular commercial alternative to Mission Control.

    • Contexts is Paid and ProprietaryMission Control is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Contexts is LightweightMission Control is not according to our users
  2. SMBAct icon
     3 likes
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    SMBAct is the all-in-one cross-platform solution that allows you to keep your windows and applications well-organized and significantly simplify the process of interaction with them.

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    SMBAct Features

    1.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    2.  Desktop Application
    3.  Window Switching

    SMBAct VS Mission Control

     
    • SMBAct is the most popular Windows & Linux alternative to Mission Control.

    • SMBAct is Paid and ProprietaryMission Control is also Paid and Proprietary
  3. Witch icon
     13 likes
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    Witch lets you access all of your windows by pressing a shortcut and choosing from a clearly arranged list of window titles.

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • AT flagAustria
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Window Switching
    2.  Integrated Search

    Witch VS Mission Control

     
  4. Raskin icon
     11 likes
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    Experience Raskin's unique bird's eye view to browse and manage your pictures, presentations, PDFs…

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Raskin Features

    1.  Works Offline

    Raskin VS Mission Control

     
    Comments about Raskin as an Alternative to Mission Control
    Guest
    Negative Nov 2, 2015
    1

    Mission control is used to manage and switch desktops ("spaces") where application windows live. Raskin appears to be for viewing files on your system and does not manage application windows at all.

    Mission Control Icon
    Raskin icon
    • Raskin is the most popular free alternative to Mission Control.

    • Raskin is Free and ProprietaryMission Control is Paid and Proprietary
  5.  9 likes
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    KWin is a window manager for the X Window System, and is in the process of becoming a Wayland compositor. It is an integral part, and the default window manager of the Plasma Workspaces, but it can also be used on its own or with other desktop environments.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD

    KWin Features

    1.  Extensible window manager

    KWin VS Mission Control

     
    • KWin is the most popular Open Source alternative to Mission Control.

    • KWin is Free and Open SourceMission Control is Paid and Proprietary
  6.  3 likes
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    9Desks - Virtual Desktops, desktop manager, multi desktops, enhanced virtual desktops

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • IT flagItaly
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    9Desks Features

    1.  Multiple desktops

    9Desks VS Mission Control

     
  7. Nimi Visuals icon
     12 likes
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    Adds eye-candy effects to windows (and start menu) like deformations (e.g: jelly windows - that makes moved window wiggle like being made from jelly; or fold - which hides windows by folding up horizontally, and unfolds when showing), physics (e.g.

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • PT flagPortugal
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Discontinued

    It says that it has automatically stopped production.

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Portable

    Nimi Visuals VS Mission Control

     
  8. SpaceLauncher icon
     2 likes
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    With SpaceLauncher for macOS, you can launch or switch to an app by pressing a pre-defined key while holding down spacebar.

    24 SpaceLauncher alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac

    SpaceLauncher VS Mission Control

     
  9.  5 likes
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    Skippy-XD is a full-screen task-switcher for X11. You know that thing Mac OS X, Compiz and KWin do where you press a hotkey and suddenly you see miniature versions of all your windows at once? Skippy-XD does just that.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce

    Skippy-XD Features

    1.  Window organizer

    Skippy-XD VS Mission Control

     
  10. Topdesk icon
     3 likes
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    TopDesk radically reduces the time you spend switching between tasks by giving you the ability to quickly find the window you want from a thumbnail view.

    License model

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Discontinued

    The site has not been updated since 2016, the latest version does not work well on Windows 10

    Topdesk VS Mission Control

     
  11. Sawfish icon
     3 likes
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    Sawfish is an extensible window manager using a Lisp-based scripting language. Its policy is very minimal compared to most window managers. Its aim is simply to manage windows in the most flexible and attractive manner possible.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux

    Sawfish Features

    1.  Support for scripting

    Sawfish VS Mission Control

     
  12. Winflip icon
     4 likes
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    WinFlip emulates Windows Vistas "Flip 3D" effect for Windows XP. Using the hotkey of your choice, you can find the window youre looking for in a fast, clean 3D interface.

    16 Winflip alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • JP flagJapan

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Winflip VS Mission Control

     
12 of 22 Mission Control alternatives