Switchi vs AltTab: Which Mac Window Switcher Is Right for You?

Two different models

AltTab and Switchi both switch *windows*, not just apps, and both reach across every Space — so either one is a big upgrade over Cmd-Tab. The difference is *how you drive them*.

AltTab recreates the Windows Alt-Tab experience: hold a modifier, see a row of live window thumbnails, and tab across them until you release on the one you want. It's a hold-and-cycle model.

Switchi is a command palette: press a hotkey, a search box appears, and you type a few letters to fuzzy-match across every window, then press Enter. It's a type-to-jump model.

Neither is "better" in the abstract — it depends on whether you'd rather *scan* or *type*.

What they share

Both apps are native to macOS and cover the fundamentals well:

• Switch to individual windows, not just apps.
• See windows across every Space and display.
• Live window thumbnails (optional in Switchi, on the preview toggle).
• Keyboard actions on the selected window — close, minimize, quit.
• Sensible handling of hidden/ghost windows.

Where AltTab shines

Credit where it's due — AltTab is excellent, and for many people it's all they'll ever need:

• Free and open source. No license to buy, and the code is public.
• The classic thumbnail cycle. If you came from Windows and want that exact muscle memory, AltTab nails it.
• Deeply configurable. An enormous preferences surface lets you tune nearly every detail of the switcher's look and behavior.

Where Switchi shines

Switchi leans into the command-palette model and adds actions around it:

• Type-to-jump, search-first. The palette opens to a focused search box that fuzzy-matches app name *and* window title, so "inv" finds "Invoice — Numbers" instantly — no cycling.
• Switch-back-to-previous default. On each summon the window you were just in is pre-selected, so a single Enter flips you back — the Cmd-Tab reflex, kept.
• Act on windows from the palette. Close, minimize/restore, quit (hold-to-quit, so a stray click never quits), toggle fullscreen, pin the windows you return to so they float to the front of the grid, and move windows.
• Act on many windows at once. Cmd+click or Shift+click to build a selection (Cmd+A takes the whole grid), then close, minimize, pin, or quit the set in one gesture — with a confirmation before anything irreversible, broken down per app.
• Launch apps that aren't open yet. A built-in Launchpad grid opens any installed app without leaving the palette — or type /appname in the search box to launch one directly. Favorite the apps you reach for most and they sit in a one-click dock along the footer.
• Spaces dropdown. Narrow the list to a single desktop when you want to think spatially.

Which should you pick?

• You love the Windows-style thumbnail cycle, want it free and open source, and enjoy deep configuration? AltTab is a superb choice.
• You'd rather type to jump to any window and act on it — pin, fullscreen, quit, even launch new apps — from one palette? Switchi is built for that.

They're not mutually exclusive philosophies so much as two answers to "how do you want to switch?" Try Switchi free for 7 days and see which model fits your hands.

Type. Enter. You're there.