Dock Spaces Alternative for Mac: Jetty vs Dock Spaces
By Eduard Bruch, developer of Jetty ·
Dock Spaces and Jetty solve the same problem, one Dock for many kinds of work, in opposite ways. Dock Spaces saves named profiles of the macOS Dock ("Work", "Design") and swaps the whole Dock between them. Jetty leaves the Dock alone and adds up to four extra bars, each with tabs of one-click tiles.
Short answer: if you want several groups of apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts on screen at once, the best Dock Spaces alternative, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: bars on any screen edge or floating, with a tab per group, a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, macOS 14 or later. If you want the macOS Dock itself to switch sets, and a free open-source app, Dock Spaces does that and Jetty does not.
Disclosure: I build Jetty. Competitor details last checked: 2026-10-10, from each vendor's own pages.
Jetty vs Dock Spaces at a glance
| Jetty (our pick) | Dock Spaces | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Extra launch bars next to the macOS Dock | "Multiple Dock configs, one click away" (vendor page) |
| How groups work | Tabs and bars, all available at once | Named profiles; one is in the Dock at a time (vendor page) |
| Changes the macOS Dock | No | Yes: copies a saved profile over the Dock's settings and restarts the Dock (README) |
| Launch tiles | Apps, files, folders, websites, Shortcuts | Whatever the macOS Dock holds in that profile |
| Switch from | Click a tab on the bar | The app window or the menu bar (README) |
| Where to get it | Mac App Store | Direct download or build from source; must run outside the App Store sandbox (README) |
| Price model | One-time, $9.99 (US App Store) | Free and open source (vendor page) |
| Minimum macOS | 14 | 26 (README) |
Sources: nscoding.github.io and the Dock Spaces README on GitHub, checked 2026-10-10; Jetty from its code and App Store listing (facts).
When Jetty is the better choice
- You want groups side by side, not one at a time. A Jetty bar on the top edge for daily apps and one on the left for project folders are both on screen; switching a tab doesn't touch the others.
- You don't want the Dock restarted. Jetty never edits the macOS Dock, so your running apps and their dots stay where they are.
- You launch more than apps. Website tiles open a URL, Shortcut tiles run a named shortcut, and folder tiles list a folder's contents in a popup.
- You're on macOS 14 or 15. Dock Spaces' README lists macOS 26 or later; Jetty runs on macOS 14 or later.
- You prefer the Mac App Store and a sandboxed app.
When Dock Spaces is the better choice
- You want the real Dock to change with your context, so you keep a single bar on screen.
- You want it free and open source. Dock Spaces is both, per its page.
- You don't want another bar on screen. Jetty adds bars; Dock Spaces adds none.
Jetty's limits, plainly: bars are on the main display only, there is no keyboard shortcut to open a bar, and an auto-hidden bar comes back from Jetty's menu-bar item, not when you move the pointer to the edge.
A setup that uses both ideas
You can keep the macOS Dock for the few apps you always use and put each project's apps, folders and links on its own Jetty tab. That gives you the "one set per context" idea without rewriting the Dock. Step by step: how to switch between app groups on Mac and launch app groups in one click. DockFlow is a paid app that also switches presets of the macOS Dock; it is covered in the best dock apps for Mac.
How we checked
On 2026-10-10 we read Dock Spaces' website and its GitHub README for features, price and requirements. We did not install or test Dock Spaces. Jetty's details come from its source code; I build Jetty. A replacement Dock is compared in Jetty vs ActiveDock 2.
FAQ
What is the best Dock Spaces alternative for Mac?
For several groups of apps, files, folders and websites on screen at once, in my opinion as its developer, the best Dock Spaces alternative is Jetty: up to four bars with a tab per group, one-time on the Mac App Store. If you want the macOS Dock itself to swap between saved sets, DockFlow (paid) and Dock Spaces (free) do that.
Is Dock Spaces free?
Yes. Its page says it is free and open source, downloaded directly or built from source (checked 2026-10-10).
Can I have different Docks for work and personal use on Mac?
macOS has one Dock with no profiles. Our pick is Jetty with a "Work" tab and a "Personal" tab on the same bar (I build it). Dock Spaces swaps whole Dock profiles instead.
Does Jetty change my Dock?
No. Jetty adds bars next to the macOS Dock and leaves it as it is.
Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.