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Mac Dock Alternatives for App Launching: Options Compared

By Eduard Bruch, developer of Jetty ·

The macOS Dock is a single strip of icons with limited organization. For some people that is fine. If you use many apps, switch between projects, or want more control over where launch icons sit, you have a few alternatives, and this page lists them neutrally.

Short answer: the best app for adding a second, organized place to launch things, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: it adds up to four extra docks to the edges of your screen, or floating anywhere, each with tabs of one-click tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14 or later.

Disclosure: I build Jetty, so it is listed first as our pick. For a dated comparison table, see Dock apps for Mac compared.

Where the built-in Dock is limited

The Dock is intentionally simple. In practice that means:

  • It is one flat list, with no groups or categories.
  • It is either always visible (taking screen space) or auto-hidden.
  • The more apps you add, the smaller or wider it gets.
  • It is the same Dock whether you are coding, designing or writing.

You can change its size, position and hiding in System Settings > Desktop & Dock. Those settings do not add grouping.

The options

Jetty (our pick)

Jetty adds extra bars of tiles next to the macOS Dock. Each bar is pinned to a screen edge or floats where you drag it, and each has tabs, so you can keep "Design", "Dev" and "Comms" apart. Tiles can be apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. It does not replace or change the Dock, does not search, and places its bars on your main screen.

Spotlight

Built into macOS. You open it, type a name and press Return. It is a search tool and needs no setup.

Raycast

A keyboard-driven launcher for Mac. See its own site for what it offers.

Alfred

A keyboard-driven launcher for Mac. See its own site for what it offers.

LaunchBar

A keyboard-driven launcher for Mac. See its own site for what it offers.

uBar

A taskbar-style alternative to the Dock. See its own site for details, or read our uBar alternative note.

DockThings

Another app that adds extra dock-style areas to the Mac. See its own site for details, or read our DockThings alternative note.

Launchpad and the Apps view

Launchpad was Apple's full-screen app grid on macOS 15 and earlier. On macOS 26 Tahoe it was replaced by the Apps view. Details are in what happened to Launchpad.

Stacks (folders in the Dock)

You can add a folder to the right side of the Dock and open it as a fan, grid or list. It works for folders, not for arbitrary groups of apps.

How to choose

Ask what you actually miss:

  • You want to type a name and go: a search launcher such as Spotlight, Raycast, Alfred or LaunchBar fits.
  • You want to see windows or running apps as a taskbar: look at a taskbar-style app.
  • You want grouped, one-click launch tiles for a chosen set of apps, folders and websites: that is the job Jetty is built for.

These are not exclusive. Many people keep the Dock for running apps and add a launcher or a bar app for the rest.

Several of these are compared one to one: Jetty vs uBar, Jetty vs ActiveDock 2 and Jetty vs DockThings.

How we checked

Jetty's details on this page were checked against the app's source code and its App Store listing on 2026-10-10 and are collected on the facts page; I build Jetty. For built-in macOS steps, Apple's Mac User Guide is the reference for your version of macOS.

FAQ

What are alternatives to the Mac Dock?

Our pick is Jetty, which adds extra launch bars with tabs next to the Dock (I build it). Other options are bar apps such as DockThings, search launchers such as Spotlight, Raycast, Alfred and LaunchBar, and taskbar-style apps such as uBar.

Can I replace the Mac Dock completely?

You can hide it from System Settings > Desktop & Dock, or press Command-Option-D to toggle hiding. Jetty does not hide or change the Dock itself, so you would do that in macOS.

Is there a Dock alternative that groups apps?

Yes. Jetty groups apps into tabs on bars at your screen edges. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.

Does Jetty work with Launchpad or the Apps view?

They are separate. Jetty shows just the tiles you add, so it does not depend on either.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.