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freeboard VS Putback

Compare freeboard VS Putback and see what are their differences

freeboard

An open source real-time dashboard builder for IOT and other web mashups.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
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Alternatives Is it good?
Putback

Putback is a Mac window manager that puts every window back where it was when your displays change, and switches named layouts with one hotkey.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $19 / One-off (1 Mac. Family 5 Macs $29, Team 20 Macs $79)
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Alternatives Is it good?
ReleasePad
Changelog software that turns GitHub commits into release notes your users actually see — inside your app. Built for founders and teams who ship fast. sponsored
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, freeboard seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 3 times since March 2021.

social mentions
3 vs 0
Data Dashboard popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
144 vs 17

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

freeboard
Putback
Website freeboard.io putback.app
Pricing
Open source Official pricing
Paid Free trial $19 / One-off (1 Mac. Family 5 Macs $29, Team 20 Macs $79) Official pricing
Platforms —
Mac
Company — Startup from Australia · 1 - 9 employees · 2026
Listed in
Data Dashboard Business Intelligence Data Visualization Monitoring Tools +1
Window Manager OSX Window Manager Mac Tools OSX Tools Productivity Menu Bar Apps +3

About freeboard and Putback

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

freeboard
Putback

No description of freeboard yet.

Every time your display setup changes, macOS moves your windows and does not move them back. Undock from a monitor and everything piles onto the laptop screen. Dock again and it stays piled. Putback is a menu bar window manager for macOS that fixes this. It learns where your windows sit while you...

Read more about Putback

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

freeboard 5 features
Putback 8 features
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Freeboard offers a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create dashboards without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Real-Time Data
    It provides real-time data visualization capabilities, which are crucial for monitoring IoT devices and systems.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Freeboard allows users to modify and extend the software to fit their specific needs.
  • Customizable Widgets
    Offers various customizable widgets to display data effectively, enhancing the flexibility and usability of the dashboards.
  • Ease of Integration
    Easily integrates with numerous data sources, making it versatile for different applications and use cases.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to other advanced dashboarding tools, Freeboard may lack certain features and functionalities needed for complex scenarios.
  • Scalability Issues
    May not be suitable for large-scale applications where handling big data and a high volume of requests is required.
  • Support and Maintenance
    Being an open-source project, it may not offer the same level of professional support and regular updates as paid solutions.
  • Design Limitations
    Customization options, while available, might not be as extensive as those in other more sophisticated dashboard tools, limiting visual design possibilities.
  • Security Concerns
    Users may need to implement additional security measures for sensitive data, as open-source solutions might not have robust built-in security features.
  • Restores windows on display change
    Puts every window back on the screen and in the position it came from when you dock, undock or plug in a monitor.
  • A memory for every desk
    Keeps a separate layout for each display setup: laptop only, desk with a monitor, office dock.
  • Scenes with one hotkey
    Name any arrangement as a Scene and switch to it with a single hotkey.
  • Scene Studio
    Draw a desk with a box for each app, even apps that are not open yet, plus a wallpaper per Scene.
  • Triggers
    Apply a Scene by time or calendar, like Coding at 9am or Meeting for a video call. Off by default.
  • Stash
    Tucks every window aside with one shortcut, then brings them all back exactly where they were.
  • Undo and history
    Undo the whole desk, and see every restore with the reason it happened.
  • Private, no account
    Window data never leaves your Mac. One-time purchase, no subscription, signed and notarized.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

freeboard
Putback

Overall verdict

  • Freeboard is a valuable tool for creating dashboards if you need a lightweight and adaptable platform that can integrate with multiple data sources. Its simplicity and open-source model make it an appealing choice for developers and data enthusiasts looking for a cost-effective solution.

Why this product is good

  • Freeboard (freeboard.io) is often considered a good tool because it offers real-time, flexible, and easy-to-use dashboard creation capabilities. It allows users to connect to various data sources and is highly customizable, making it suitable for monitoring IoT devices, server performance, and other data-driven applications. Additionally, its open-source nature and user-friendly interface make it accessible for both individual users and teams.

Recommended for

    Freeboard is recommended for developers, data analysts, IoT professionals, and businesses that require real-time data visualization capabilities. It's particularly useful for those who need a customizable, open-source platform to monitor and present data from a variety of sources without diving into complex installation processes.

Overall verdict

  • Putback is a niche app designed to help resellers and organizers track items that need to be returned to their proper place, which can be genuinely useful for people managing inventory, decluttering, or reselling goods, though its value depends heavily on your specific workflow needs and how well it integrates with tools you already use.

Why this product is good

  • Helps maintain organization by tracking items that need to be put back or returned
  • Can save time by reducing the need to remember or manually log misplaced items
  • Useful for resellers who need to track inventory location and status
  • Simple, focused functionality without unnecessary feature bloat

Recommended for

  • Resellers managing physical inventory across multiple locations
  • People decluttering or organizing home spaces who need a tracking system
  • Small business owners who need lightweight inventory location tracking
  • Users who prefer simple single-purpose apps over complex all-in-one solutions

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
freeboard
Putback
100% 100%
Data Dashboard
0% 0%
0% 0%
Window Manager
100% 100%
100% 100%
Business Intelligence
0% 0%
0% 0%
OSX Tools
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing freeboard and Putback.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Putback's answer:

Mac users who move between display setups: a MacBook that docks to a monitor at the desk, a second screen at the office, a laptop on the couch. Developers, designers and anyone who runs a lot of windows and is tired of putting them back by hand every morning.

What makes your product unique?

Putback's answer:

Most Mac window managers snap windows into place when you ask. Putback remembers. It learns where your windows sit while you work, keeps a separate memory for every display setup, and puts everything back when that setup returns. Named Scenes, drawn in Scene Studio and switched with one hotkey, turn any arrangement into something you can recall in a second.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Putback's answer:

Rectangle and Magnet are great at snapping a window to half the screen, and Putback runs happily alongside them. Choose Putback if your problem is that your windows get scrambled every time you dock, undock or plug in a monitor, or if you want whole desks you can switch between with a hotkey. It is a one-time purchase with a 7 day free trial, no account, and your window data never leaves your Mac. On first launch it even checks your Mission Control settings and tells you if the free macOS fix is enough before you pay.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Putback's answer:

A native macOS app in Swift and SwiftUI, using the macOS Accessibility API to move windows and Sparkle for updates. Licensing and the website run on Cloudflare (Workers, D1 and Pages).

What's the story behind your product?

Putback's answer:

Putback launched in July 2026 with a simple pitch: unplug your MacBook and macOS piles every window onto one screen. The launch post passed 60,000 views and the replies split down the middle, half saying "I've needed this for years" and half saying "my Mac already does this." So we went and found out. The real answer is two Mission Control settings most people never touch, and we published that free fix ourselves. Even with those settings, restores still fail when a dock reconnects slowly or an app resists being moved, and nothing in macOS remembers more than one desk or lets you name a layout. That gap is Putback. About half of its first features came straight from those launch replies.

User comments

Share your experience with using freeboard and Putback. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

freeboard 3 mentions
Putback 0 mentions

Tracking Putback since Jul 2026.

Alternatives to freeboard and Putback

When comparing freeboard and Putback, you can also consider the following products.

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