Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Kando VS DockGroups

Compare Kando VS DockGroups and see what are their differences

Kando logo Kando

Kando offers an unconventional, fast, highly efficient, and fun way of interacting with your computer! You can use it to run commands, execute macros, open files, and much more.

DockGroups logo DockGroups

The app-grouping feature the Mac Dock never shipped.
  • Kando Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-06-10
  • DockGroups Main window
    Main window //
    2026-07-30
  • DockGroups Settings
    Settings //
    2026-07-30
  • DockGroups Tray icon
    Tray icon //
    2026-07-30

App Groups

  • Organize apps into named groups, each with a custom emoji icon, stored by bundle ID.

  • Pin important groups to the top of the sidebar.

  • Create and delete groups directly from the main panel — no detour into Settings.

  • Default starter groups (Work, Creative, Utilities) appear on first launch.

  • Group data is saved atomically with owner-only file permissions, and the app tolerates missing fields so updates never wipe your groups.

The Floating Panel

  • A panel anchored next to your Dock that positions itself correctly whether your Dock sits at the bottom, left, or right of the screen.

  • Opens from the Dock icon or the menu bar; closes automatically when it loses focus.

  • A collapsible sidebar toggles between full labels (with shortcut badges) and a compact icon-only rail.

  • Frosted-glass or solid panel style, plus System / Light / Dark themes.

Open All / Close All — the signature feature

  • Open All launches every app in a group with a small stagger (so macOS doesn't choke on simultaneous launches).

  • Close All does the reverse, and this is something no competing dock app offers:

  • Plain click → hides every app in the group

    • ⌥-click → quits them gracefully
    • ⌘-click → force-quits them
  • Live indicators show which apps in a group are currently running, and clicking a running app restores its windows — including minimized ones.

In-Panel App Management

  • Add and remove apps right in the panel grid.

  • Drag to reorder apps within a group.

  • Right-click any app for Quit, Force Quit, or Show in Finder.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • ⌘1–9 switches groups inside the panel.

  • ⌥⇧1–9 are true system-wide hotkeys that work even in full-screen apps — with no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permissions needed.

Menu Bar Mode

  • An optional menu bar icon for quick access without using the Dock.

Kando

Website
kando.menu
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-

DockGroups

$ Details
freemium $9.99 / One-off (Pro)
Release Date
2026 May

Analysis of Kando

Overall verdict

  • Kando is a well-regarded open-source pie menu launcher that offers a fast, customizable way to trigger commands and shortcuts across Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it a solid choice for users seeking to boost productivity through gesture-based menus.

Why this product is good

  • Free and open-source, so there are no licensing costs and the community can contribute improvements
  • Cross-platform support covering Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Highly customizable pie/marking menus that let you bind apps, scripts, hotkeys, and system commands
  • Fast, mouse-and-keyboard-friendly workflow that reduces the time spent hunting for actions
  • Actively developed with a growing community and regular updates

Recommended for

  • Power users who want quick access to frequently used apps and commands
  • Developers and tinkerers comfortable with configuring and scripting their tools
  • People who value keyboard and mouse gesture-based productivity workflows
  • Users across multiple operating systems needing a consistent launcher experience
  • Anyone who prefers free, open-source software over paid alternatives

Kando videos

আর কতদিন ফেলুদা বেচে খাবেন?Joto Kando Kolkatatei - যত কান্ড কলকাতাতেই | Review by Tom Thrush

More videos:

  • Review - KANDO Gear - Trooper PRO
  • Review - আর কতদিন ফেলুদা বেচে খাবেন?Joto Kando Kolkatatei - যত কান্ড কলকাতাতেই | Review by Tom Thrush

DockGroups videos

No DockGroups videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Kando and DockGroups)
Productivity
77 77%
23% 23
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Mac
100 100%
0% 0
OS & Utilities
70 70%
30% 30

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Kando and DockGroups.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

DockGroups's answer:

SwiftUI & AppKit

User comments

Share your experience with using Kando and DockGroups. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Kando seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Kando mentions (1)

  • Building the Mouse Logitech Won't Make
    I built my daily driver with QMK [0... It has 9 buttons, most bringing per app specific custom pie-menus with Kando [1] the design respects the most neutral position of the human arm anatomy, which lies between a slant angle of 20° up to 30° [2] [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMechKeyboards/comments/1jksi0x/mourseee/ [1] https://kando.menu/ [2] https://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.2004.34.10.638. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago

DockGroups mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of DockGroups yet. Tracking of DockGroups recommendations started around Jul 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Kando and DockGroups, you can also consider the following products

Pieoneer - Let your apps fly — in a pie

DockFlow - Switch between dock presets on MacOS instantly

Pie Menu - The radial menu for Mac tailored to your active app. Speed up all your favorite programs with only one shortcut!

DockIt Space - Organize your Mac Dock like never before with custom profiles for different workflow, manual profiles and automatic dock ordering!.

Charmstone - The quicker switcher launcher for macOS

RadialMenu - RadialMenu is Wacom-like toolbar for TabletPC digital artists.