Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

pttrns VS DockGroups

Compare pttrns VS DockGroups and see what are their differences

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.

pttrns logo pttrns

iPhone and iPad user interface patterns

DockGroups logo DockGroups

The app-grouping feature the Mac Dock never shipped.
  • pttrns Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-23
  • 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 โ€” 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 โ€” 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 โ†’ hides every app in the group

    • โŒฅ-click โ†’ quits them gracefully
    • โŒ˜-click โ†’ force-quits them
  • Live indicators show which apps in a group are currently running, and clicking a running app restores its windows โ€” 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

  • โŒ˜1โ€“9 switches groups inside the panel.

  • โŒฅโ‡ง1โ€“9 are true system-wide hotkeys that work even in full-screen apps โ€” with no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permissions needed.

Menu Bar Mode

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

DockGroups

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

pttrns features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Pttrns offers a user-friendly interface allowing designers to quickly search and find design patterns for mobile and web apps.
  • High-Quality Examples
    The platform provides high-quality, curated design examples from well-known apps, helping designers implement industry standards.
  • Inspiration
    Pttrns serves as a source of inspiration for designers, showcasing a variety of design styles and approaches.
  • Categorization
    Design patterns are well-categorized, making it easy for users to find specific UI patterns based on their needs.
  • Up-to-date
    The platform regularly updates its library with new and trending design patterns, ensuring users have access to the latest designs.

Possible disadvantages of pttrns

  • Subscription Cost
    While some content is free, full access to Pttrns requires a subscription, which might not be suitable for all budgets.
  • Limited Interactivity
    The examples are typically static images or screenshots, lacking interactive elements that could better demonstrate the user experience.
  • Over-Reliance on Examples
    Designers might become overly reliant on the provided examples and may neglect creating original and innovative designs.
  • Lack of Detailed Explanations
    The platform focuses more on showcasing finished designs and might not provide in-depth explanations behind design choices.
  • Mobile-Centric
    Pttrns primarily focuses on mobile app design patterns, which might be a limitation for designers looking for web or other platform-specific patterns.

DockGroups features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis of pttrns

Overall verdict

  • Yes, pttrns is considered good by many designers and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Pttrns is a popular resource for mobile and web app design inspiration, offering a vast collection of user interface patterns. It is valued for its comprehensive and well-categorized collections, which help designers find specific design patterns efficiently. The site showcases real-world UI examples that help designers understand current design trends and enhance their creative workflow.

Recommended for

  • UI/UX designers seeking design inspiration
  • Developers looking for design pattern references
  • Product managers who want to understand current design trends
  • Design students aiming to learn about UI/UX patterns

pttrns videos

Pttrns: Mobile Design Patterns

DockGroups videos

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

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pttrns and DockGroups)
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Design Inspiration
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing pttrns and DockGroups.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

DockGroups's answer:

SwiftUI & AppKit

User comments

Share your experience with using pttrns 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, pttrns seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times 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.

pttrns mentions (3)

  • App or Software to organise a UI Pattern Library
    While I'm aware that there are current resources out there such as Mobbin or Pttrns, I have been taking my own screenshots for a while now and it would be great to be able to set up tags to categorise and organise these. Source: about 5 years ago
  • Does anyone else find Behance and Dribbble absolutely useless?
    Https://pttrns.com/ is a similar site but the quality went down a bit. Source: about 5 years ago
  • UX gallery, similar to component.gallery
    Maybe try mobbin.design or https://pttrns.com/. Source: over 5 years 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 pttrns and DockGroups, you can also consider the following products

Mobbin - Latest mobile design patterns & elements library

DockFlow - Switch between dock presets on MacOS instantly

Refero Design - The biggest collection of UX Patterns, UI Elements and design references from great web applications

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

Page Flows - User flow design inspiration for mobile & desktop

UX Archive Animated - iOS apps animated user flows