Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Spectacle App VS Openbox

Compare Spectacle App VS Openbox and see what are their differences

Spectacle App logo Spectacle App

Move and resize windows with ease.

Openbox logo Openbox

Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.
  • Spectacle App Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18

Important note: Spectacle is no longer being actively maintained

  • Openbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-06

Spectacle App features and specs

  • User-Friendliness
    Spectacle App offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, which allows users to quickly understand and navigate through its features without a steep learning curve.
  • Efficiency
    The app provides keyboard shortcuts for managing window sizes and positions, enhancing workflow efficiency and minimizing the time spent on window management.
  • Customization
    Users can customize the keyboard shortcuts according to their preferences, making the app versatile and adaptable to different working styles.
  • Free to Use
    Spectacle App is available at no cost, providing powerful window management features without any financial barriers.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Spectacle App allows users to contribute to its development and modifications, promoting community collaboration and transparency.

Possible disadvantages of Spectacle App

  • Limited Development
    The app is no longer actively maintained, which may result in compatibility issues with newer operating systems or a lack of new features over time.
  • Basic Functionality
    While effective, Spectacle App offers relatively basic functionality compared to some commercial window management tools, which may have more advanced features.
  • No Multi-Monitor Support
    Spectacle App lacks robust support for managing windows across multiple monitors, which can be a limitation for users with complex setups.
  • Potential Bugs
    As an open-source project without ongoing maintenance, users might encounter bugs or glitches that will not be addressed through official updates.

Openbox features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Openbox is a highly efficient window manager that requires minimal system resources, making it an excellent choice for older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Customizable
    Openbox offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the look and feel of their desktop environment to their specific preferences.
  • Fast Performance
    Due to its lightweight nature, Openbox provides fast and responsive performance, resulting in quicker application launches and smoother overall desktop experience.
  • Comprehensive Keybindings
    Openbox supports complex keybindings, enabling power users to create efficient workflow setups through keyboard shortcuts.
  • Extensible
    Openbox can work seamlessly with other tools and additional software, allowing users to extend its capabilities with tools like panels, widgets, and additional plugins.

Possible disadvantages of Openbox

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Openbox requires a more hands-on approach and can be challenging for beginners to set up and configure due to its extensive customization options.
  • Limited Out-of-the-box Features
    Unlike full desktop environments, Openbox does not come with many built-in features, requiring users to install and configure additional software to achieve a fully functional desktop.
  • No Desktop Icons by Default
    Openbox does not support desktop icons natively, so users need to rely on additional tools like 'xfdesktop' or 'pcmanfm' to add this functionality.
  • Minimalistic Appearance
    While some users appreciate the minimalistic look, others might find it too bare-bones compared to more feature-rich environments like GNOME or KDE.
  • Manual Configuration
    Most customizations in Openbox require editing configuration files manually, which can be time-consuming and error-prone for users unfamiliar with text-based configurations.

Spectacle App videos

Demo of Spectacle App for Mac

More videos:

  • Review - Spectacle App Showcase: Window Management, Manipulation, & Organization for Mac (2017)

Openbox videos

Get Rid Of That Bloated Desktop Environment And Install Openbox

More videos:

  • Review - Manjaro Openbox: First Impressions and Review
  • Tutorial - Openbox V8S Review- How to get Free TV!!!
  • Review - Open Box Review (Bx8 M-Audio Speakers) #Openbox #SpeakerReview
  • Review - Openbox A1 - Review
  • Review - OPEN BOX - @ikmultimedia TONEX #fyp #opening #openbox #review #guitar

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Spectacle App and Openbox)
Window Manager
56 56%
44% 44
Linux
0 0%
100% 100
OSX Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Screenshot Annotation
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Spectacle App and Openbox

Spectacle App Reviews

Moom vs Magnet vs Spectacle
While custom sizes can only be done with Moom, the predefined window sizes are provided by Magnet and Spectacle out of the box, but can also be configured manually with Moom. It’s also possible to assign keyboard shortcuts. So, in this case, if you want all the features, Moom can do them all.
Source: medium.com

Openbox Reviews

Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
People who’re deep into Linux, love Openbox’s simplicity. It’s extremely lightweight, and comes with only a text-based right-click menu that lists all your applications. The menu is customizable too, and you can add scripts or functions within the menu as a link.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Spectacle App seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 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.

Spectacle App mentions (4)

Openbox mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Openbox yet. Tracking of Openbox recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Spectacle App and Openbox, you can also consider the following products

Greenshot - Greenshot is a free and open source screenshot tool that allows annotation and highlighting using the built-in image editor.

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

ShareX - ShareX is a free and open source program that lets you capture or record any area of your screen...

dwm - dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

awesome - A dynamic window manager for the X Window System developed in the C and Lua programming languages.