Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

WindowGrid VS DockLock Pro

Compare WindowGrid VS DockLock Pro and see what are their differences

WindowGrid logo WindowGrid

Quickly and easily layout windows on a dynamic grid using just the mouse.

DockLock Pro logo DockLock Pro

The worlds first app that stops your Mac Dock from jumping between screens without system hacks and gives you unmatched automation control over where and how your Dock appears
  • WindowGrid Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-03-18
  • DockLock Pro
    Image date //
    2025-12-11
  • DockLock Pro
    Image date //
    2025-12-11
  • DockLock Pro
    Image date //
    2025-12-11

DockLock Lite is the core app that finally stops the Mac Dock from jumping between screens. It locks the Dock to the display you choose, prevents accidental moves in multi display setups, and can hide the Dock on shared screens during meetings to avoid distractions and leaks. Lite automatically relocates the Dock after wake or screen changes and remembers your preferred screen for each display combination, for example built in display at home and external monitor at work. It runs as a lightweight, fully sandboxed menu bar app with a 7 day free trial and subscription model.

DockLock Plus includes everything in Lite and adds an automation layer for power users. On top of stable locking, Plus can make the Dock follow your mouse, your active window, or specific apps you select. Every action is scriptable through Apple Shortcuts, URL scheme, CLI, Raycast extension, menu bar controls and hotkeys, so you can tie Dock behavior to focus changes, workspaces, meeting apps or custom scripts. It also uses auto relocation and per setup memory, but is sold as a one time lifetime license instead of a subscription.

DockLock Pro builds on Lite and Plus and is designed to remove the remaining limits of Dock placement. Pro will let you put a horizontal Dock on any edge of any screen, move a vertical Dock to any display, center it, create partial docks and tune how much space the Dock reserves so windows can use more of the screen. Pro is still under active development and is distributed directly from the website instead of the Mac App Store. Customers who purchase DockLock Lite or DockLock Plus on the Mac App Store will receive a discount when upgrading to DockLock Pro once it is released.

In short, Lite fixes the jumping, Plus adds deep automation and scripting, Pro adds complete freedom of Dock positioning and layout.

WindowGrid

$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

DockLock Pro

$ Details
paid Free Trial $2.0 / Monthly
Platforms
Mac Mac OSX MacOS
Release Date
2025 February
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Ihor July
Employees
1 - 9

WindowGrid features and specs

  • Free to Use
    WindowGrid is available as a free tool, making it accessible for all users without any cost.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software provides an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly learn how to use the application.
  • Customizable Grid Layouts
    WindowGrid allows users to customize their grid layouts, providing flexibility in organizing and managing window positions.
  • Lightweight Application
    The tool is lightweight and does not consume significant system resources, making it a suitable choice for users with lower-end hardware.
  • Improved Productivity
    By simplifying window management, WindowGrid can help enhance productivity as users can efficiently organize their workspace.

Possible disadvantages of WindowGrid

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more robust window management tools, WindowGrid offers fewer features and customization options.
  • Windows-Only
    WindowGrid is only available for the Windows operating system, which limits its usability for Mac and Linux users.
  • No Frequent Updates
    The software does not receive updates regularly, which may result in compatibility issues with newer versions of Windows or lack of new features.
  • No Support for Multiple Displays
    WindowGrid has limited functionality when it comes to managing windows across multiple displays, which can be a drawback for users with multi-monitor setups.
  • No Customer Support
    The tool lacks formal customer support, which may make it difficult for users to resolve any issues they encounter while using the software.

DockLock Pro features and specs

  • Stop Mac Dock jumping screens
    Prevents the Dock from randomly moving to other monitors when the cursor touches their edges by continuously relocking it to your preferred layout and correcting unwanted jumps after wake or screen changes
  • Lock Mac Dock to selected displays
    Lets you choose exactly which displays are allowed to host the Dock using the Allow Dock on Display controls so the Dock can appear only on those screens and never on the others
  • Hide Dock during screen sharing or meetings
    For multi monitor setups you can exclude the shared screen from the allowed displays so the Dock automatically relocates to another monitor and stays off the presentation. For single screen setups DockLock Plus adds helper apps and automations that fully hide or restore the Dock when meetings start or end
  • Dock follows mouse
    Enables a dynamic mode where the Dock jumps and locks to whichever display the cursor enters giving a fluid multi display workflow while still preventing accidental jumps
  • Dock follows active window
    Moves the Dock to the display that currently holds the focused window so your primary apps always have the Dock on the same screen as their main window
  • Dock follows selected apps
    Adds a Follow Apps When Active mode where you define a list of apps and whenever one of them becomes active the Dock relocates to the display that contains that app window
  • Control Dock via Shortcuts URL scheme CLI Raycast menu bar and hotkeys
    Provides full automation and external control including App Intents for Apple Shortcuts and Siri a DockLockPlus URL scheme for scripting and launchers a command line interface an official Raycast extension rich menu bar commands and the ability to trigger actions from macOS hotkey based automations
  • Auto relocate Dock on wake and screen changes
    Monitors display configuration changes and Mac wake events and automatically relocates and relocks the Dock to your chosen display so it stays where you want it after sleep lid open reconnecting external monitors or resolution changes
  • Per location display profiles for Dock placement
    Remembers Dock placement for each unique display combination so you can keep the Dock on the internal screen in a home setup and have it automatically move to a specific external display at work or in other multi display configurations

Analysis of WindowGrid

Overall verdict

  • Overall, WindowGrid is well-regarded for its ease of use, simplicity, and ability to enhance workflow productivity. It is considered a good tool for users looking to optimize their screen real estate effectively.

Why this product is good

  • WindowGrid is a popular virtual desktop manager that offers users flexibility and efficiency in organizing their display space. Its intuitive drag-and-snap grid system makes managing multiple windows on large or multi-monitor setups straightforward. It is lightweight, doesn't consume much system resources, and provides a significant productivity boost for users who work with numerous applications simultaneously.

Recommended for

    WindowGrid is recommended for professionals, such as developers, designers, and anyone who requires efficient window management to improve their multitasking capabilities. It is also beneficial for users with large displays or multi-monitor setups who want to streamline their workspace.

Analysis of DockLock Pro

Overall verdict

  • I don't have verified information about DockLock Pro or docklockpro.com in my knowledge base, so I can't confirm details about its features, quality, or reputation. I'd recommend checking recent independent reviews, verifying the company's legitimacy (business registration, contact info, support responsiveness), reading user testimonials on trusted platforms, and possibly testing any free trial before committing.

Why this product is good

  • No verified data available on this specific product to confirm claims of quality or performance
  • Unable to confirm company legitimacy, security practices, or customer support quality without independent verification
  • Cannot validate pricing fairness or feature claims without first-hand or sourced information

Recommended for

  • Users who first verify the site's legitimacy through domain age, business registration, and reviews on independent platforms like Trustpilot or G2
  • Buyers willing to test a free trial or demo before making a purchase decision
  • Anyone comfortable doing due diligence such as checking for HTTPS security, clear refund policies, and verifiable customer support channels

WindowGrid videos

WindowGrid: Fenster auf dem Desktop ausrichten

DockLock Pro videos

DockLock Lite in action

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WindowGrid and DockLock Pro)
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Mac
0 0%
100% 100
OSX Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Utilities
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing WindowGrid and DockLock Pro.

What makes your product unique?

DockLock Pro's answer:

DockLock Pro is the first project ever created specifically to control the Mac Dock location across multiple displays. Before it there simply was no tool focused on making the Dock stay exactly where you want it.

It is also the only app in the Mac App Store that can both stop the Dock from jumping between screens and automatically relocate it according to your preferences such as a fixed display or rules based movement.

Apple does not provide any public API or system setting to control the Dock in this way. DockLock Pro is built on deep reverse engineering and low level understanding of how the Dock works which allows it to achieve behavior that is normally impossible with standard system tools or regular apps.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

DockLock Pro's answer:

DockLock Pro is built around the original Mac Dock instead of trying to replace it. Competing tools create their own custom docks and then push you to hide or disable the real Dock by patching its configuration. That can interfere with normal system behavior and still cannot deliver exactly the same feel and integration that the native Dock has.

With DockLock Pro the Apple Dock keeps working exactly as Apple designed it. You get precise control over which display it uses and how it behaves without giving up native animations, context menus, stacks, drag and drop or Mission Control integration. You are not trading the real Dock for an imitation just to stop it from jumping.

Many replacement docks are not sandboxed and modify system files or settings to achieve their behavior. DockLock Lite and DockLock Plus are fully sandboxed Mac App Store apps that do not inject code or patch the system. DockLock Pro uses knowledge gained from deep reverse engineering of the Dock process yet still focuses narrowly on one task. Control where the real Dock appears across your displays with the smallest possible impact on the rest of the system.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

DockLock Pro's answer:

DockLock Pro is aimed at Mac users who rely on multi display setups and need precise, predictable Dock behavior every day. This includes developers, designers, editors, traders, IT and security professionals, and people who present or screen share regularly. They often use external monitors at home and at work, move between different display configurations, and are sensitive to workflow interruptions when the Dock jumps to the wrong screen. DockLock Pro targets those who want to keep the native Dock experience while gaining low level control, automation and stable placement that the system itself does not provide.

What's the story behind your product?

DockLock Pro's answer:

A DockLock Pro began on Feb 4 2025 when I discovered a way to control the Mac Dock without modifying the system and built a small internal prototype that stopped the Dock from jumping between screens. That proof of concept was never released, but it proved the idea was real and led to a public promise on r/MacOS to ship an app that stops the Dock from jumping anywhere. Since then the project has grown into DockLock Lite and Plus on the Mac App Store and DockLock Pro as the advanced version that fulfills the original vision. The entire product line is created and maintained by a completely independent solo developer with no team and no investors.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

DockLock Pro's answer:

DockLock Lite started as an internal prototype built with Qt SDK. After proving the idea worked I rewrote the entire project in pure Objective-C using native macOS frameworks. This removed the cross platform layer, significantly reduced CPU usage and allowed DockLock apps to support macOS versions starting from 10.10

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

DockLock Pro's answer:

A DockLock Pro does not publish a list of logo customers. The app is sold directly to individual professionals and small teams rather than through enterprise contracts, and I deliberately avoid tracking or profiling users. Based on support requests and feedback, most customers are power users with multi display setups such as developers, designers, video editors, engineers, traders and IT or security professionals, but I do not name or promote specific companies to keep customer privacy and independence of the project.

User comments

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

Based on our record, WindowGrid should be more popular than DockLock Pro. It has been mentiond 7 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.

WindowGrid mentions (7)

View more

DockLock Pro mentions (1)

  • Show HN: A tiny macOS app that stops your Dock from jumping between monitors
    I need to ask you to rename your project. "DockLock" is the name of my existing product, and using the same name for a similar macOS app creates clear confusion. https://docklockpro.com DockLock Lite was created in February 2025, and I have public evidence of prior use and release history. Your current presentation also implies invention of a solution that I had already created and shipped earlier. I am not... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WindowGrid and DockLock Pro, you can also consider the following products

AquaSnap - Too many windows on your screen? Stop wasting your productivity.

Sidebar - The five best design links of the day, freshly redesigned

BetterTouchTool - Nov 5, 2017 - BetterTouchTool is a great, feature packed app that allows you to configure many gestures for your Magic Mouse (1 & 2), Macbook Trackpad and Magic Trackpad (1 & 2) and also Mouse Gestures for normal mice.

ActiveDock - Application Launcher, improved Dock for macOS, alternative to Apple Dock, uBar, HyperDock

Rectangle - Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

DockFix - Customize Your macOS Dock Like Never Before