Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

yabai VS MemoryActivity

Compare yabai VS MemoryActivity and see what are their differences

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yabai logo yabai

A tiling window manager for macOS based on binary space partitioning

MemoryActivity logo MemoryActivity

Memory pressure and stats from Activity Monitor โ€” right in your menu bar! - skw398/MemoryActivity
  • yabai Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-26
Not present

yabai features and specs

  • Efficient Window Management
    Yabai provides advanced tiling window management for macOS, greatly increasing productivity by allowing users to manage windows through keyboard shortcuts and layouts, minimizing the need for mouse interactions.
  • Highly Customizable
    The software offers extensive configuration options, enabling users to personalize their window management experience according to their specific workflow and preferences.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Yabai is free to use and modify, allowing the community to contribute to its development and enhancement. This fosters a collaborative environment for improving the software.
  • Supports Scripting
    Yabai supports scripting through AppleScript or shell commands, enabling users to automate complex workflows and integrate Yabai with other tools and applications seamlessly.
  • Lightweight
    Yabai is designed to be a lightweight window manager, which means it consumes minimal system resources, ensuring that your Mac continues to run smoothly even with numerous active windows.

Possible disadvantages of yabai

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, the configuration and use of Yabai can be daunting, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to fully understand and utilize its capabilities effectively.
  • Requires SIP Disablement
    To utilize some of Yabai's more advanced features, users need to partially disable System Integrity Protection (SIP), which can reduce the overall security of the macOS system.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    As macOS updates and changes, compatibility issues may arise, potentially breaking functionality. Users may need to wait for updates from the developer community to resolve these issues.
  • Limited Official Support
    As an open-source project, Yabai does not come with official support channels. Users must rely on community forums and documentation, which may not always provide immediate or comprehensive assistance.
  • Complex Configurations
    Setting up Yabai to fit specific needs can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with scripting or advanced configuration files.

MemoryActivity features and specs

  • Lightweight memory monitoring
    MemoryActivity is a small, focused iOS library that lets developers quickly overlay real-time memory usage information on top of an app, without needing to integrate a large or complex profiling suite.
  • Easy integration
    The library is designed to be simple to add to an existing iOS project, typically requiring minimal setup code to start displaying memory usage statistics, which speeds up adoption during development and debugging.
  • Useful for debugging memory leaks
    By providing continuous visibility into an app's memory footprint while it runs, developers can more easily spot unexpected spikes or leaks in real time during manual testing or QA sessions.
  • Open source and free
    Being hosted on GitHub and open source, developers can inspect the source code, modify it to fit their needs, and use it without licensing costs, which is beneficial for indie developers and small teams.
  • Non-intrusive UI overlay
    The tool typically displays memory information as an overlay (e.g., a small HUD or label) that doesn't require navigating away from the app under test, allowing developers to monitor performance while interacting with the app naturally.

Possible disadvantages of MemoryActivity

  • Limited scope
    MemoryActivity focuses narrowly on memory usage display and does not provide the broader profiling capabilities (CPU, network, disk I/O, etc.) that more comprehensive tools like Instruments offer.
  • Potential maintenance concerns
    As a smaller, community-maintained open source project, there is a risk of infrequent updates, lack of support for the newest iOS/Swift versions, or slower bug fixes compared to officially maintained Apple tools.
  • Not suitable for production use
    Tools that overlay debug information are generally intended for development and testing only; using them in production builds could expose internal metrics or add unnecessary overhead, so developers must ensure it's stripped out for release builds.
  • Limited documentation
    Smaller open-source utilities like this often have minimal documentation, which can make it harder for new users to understand advanced configuration options or troubleshoot issues without diving into the source code.
  • Platform-specific
    The library is built specifically for iOS, so it cannot be used for cross-platform projects or apps targeting Android, web, or other platforms, limiting its usefulness in multi-platform teams.

Analysis of yabai

Overall verdict

  • Yabai is highly regarded among users who seek advanced customization and control over their macOS window management. However, it may have a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with tiling window managers or command-line tools.

Why this product is good

  • Yabai is a popular tiling window manager for macOS, designed to streamline and enhance window management through robust keyboard shortcuts and automation features. It is particularly appreciated for its flexibility and efficiency in organizing a large number of open applications, contributing to a more productive workflow.

Recommended for

  • Developers who need efficient multitasking tools.
  • Users comfortable with the command line who enjoy customizing their environment.
  • Power users looking to optimize their macOS user experience.

yabai videos

Yabai Demonstration

More videos:

  • Demo - yabai macOS Tiling Window Manager Demonstration

MemoryActivity videos

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

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to yabai and MemoryActivity)
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100
Mac Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Error Tracking
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, yabai seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 138 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.

yabai mentions (138)

  • Supercharge your macOS workspace management with Aerospace - A guide for busy people
    Aerospace does not rely on the native spaces feature. Instead, it has the concept of virtual workspaces, all of which live in a single native macOS space. Switching between these virtual workspaces essentially means hiding all other windows and only keeping the window(s) assigned to the active workspace. This is genius, as it makes Aerospace incredibly flexible in managing windows between workspaces, without the... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Jeff Geerling: The Framework 12 is dead. Apple killed it [video]
    Interesting. I used to daily drive for almost a year until a major macOS update broke it and I just didn't have it in me to diagnose the issue. I'll bookmark this for future adventures, thanks! - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Show HN: Liquid Radius โ€“ Unifies macOS Tahoe's inconsistent window corners
    > Liquid Radius doesn't touch /System or modify the SSV I'm not doubting you, but by requiring users to disable SIP you are effectively opening their entire system to SSV attacks. 99% of "regular" users won't understand that tradeoff. Rounded corners are not worth disabling the operating system's major security protections, especially in today's crazy cyber environment. Yabai [0] is a good example of how... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • From M1 MacBook to Arch Linux: A month-long experiment that became permanenent
    This. My 2013 MacBook Pro lasted just shy of 10 years no issues. My m3 max mbpro I only wish was the larger screen one and not the 13 inch one โ€ฆ oh well. But I suspect it will last me โ€” and be passed down as well โ€” 8-10 years as well. The trackpads are second to none. So are the speakers. The screen are pretty good. I wish mine got even brighter but the m4s do. The keyboard is finally awesome. The OS just works.... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • I Used Arch, BTW: macOS, Day 1
    Aerospace is nice, but also consider checking out yabai [0] + sketchybar [1] for an i3/hyprland style tiling setup. More customizable (IMO) and perfectly suited for a terminal based workflow :~^) [0] https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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MemoryActivity mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MemoryActivity yet. Tracking of MemoryActivity recommendations started around Aug 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing yabai and MemoryActivity, you can also consider the following products

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

Stats - Simple macOS system monitor in your menu bar.

Moom - Move your mouse over the green zoom button in any window, and Moom's mouse control overlay will appear (as seen in the above animation).

iStat Menus - "An advanced Mac system monitor for your menubar."

BTT Remote - A remote control for you Mac, using your iPhone or iPad

Atmonitor - Mac OS X System Monitor and Process Explorer Tool