ShiftPlus vs Spencer: Honest Comparison of Two macOS Workspace Tools (2026)

Spencer launches apps and remembers window positions. ShiftPlus opens specific projects, files, URLs, browser profiles, and runs terminal commands. A fact-checked comparison.

ShiftPlus vs Spencer: Honest Comparison of Two macOS Workspace Tools

Updated May 2026: Reflects ShiftPlus 1.3 (iCloud sync, Spaces restoration, window arrangement enum, Raycast extension in development) and current Spencer feature set as of May 2026.

TL;DR

• Spencer launches apps. ShiftPlus opens specific things inside apps. Spencer can launch VS Code; ShiftPlus opens VS Code with Project A loaded. Spencer launches Slack; ShiftPlus opens Slack to a specific channel. Spencer launches Terminal; ShiftPlus runs your project's setup command and sets AWS_PROFILE.
• Spencer doesn't manage browser profiles or URLs. It launches Chrome as a generic app. ShiftPlus switches to the right Chrome profile and opens the right tabs.
• The "restart test": if you restart your Mac, Spencer launches your apps with empty state. ShiftPlus restores them with the right files, URLs, and commands.
• Spencer is excellent for what it does, has a 3-Mac license at $19.99, and is the better choice if you only need window-position memory and rarely quit apps.
• ShiftPlus adds deep links, project paths, browser profiles, terminal env vars, multi-Mac iCloud sync, and a Raycast extension (in development), at $24 (1 device) or $39 (2 devices).

This isn't "which is better." They solve different problems with different design models.

The Core Difference, In One Quote

Spencer's official FAQ defines its own scope clearly:

"Spencer can launch apps and reposition multiple windows, but it cannot open new windows, browser tabs, individual files, or projects after they've been closed."

This isn't a hidden limitation. It's the design. Spencer is a layout-and-visibility tool: it manages where windows sit and which apps are visible vs. minimized. It treats every app as a generic launchable thing.

ShiftPlus is a state-restoration tool: it stores what each workspace contains (project paths, specific files, URLs per browser profile, deep links, terminal commands, env vars) and rebuilds that state on demand, whether the apps are running or not.

The rest of this post is supporting detail.

Feature Comparison

Sources: Spencer FAQ and pricing, Spencer Product Hunt launch, Tenere Team review of Spencer, OnMyMenubar review of Spencer, ShiftPlus pricing.

Difference 1: Apps vs. Specific Things Inside Apps

This is the difference that shows up most concretely in daily use.

Spencer launches apps. It can ensure VS Code, Chrome, Slack, and Terminal are running and positioned. But it cannot tell VS Code which project to open, Slack which channel to navigate to, Terminal which command to run, or Chrome which URL to load. Multiple independent reviews confirm this scope: the Tenere Team review summarizes it as "Does not restore closed browser tabs, files, or projects, only repositions open windows," and OnMyMenubar's review describes Spencer's key features as "the ability to launch applications that are not currently open and hide applications that should not be visible."

ShiftPlus stores the actual content of each workspace. Per workspace, you can configure:

• App + project paths: VS Code with ~/projects/client-a, Xcode with MyApp.xcodeproj, Preview with a specific PDF, Pages with a specific document
• Terminal commands: open iTerm and run npm run dev, or cd ~/work && claude, or aws sso login
• Environment variables: AWS_PROFILE=client-a, NODE_ENV=staging, custom per-project paths
• Deep links: open Slack to #client-a-eng channel, open Spotify to a specific playlist, open Linear to a specific project view, jump to a Notion page
• Browser profiles + URLs: Chrome on Client A's profile with their Gmail, Notion, AWS Console preloaded

When you trigger a workspace, none of this is "launch the app and hope for the best." It's "open exactly this state."

A concrete morning routine:

Press Cmd+Opt+W. ShiftPlus opens VS Code with the work repo, runs npm run dev in iTerm, sets AWS_PROFILE=production-readonly, opens Slack directly to #engineering, switches Chrome to the work profile and opens GitHub PR list, opens Spotify to your focus playlist.

Spencer cannot do any of this. With Spencer, you'd launch the same apps (positioned correctly) and then manually open the project, navigate Slack to the right channel, run the terminal command, switch the Chrome profile, find the right Spotify playlist. The window positions are right; the contents are not.

Difference 2: Browser Profiles and URLs

A specific case of Difference 1, but worth its own section because it's the one most users notice first.

Spencer can launch Chrome. That's it. It doesn't know which Chrome profile should be active (Work / Personal / Client A / Client B) or which URLs to open. Nothing in Spencer's official documentation, feature list, or third-party reviews mentions browser profile management. It's outside Spencer's scope by design.

ShiftPlus stores browser profiles and URLs explicitly per workspace. When you trigger a workspace, ShiftPlus:

• Switches Chrome (or Brave, Arc, Edge, Vivaldi, or any Chromium browser) to the right profile
• Opens the specific URLs you saved for that workspace, in that profile
• Keeps cookies, logins, and extensions properly isolated per profile

If you consult for two clients, both using Google Workspace, "Client A" workspace opens Chrome in Client A's profile with their Gmail, Notion, and Figma URLs preloaded; "Client B" workspace switches Chrome to Client B's profile with their AWS Console, Linear, and Slack tabs.

Spencer cannot do this. If you juggle multiple browser profiles for work, this single difference is the deciding factor.

Difference 3: The "Keep Apps Open" Model

Spencer's official FAQ recommends:

"Instead of closing windows, keep all your app windows open across different layouts. Spencer will automatically minimize the ones that don't belong to the current layout, and restore them when you switch back."

This works elegantly when you never quit apps. State stays intact because nothing quits. But it has consequences:

You accumulate background apps. Every app from every profile stays open, just minimized. Three or four profiles means 15-20 apps running at all times.

A Mac restart breaks the model. OS update, power loss, manual restart: every app quits. The next time you trigger a Spencer profile, Spencer launches the apps, but the state is gone (per Spencer's FAQ above). You manually reopen the project, switch the Chrome profile, run the terminal command. You're back to setup.

Switching contexts requires apps to already be loaded. If Client B's apps stayed minimized since yesterday, Spencer is great. If they got quit at some point, Spencer launches them empty.

ShiftPlus doesn't depend on apps staying open. Each workspace stores its content explicitly. Quit anything. Restart your Mac. Trigger the workspace. The full state comes back.

This is the practical "restart test": Both tools handle "switch profile mid-session" well. Only ShiftPlus handles "switch profile after a Mac restart" correctly.

Where Spencer Wins

Honest credit:

Focus. Spencer does one thing (window-layout-with-Spaces) and does it cleanly. Reviewers consistently praise its reliability. From Scout Forge: "The app's strength lies in its simplicity and reliability."

Multi-window per app. Spencer reliably handles three Finder windows or four Terminal windows as separate entities, each restored to its own position. ShiftPlus is improving here but isn't yet as robust.

Variable Space count per profile. Spencer rebuilds the right number of Spaces when you switch profiles. ShiftPlus expects your Space count to stay consistent.

3-Mac license at $19.99. A single Spencer license activates on up to 3 Macs. ShiftPlus's 2-Devices license is $39. If you have 3 Macs and only need window layouts, Spencer wins on price.

Earned reputation. Reddit threads in r/macapps include users running 17 desktops daily and praising Spencer's Spaces handling.

Where ShiftPlus Wins

Deep state restoration: projects, files, commands, deep links. Covered in Difference 1. The biggest single gap. Spencer launches apps; ShiftPlus opens the actual content (specific projects, PDFs, channels, playlists, terminal commands).

Browser profile management. Covered in Difference 2. Spencer launches Chrome; ShiftPlus switches profiles and opens URLs.

Terminal environment variables. ShiftPlus sets AWS_PROFILE, NODE_ENV, or any env var when the terminal launches. Switching dev/staging/prod credentials becomes part of the workspace, not a manual step.

No need to keep apps open. ShiftPlus restores from a clean state. Cleaner running-process list, less RAM held by minimized apps you're not using.

Window arrangements that survive different screens. ShiftPlus saves "Left Half" or "Fullscreen" as logical placements. The same workspace works on a 13-inch MacBook and a 27-inch external monitor; geometry is recomputed for each screen. Spencer saves absolute positions.

iCloud sync across Macs. ShiftPlus 1.3 added iCloud sync. The intent (apps, profiles, env vars, deep links) syncs; per-Mac state stays local. Spencer doesn't have multi-Mac sync.

Free trial. ShiftPlus offers a 14-day free trial with full features. Spencer offers a 14-day money-back guarantee instead (you pay first, then ask for a refund).

Raycast extension (upcoming). A ShiftPlus extension for Raycast is in development. Trigger workspace switches from the Raycast launcher. Spencer doesn't have one.

A Realistic Workflow Comparison

Two scenarios.

Scenario A: Mid-session profile switch (both apps work)

You're in Client A's workspace, all apps loaded with Client A's projects and tabs. You want Client B.

Spencer: Pick Client B profile. Spencer minimizes Client A's apps and unhides Client B's apps, with Client B's state still loaded (because nothing quit). Window positions snap into place. Fast and clean.

ShiftPlus: Press the workspace hotkey. ShiftPlus walks through Spaces, focuses Client B's apps, switches Chrome to Client B's profile if needed, sets terminal env vars.

Both work. Spencer is arguably faster because it's just unhiding existing windows.

Scenario B: First thing in the morning after a Mac restart (only ShiftPlus works)

Your Mac restarted overnight. All apps quit. You want Client B's workspace.

Spencer: Pick Client B profile. Spencer launches the apps, but they open empty. VS Code with no project. Chrome on the wrong profile with no tabs. Terminal in your home directory with no commands run, no env vars set. Slack to the default workspace, not Client B's channel. You manually open the project, switch the Chrome profile, navigate to URLs, run the terminal command, navigate Slack. Once everything's loaded, Spencer restores window positions.

ShiftPlus: Trigger the workspace. ShiftPlus launches Client B's apps with the right project paths, opens the right URLs in Client B's Chrome profile, runs your terminal setup commands, sets AWS_PROFILE to Client B, opens Slack directly to Client B's channel. Done.

This is where the design models diverge.

Pricing

Both are one-time purchases with lifetime updates. No subscriptions on either side.

Limitations of Both

Spencer (source: Spencer FAQ):

• Maximum 16 Spaces across all displays
• Stage Manager not supported
• Fullscreen windows are simulated, not native macOS fullscreen
• No browser profile management: launches Chrome but cannot switch profiles or open URLs
• No deep links or specific-file/project opening: launches apps but cannot open VS Code with a specific project, Slack to a specific channel, Spotify to a specific playlist, or run terminal commands
• Cannot restore browser tabs, files, or projects once closed
• Restore takes a few seconds (a macOS SIP constraint, affects all tools in this category)

ShiftPlus:

• Stage Manager not supported (same reason as Spencer)
• Multi-window per app is in development (Spencer is more reliable for this case today)
• No variable Space count per profile
• Not on the Mac App Store (uses private system frameworks)
• iCloud sync requires being signed into iCloud on each Mac
• Raycast extension is still in development as of May 2026

Both apps are honest about what they don't do, which is a good sign in this category.

The Honest Take

If your workflow is "I want my windows to come back where they were, I never quit apps, and I don't manage multiple browser profiles or run setup commands," Spencer is the cleaner answer.

If you need apps to open with specific projects loaded, run terminal commands per workspace, deep-link into Slack channels or Spotify playlists, switch Chrome profiles, or you restart your Mac more than rarely, ShiftPlus is built for that.

The two tools are at different scopes and don't directly compete. Spencer is explicitly compatible with other window managers, and you can use both side by side without conflict.

The right answer depends on which problem is bigger for you.

If you'd like to try ShiftPlus, it's available here with a 14-day free trial. If Spencer fits your needs better, Spencer is here.