Disclosure: Anchor is our app. Facts about Layoutish come from Layoutish's website, checked on 5 October 2026.
Side by side
| Anchor | Layoutish | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 launch price, one-time (3 Macs); 7-day free trial | $9.99 one-time; 7-day free trial, no card |
| macOS | 14 or later | 13.5 or later |
| Saving a layout | Learned automatically per setup; manual save and lock available | You save named layouts |
| When monitors change | Restores that setup's layout about a second after the change | Display profiles apply their default layout "a couple of seconds later" |
| Several layouts for one setup | One per setup (lockable) | Yes, with a hotkey per layout and a ⌘⇧L switcher |
| Closed apps | Optional: open missing apps on connect | Reopens closed apps when a layout applies |
| Spaces | Restores on the current Spaces | Captures every Space; restores windows on the current Space |
| Export layouts | Planned (see the roadmap) | Yes, to a JSON file |
The real difference: saved layouts or learned ones
Layoutish treats layouts as things you design: arrange your windows, save a layout with a name and icon, and switch to it with a hotkey or the switcher. Display profiles then pick a default layout for each monitor setup. That's great if you have a "coding" layout and a "writing" layout for the same desk.
Anchor treats the layout as whatever you had last on that setup. It learns continuously, snapshots the layout the moment a display change starts, and puts it back when the setup returns. There's no layout to design or keep up to date. If you want a fixed arrangement, lock it.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Layoutish if you want several named layouts per desk, hotkeys to switch between them, or you're on macOS 13.5.
- Pick Anchor if you want docking and undocking to just put things back, with no layouts to manage. Try it free for 7 days.