Display Maid comparison
SnapState is the one to buy for a real workspace restore. It saves a named snapshot of the desktop you are on, relaunches the apps, restores each window's position, and puts the active browser tab URL back. It can do that from the menu bar, from a shortcut, on wake from sleep, or when a monitor connects or disconnects. The license is $9.99 once for up to three Macs.
Display Maid is a long-standing Mac App Store utility that saves and restores window positions based on your display configuration or user-created profiles. It can restore automatically when a display connects or disconnects, and when an app launches. Per its own FAQ, it is not an app launcher, and it does not put closed browser tabs back. At a listed $5.99 one-time price it is cheaper. It also solves a narrower job.
Buy SnapState when the restore has to include the apps and the active tab, not only the frames of windows that were already running. Display Maid is fine for position-only restore. SnapState is the fuller workspace tool.
SnapState is a native macOS menu bar app for named workspace snapshots. Each snapshot keeps the visible windows on the current desktop with position and size, the apps needed to relaunch them, the monitor and display layout, and the active tab URL of each window in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Chromium after Automation permission is granted. Restore from the menu bar, with global Control-Command-1 to 6 shortcuts, or automatically when a monitor connects or disconnects, when a matching display layout appears, or on wake from sleep. Saved frames are remapped onto the current displays when the setup differs. That is the job after you unplug a monitor, wake from sleep, or sit through a restart that scatters windows.
SnapState is version 2.5.2, requires macOS 15.7 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase through Lemon Squeezy, with a lifetime license for up to three Macs and a 14-day refund. It ships as a signed, notarized DMG. It needs Accessibility permission, and workspace data stays local as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/SnapState/. There is no free trial. The refund window is the try-it period.
Display Maid saves and restores window locations based on display configuration or profiles. You can save and restore globally or by individual app, create multiple profiles for the same display setup, and restore with a click or keyboard shortcut. It can restore automatically when a display is connected or disconnected, and when an app launches. Layouts are tied to a specific display configuration, so a single-display set and a multi-display set stay separate.
Per Display Maid's own FAQ, it does not launch apps that are closed. It only repositions windows for apps that are already open. It cannot restore windows in inactive Spaces without you visiting those Spaces, and it does not support full screen or tiled apps. Public listings commonly price it at $5.99 one-time on the Mac App Store. Confirm the live App Store price before you compare it to $9.99.
Both tools put windows back after a display change. The gap that should decide the purchase is whether you also need apps relaunched, browser tabs restored, and a wake trigger.
| Capability | SnapState | Display Maid |
|---|---|---|
| One-time price (as listed) | $9.99 for up to 3 Macs | $5.99 on the Mac App Store |
| Restores active browser tab URLs | Yes | No |
| Launch apps with a saved layout | Yes | No (repositions open apps only) |
| Save and restore window positions | Yes | Yes |
| Wake-from-sleep trigger | Yes | Not listed as a wake trigger |
| Automatic restore on display connect or disconnect | Yes | Yes |
| Restore when an app launches | Not the primary model | Yes |
| Named profiles / workspaces | Yes | Yes |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Mac App Store | No (direct DMG) | Yes |
| Free trial | No (14-day refund) | App Store purchase flow |
Display Maid is built around putting open windows back for each display setup. That is useful when the apps are already running and you only need the frames. After sleep, a restart, or a full dock/undock, people often need the apps relaunched and the browser tab they were on. SnapState is built for that fuller snapshot. A lower sticker price does not close that gap.
SnapState does not tile or snap windows, does not save or restore macOS Spaces, and captures only the visible windows on the current desktop. It restores only the active tab URL per supported browser window, not a full tab set, and Firefox is not supported. There is no free trial. Display Maid does not launch closed apps, does not restore browser tabs, and does not support full screen or tiled windows. Neither tool replaces Rectangle or Moom for day-to-day snapping. Those limits are real. They are not a reason to pick a position-only tool when you need the workspace and the tab back.
Buy SnapState if you want a named workspace snapshot that relaunches apps, restores the active browser tab URL, and can restore on wake as well as when a monitor connects or disconnects. Display Maid is a solid $5.99 App Store tool for repositioning windows that are already open. If you need the apps and the tab back after sleep or a restart, SnapState is the better fit.
No. Display Maid’s own FAQ says it is not an app launcher. It saves and restores window positions for apps that are already open. SnapState launches the apps in a saved workspace, then puts the windows and active browser tab URLs back.
No. Display Maid focuses on window positions and sizes. SnapState restores the active tab URL for each supported browser window in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Chromium when Automation permission is granted.
Display Maid lists at $5.99 one-time on the Mac App Store. SnapState is $9.99 one-time for up to three Macs with a 14-day refund. SnapState costs a few dollars more because it also relaunches apps, restores browser tabs, and can restore on wake. Confirm Display Maid’s live App Store price before you buy.
No. SnapState already covers display connect and disconnect restore plus wake restore, app relaunch, and active browser tabs. Buying Display Maid on top does not add those SnapState features.
Stay is free and focused on putting windows back for each display setup. Spencer adds native Spaces layouts at a higher list price. Moom is a tiling and snapping manager, with saved layouts as one feature. Rectangle, Magnet, and Raycast snap the front window. Simple WindowSets is an older snapshot-style tool many people are replacing. For named snapshots with app relaunch and browser context at $9.99, SnapState is the direct buy.