Many Displays and SnapState both tackle windows moving after sleep on Mac. Facts below come from manydisplays.com and this site. Checked November 10, 2026.
A good Many Displays alternative for Mac is SnapState if you want apps, window positions and browser tabs back after sleep or a restart, not only window positions. Many Displays learns where windows sit and restores them on its own when you wake, unlock or replug monitors. SnapState saves named workspaces you capture once, then restores windows on every Space, relaunches closed apps, and reopens every open tab in supported browsers, from the menu bar, a shortcut, or automatically on wake and monitor connect.
Verdict: Many Displays is a strong fit for zero-click window restore after sleep, especially with identical monitors. SnapState covers the same wake-and-dock problem and adds app relaunch, Spaces and browser tabs for $9.99 once on up to three Macs, about half of Many Displays's listed price.
How do Many Displays and SnapState compare?
| Many Displays | SnapState |
|---|
| Main job | Automatic window restore after sleep, unlock or monitor reconnect | Save and restore named workspaces |
| Setup | Learns while you work; nothing to save | You capture named workspaces |
| Restore after sleep or dock | Yes, on its own | Yes, optional automatic restore on wake and display connect |
| Identical monitors | Yes, a stated focus on its site | Remaps windows when displays differ from when you saved |
| Display arrangement and resolution | Yes, before windows move | Does not change display arrangement |
| Other desktops (Spaces) | Remembers them; its FAQ notes macOS limits on moving apps between Spaces | Yes, apps return to their saved Space |
| Relaunches closed apps | Not listed; its FAQ says closed windows stay closed | Yes |
| Browser tabs | Not listed | Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Chromium |
| Price | $19 once for up to 3 Macs; 14-day free trial; 14-day money-back guarantee | $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs |
| Refund or trial | 14-day free trial; 14-day money-back guarantee | 14-day refund |
| Minimum macOS | macOS 13 Ventura | macOS 15.7 |
When is Many Displays the better fit?
Many Displays is worth keeping if any of these match you:
- You only care that open windows land back on the right monitor after sleep, lock or dock reconnect, and you do not need browser tabs or app relaunch.
- You want the app to learn your layout with no save step and no shortcut, then stay out of the way in the menu bar.
- Identical monitors that macOS swaps after every sleep is your main pain; its site says telling those displays apart is a core design goal.
- You want display arrangement, resolution, rotation or HDR put back before windows move, which its site lists and SnapState does not.
- You are on macOS 13 or 14. SnapState needs macOS 15.7 or later.
- You prefer its 14-day free trial with no account before you pay $19 once.
Its site also highlights speed (reading the window server instead of polling every app), no network access by default, and published source on GitHub. Those are fair reasons to pick it over a workspace saver you trigger yourself.
Where does SnapState fit better?
SnapState suits you when sleep or a dock reconnect should bring back the whole desk, not just where windows were. You save a workspace once: window positions and sizes on each display, the Space each app was on, full screen windows, the apps to relaunch, and every open tab in Safari and Chromium browsers. Restore from the menu bar, with Control-Command-1 to 6, or automatically on wake, when a monitor connects or disconnects, or when a matching display layout appears. See also Mac windows move to one screen after sleep and restore windows after unplugging a monitor.
See SnapState restore a workspace
The short demo shows a workspace saved from the menu bar and restored with one click: apps relaunch and windows return to their displays, positions and sizes.
What are SnapState's honest limits?
SnapState is not a tiling or snapping tool. It does not save tab groups, history or form data, Firefox is not supported, and it does not change the display arrangement, menu bar or Dock. It needs Accessibility permission, and Automation permission for browser tabs. See SnapState.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Many Displays alternative on Mac?
SnapState is the pick if you want more than window positions back after sleep or a restart. You save a named workspace once; it restores window positions and sizes on every Space, relaunches the apps that workspace needs, returns full screen windows to full screen, and reopens every open tab in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and Chromium. It can run automatically on wake or when a monitor connects. It is $9.99 once for up to three Macs, with a 14-day refund.
What does Many Displays do?
Per its site, Many Displays is a menu bar app that learns window positions while you work and puts every window back on its display, position and size when the Mac wakes, unlocks, logs in or gets its monitors back, with no layout to save and no shortcut to press. It is built for identical monitors that macOS confuses, can also put back display arrangement and resolution, remembers windows on other desktops, and runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple Silicon and Intel.
Does Many Displays reopen browser tabs or closed apps?
Its site does not list browser tabs. Its FAQ says it does not reopen windows you closed while away and does not move windows you opened yourself. SnapState relaunches apps saved in a workspace and reopens all open tabs in supported browsers.
Many Displays vs SnapState: which costs less?
Many Displays lists $19 once for up to three Macs, with a 14-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee, plus a year of updates. SnapState is $9.99 once for up to three Macs, with a 14-day refund.
Which macOS version does each need?
Many Displays lists macOS 13 Ventura or later. SnapState needs macOS 15.7 or later. Both run on Apple Silicon and Intel.
When should I keep Many Displays instead of switching?
Keep Many Displays if you only want window positions after sleep or dock reconnect, you prefer an app that learns with no save step, you want display arrangement and resolution put back too, or you are on macOS 13 or 14 and cannot move to 15.7 yet. Pick SnapState if you also want apps relaunched, every browser tab back, or named workspaces you switch between on purpose.