Spencer comparison
SnapState is the one to buy. 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.
Spencer also restores window layouts, including across native macOS Spaces, and it offers a 7-day trial. That Spaces support is real. It is also a niche. Most people work on one desktop. Spencer cannot reopen closed browser tabs, and its regular list price is $25, $35, or $45 depending on how many Macs you license. You pay more, and you still do not get the tab back.
Buy SnapState. You get active tab URLs, wake and monitor restore, and a one-time price well under Spencer's list. Spaces are not a reason to start somewhere else.
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.
Spencer saves open window layouts and can restore them across monitors and native macOS Spaces. Profiles can keep their own number of Spaces. It can launch saved apps, hide open apps that are not part of the layout, and resize windows to the stored arrangement. It does not snap windows into grids.
Per Spencer's own FAQ, it cannot reopen closed browser tabs, files, or projects. Stage Manager is not supported. Fullscreen windows can be saved, but restore is a simulated fullscreen with the menu bar and Dock still visible. Regular list prices on macspencer.app are $25 / $35 / $45 by Mac count, with a 7-day trial and a 14-day refund. Confirm any live promo on their site before you compare a sale price to $9.99.
Both tools put an arrangement back. They do not tile. The gap that should decide the purchase is price, browser tabs, and whether you truly need Spaces.
| Capability | SnapState | Spencer |
|---|---|---|
| One-time price (as listed) | $9.99 for up to 3 Macs | $25 / $35 / $45 by Mac count |
| Restores active browser tab URLs | Yes | No |
| Save and restore window positions | Yes | Yes |
| Wake-from-sleep trigger | Yes | Not listed on their site |
| Automatic restore on display connect or disconnect | Yes | Their site mentions display change and undock |
| Launch apps with a saved layout | Yes | Yes |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Native macOS Spaces layouts | No (current desktop only) | Yes |
| Hide windows not in the layout | No | Yes |
| Free trial | No (14-day refund) | 7-day trial |
Native Spaces layouts are the main thing Spencer adds. If your day is many desktops that all have to come back together, that is the feature Spencer is built around. Most people do not work that way. They want the windows on the screen in front of them, including the browser tab they had open. SnapState stays on the current desktop on purpose, costs less, and covers that job. A 7-day trial does not close the price gap or add tab restore.
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. Spencer does not restore closed tabs or files, does not support Stage Manager, and simulates fullscreen on restore. Neither tool replaces Rectangle or Moom for day-to-day snapping. Those SnapState limits are real. They are not a reason to pay Spencer's list price for a tool that still cannot reopen the tab.
Buy SnapState. It costs $9.99 once for up to three Macs, restores the active browser tab URL, and puts the current desktop back on wake or when a monitor changes. Spencer is a native Spaces tool with a higher list price, and it cannot reopen closed browser tabs. Spaces are a niche most people do not need.
No. Spencer can launch apps and reposition open windows, but it cannot reopen closed browser tabs, files, or projects. SnapState restores the active tab URL for each supported browser window when Automation permission is granted. That is the difference that matters after a restart.
No, and that is fine for almost everyone. SnapState saves visible windows on the current desktop only. It does not create, count, or restore Spaces. Spencer is built around native Spaces. If you do not already live in many Spaces, you are paying extra for a feature you will not use.
No. SnapState covers the restore job most people actually have: one desktop, the apps, the active browser tab, and automatic restore on wake or a monitor change. Buying Spencer on top does not add browser tabs, and it costs more.
SnapState. It is $9.99 one-time for up to three Macs, with a 14-day refund and no trial. Spencer lists regular prices of $25 / $35 / $45 depending on Mac count, with a 7-day trial and a 14-day refund. Check macspencer.app if a promo is running. SnapState is still the lower practical buy.
Stay is free and focused on putting windows back for each display setup. 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 browser context at $9.99, SnapState is the direct buy.