Manico vs Bunch: App Switching vs Workspace Launching on macOS

Most productivity tools in the Mac ecosystem fall into one of two categories: tools that help you start a work session, and tools that help you move through one. Bunch and Manico sit firmly in different categories, but they are often compared because both live in the menu bar and both involve apps and keyboard shortcuts.

The shortest summary: Bunch is a workspace launcher. Manico is an app switcher. They are designed for different moments in your day and most people who use one end up using both.

What is Bunch?

Bunch is a macOS app created by Brett Terpstra. It reads plain text files called Bunches — each file lists the apps, documents, URLs, shell commands, and AppleScript snippets that define a particular work context. You open a Bunch and it launches everything on that list, arranges windows according to any layout scripts you have written, and optionally quits everything from the previous Bunch. Close the Bunch and those same apps can be quit automatically.

The practical power of Bunch is that a new project or work context can be one click away. Your “client work” Bunch opens Figma, the client’s Google Drive folder, Slack, and a specific Linear board. Your “writing” Bunch opens iA Writer, a reference Safari window, and your notes in Obsidian. Switching contexts means switching Bunches.

Bunch is free to use with a tip option. It supports macOS 10.15 Catalina and later. The Bunch file format is plain text, version-control friendly, and easy to share.

What is Manico?

Manico is a keyboard-first app switcher built around a different question: you are already in the middle of a session, your apps are all running — how do you get back to the right one instantly?

The answer is muscle memory. You assign one letter to each of your most-used apps in Manico’s Preferences. Press the Manico trigger — Ctrl+Tab by default — and then press the letter for the app you want. Manico activates it immediately, no cycling, no list to scan. If the app has several windows open, a compact picker shows the window titles so you can land on the right one with one more key.

Manico lives in the menu bar only (no Dock icon), requires macOS 13 or later, and is sold as a one-time $15 purchase through Paddle.

Feature comparison

See the table above for the full breakdown. The key dimensions that separate them in practice:

Bunch wins on context setup: it orchestrates multiple apps, files, and scripts into a single click. If your problem is “starting a new work mode takes too long,” Bunch is the right answer.

Manico wins on in-session switching speed: once your apps are running, getting to any of them takes one keystroke. If your problem is “I switch apps 50 times a day and it costs too many keystrokes,” Manico is the right answer.

Neither tool replaces the other. They are not competing for the same use case.

When to pick Bunch

Choose Bunch if:

• You work across multiple distinct projects or clients and want to switch contexts quickly, including quitting irrelevant apps.
• You value automation and scripting — running shell commands, triggering AppleScript, opening specific URLs — as part of starting a work session.
• You want a workspace-as-code workflow where your project setup is a version-controlled text file.
• You need older macOS support — Bunch runs on Catalina, Manico requires Ventura.
• You prefer free software with a pay-what-you-want model.

Bunch is the right tool when the question is “how do I set the stage?” rather than “how do I jump between characters?”

When to pick Manico

Choose Manico if:

• You switch between the same set of apps dozens of times a day and want those switches to be instant, muscle-memory reflexes.
• You want zero visual overhead — no list, no panel, no search box — when moving between running apps.
• You prefer a one-time purchase over tip-ware or uncertain maintenance cadence.
• Your apps are already running and you need to navigate the session, not set it up.

Manico wins when switching apps becomes as automatic as pressing Cmd+S to save. Buy Manico for $15 if that is the problem you are solving.

The combination that works best

Many power users use Bunch and Manico together, and the workflow fits naturally:

1. Start the day, open a Bunch to launch your project context.
2. Use Manico throughout the session to jump between those same apps with single letters.
3. When the project changes, open a different Bunch to swap contexts.
4. Keep using Manico — the same per-app letters work regardless of which Bunch is active.

Bunch handles the scene changes. Manico handles the action inside each scene. The two tools do not conflict because they operate at different moments — one at session start, one continuously throughout.

Both live in the menu bar. Both stay out of your Dock. Both are the kind of tool that becomes invisible quickly — you forget it is there because it just does the thing.

For more on what Manico does inside an active session, visit the home page or go directly to buy Manico for $15. If you are evaluating Manico against other switchers rather than launchers, the Manico vs Alfred and Manico vs Raycast comparisons cover the keyboard-launcher side, and the AltTab vs Contexts vs Witch 3-way covers the cycling-switcher side.