Flick and Command-Tab Plus 2, side by side

The short answer

Command-Tab Plus 2, from MacPlus Software, is an alternative to the macOS app switcher. It lists your apps, and while it's open, Z or ~ switches between the selected app's windows. Flick starts from windows instead: every open window gets its own row with its title, on every Space and display, and typing a few letters finds the one you mean.

If you think in apps, keep each Space as its own workspace, or care about the look, Command-Tab Plus 2 is the closer fit. If you keep several windows per app, or would rather type a name than step through icons, Flick is. How both compare with the switcher already on your Mac: Flick and ⌘Tab.

At a glance

When Command-Tab Plus 2 fits better

• You think in apps. Its list has one icon per app, like the macOS switcher, so it stays short however many windows you have open. Number shortcuts pick an app without tapping Tab again and again.
• Each Space is its own workspace. By default it shows only the apps running on the current display or Space, and it leaves out apps you've hidden, so what belongs elsewhere stays out of the way. Flick lists every Space and display unless you turn on Show only the active Space, has no filter for a single display, and keeps hidden apps' windows in the list.
• You want your own shortcut and look. You can open it with ⌘Tab, ⌥Tab or any other shortcut, and use a built-in skin or make your own. Flick's switcher uses only ⌥Tab or ⌘Tab (only its search shortcut can be changed), and its panel is always dark.
• Your Mac runs something older than macOS 14. Command-Tab Plus 2 needs macOS 14 Sonoma too, but MacPlus still links an earlier version that runs on macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later. Flick needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

When Flick fits better

• You keep several windows of one app. Three Safari windows are three rows, each with its title, so you pick the window in one step rather than picking the app and then stepping through its windows. How every window gets its own row
• You'd rather type than look. Type a few letters of an app name, a window title or the file a window shows, and the best match is selected: “vsc” finds Visual Studio Code. MacPlus's page for Command-Tab Plus 2 doesn't mention search.
• Your windows are spread out. Windows on other Spaces, in full screen, on other displays and minimized to the Dock are all in one list. Picking one takes you to its Space, and a minimized window comes back from the Dock.
• You want browser tabs in the same place. With a license, search finds open tabs in Safari, Google Chrome, Brave and Microsoft Edge by title or address. Command-Tab Plus 2's page doesn't mention tabs; MacPlus sells a separate app for them, Tab Finder 2, from $14.99 as of October 2026, which also covers browsers Flick doesn't, such as Opera, Vivaldi and Orion.
• You act on windows without switching to them. Close, minimize, hide or quit from the list with ⌥⇧W, ⌥⇧M, ⌥⇧H and ⌥⇧Q.

Price and licensing

As of October 2026, MacPlus sells two editions on its store, each a one-time payment before VAT or sales tax. Standard is $9.99, described as a “License for 1 Mac, valid for a year.” Lifetime is $29.99 for 3 Macs and includes free upgrades to version 3 and later. There's a free trial, 14 days according to its download link. The store doesn't spell out what “valid for a year” covers, so if that matters to you, ask MacPlus before you buy.

Flick has no yearly term: you pay once for each Mac, every 1.x update is included, and the free version, which switches between your 5 most recent windows, never expires. Pricing

Permissions and privacy

MacPlus's page doesn't say which macOS permissions Command-Tab Plus 2 asks for, so we haven't listed any. Whatever app you use, System Settings › Privacy & Security shows which apps you've allowed under each permission.

Flick needs Accessibility, which macOS requires for any app that switches other apps' windows, plus Automation for each browser whose tabs you turn on. The permissions Flick uses

Moving from Command-Tab Plus 2

1. Give each app its own shortcut

   Give the two apps different shortcuts, so each key opens one switcher. If Command-Tab Plus 2 is on ⌘Tab, Flick's default, ⌥Tab, leaves it alone, and you can try them side by side. To put Flick on ⌘Tab, first quit Command-Tab Plus 2 or move it to another shortcut, then choose Command ⌘ + Tab in Settings › Shortcuts. ⌥Tab or ⌘Tab: which to choose

2. Keep an app-first list, if you like one

   In Settings › General, set Tab grouping to Group by app. Each app becomes one row with a window count, and → shows its windows, much like Z or ~ in Command-Tab Plus 2; ← goes back. How Group by app works

3. Show only the Space you're on

   Turn on Show only the active Space in Settings › General. With more than one display, Flick keeps the Space showing on each of them; there's no setting for a single display.

4. Use the number keys

   Hold ⌥ and press 1 to 9 to switch to that row, even before the panel appears (⌘1 to ⌘9 with the ⌘Tab trigger).

5. Leave out apps you never switch to

   Flick lists hidden apps' windows. To keep an app out of the list altogether, right-click one of its rows and choose Ignore followed by the app's name, or add it under Ignored Apps in Settings › Exceptions.

Questions