Flick and DockDoor, side by side

The short answer

DockDoor is about seeing your windows. Hover over an app in the Dock and previews of its windows appear, as thumbnails, a compact list of titles or large previews. Hold ⌥ and press Tab for a switcher of every open window, with type to search. It also shows the highlighted app's windows above the built-in ⌘Tab switcher. It's free and open source, and needs Accessibility, plus Screen Recording for its previews (its FAQ lists both).

Flick is about typing. It shows no previews: each window is a row with its app icon, app name and title, ranked as you type, with document names, apps to open and, with a license, browser tabs in the same search. It needs Accessibility, plus Automation for each browser whose tabs you turn on, and never Screen Recording. Both start on ⌥Tab, so if you run the two together, give one of them other keys.

At a glance

When DockDoor fits better

• You find windows by sight. Thumbnails and large previews show what's in each window, which helps when several have similar titles. Flick shows titles only.
• You use the Dock. Hovering over an app's Dock icon shows its windows, much like the taskbar on Windows. Flick adds nothing to the Dock.
• You want every feature free, and the code open. Every DockDoor feature is free, and its code is public under GPL-3.0 (DockDoor on GitHub). Flick's free version covers your 5 most recent windows, and Flick isn't open source.
• You want to keep ⌘Tab and add previews to it. DockDoor shows the highlighted app's windows above the built-in ⌘Tab switcher. Flick either leaves ⌘Tab as it is or replaces it.
• Your Mac runs macOS 13 Ventura. DockDoor supports it; Flick needs macOS 14.

When Flick fits better

• You'd rather type than scan. Flick ranks the best match first, understands initials such as “vsc” for Visual Studio Code, matches the file and folder names of the document a window shows, and offers apps that aren't open. How window search works
• You'd rather not grant Screen Recording. Flick never asks for it. To see where the selected window is, set Show where the selected window is to Outline in Settings › Appearance: Flick outlines the window using only its position, never what it shows. What the Screen Recording permission allows
• You want browser tabs. With a license, Flick finds tabs by title or address in Safari, Chrome, Chrome Beta, Brave and Edge, and switches straight to the tab. Browser tabs in Flick
• You want more actions from the keyboard. DockDoor's switcher lists ⌘W, ⌘M and ⌘Q to close, minimize or quit, and lets you set up to three ⌘-key actions. While you hold ⌥, Flick closes the selected window with ⌥⇧W, minimizes it with ⌥⇧M, hides its app with ⌥⇧H and quits it with ⌥⇧Q, and ⌥⇧K opens a menu with Close All Windows, Hide Others, Force Quit and Ignore.

Price and licensing

As of October 2026, DockDoor is free, with every feature included and no subscription, and it's funded by donations. DockDoor Pro is a separate app from the same developer that replaces the Dock, for $20 one time (DockDoor Pro). The maker warns that re-uploaded copies with malware have turned up on other sites, so download DockDoor from its official site.

Flick isn't free in full: its free version covers your 5 most recent windows, and a one-time license for each Mac unlocks every window and browser tabs. Pricing

Permissions and privacy

DockDoor's FAQ says it needs Accessibility and Screen Recording to find your windows and show their previews. Its setup screen calls Screen Recording optional, for preview images, and without it you get only its list of titles (DockDoor's setup screen source). Its site says it has no analytics, no usage tracking and no crash reporters. You can see which apps have Screen Recording in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording (Apple Support).

Flick needs Accessibility, plus Automation for each browser whose tabs you turn on, and never Screen Recording, whichever way you use it. The permissions Flick uses

Both on ⌥Tab

Out of the box, DockDoor's switcher and Flick both open with ⌥Tab. While DockDoor is running and Flick is on ⌥Tab, Flick shows “DockDoor also uses ⌥Tab” in Settings › Shortcuts and in its menu bar menu. Pick one of these:

• Move DockDoor's switcher. In DockDoor's settings, change the switcher's modifier or trigger key. Then click Don't Warn About DockDoor in Flick: Flick goes by DockDoor's default, because it never reads other apps' settings.
• Move Flick to ⌘Tab. Click Use ⌘Tab Instead. Flick then replaces the macOS app switcher while it runs, so skip this if you rely on DockDoor's previews above ⌘Tab. What Command mode takes over
• Use Flick for search only. Turn off Enable switcher shortcut in Flick's Settings › Shortcuts. ⌥Tab stays with DockDoor, and ⇧⌘Space still opens Flick with search ready.

DockDoor's Dock previews come from the pointer, not a shortcut, so they're unaffected. What each warning button does

Questions