Flick and rcmd, side by side

The short answer

They solve different problems. rcmd, from The low-tech guys, turns the right ⌘ key into an app switcher: hold it and press an app's letter, and that app comes forward, or opens if it isn't running. Its free version also replaces ⌘Tab with window cycling and jumps between Spaces by number; rcmd Pro adds fuzzy search of apps and windows, Stages and instant Space switching.

Flick works one level down, at the window. Hold ⌥ and tap Tab for a list of every window on every Space, most recent first, and type to narrow it; picking one takes you to that exact window, or with a license to a browser tab. Because the two use different keys, you can run both.

At a glance

When rcmd fits better

• You think in apps. With rcmd, each app has a chord that works from anywhere, and the same chord opens the app if it's closed. Letters are assigned for you, and you can set your own. There's no list to read, which is hard to beat for a handful of apps you use all day. In Flick you type a few letters and let go.
• You work across many Spaces. Right ⌘ with 1 to 9 jumps to a Space; rcmd Pro switches Spaces without the sliding animation and moves the focused window to another Space. Flick takes you to a window's Space when you pick it, but doesn't jump to Spaces by number or move windows between them.
• You want saved workspaces. rcmd Pro's Stages save and restore workspaces. Flick has nothing like them.
• You're on macOS 13 Ventura. rcmd's update feed lists macOS 13 as its minimum. Flick needs macOS 14.

When Flick fits better

• You keep several windows per app. Three Safari windows are three rows with their titles, so you pick the one you mean instead of bringing Safari forward and then cycling. Every window in one list
• You want search without a paid tier. Flick's search is in its free version, which covers your 5 most recent windows; a license extends it to every window. In rcmd, fuzzy search of apps and windows is a Pro feature. Flick's search also offers apps that aren't open when few windows match. Open apps from search
• You need browser tabs. With a license, Flick finds tabs by title or address in Safari, Chrome, Chrome Beta, Brave and Edge. rcmd doesn't switch tabs.
• You'd rather not grant Screen Recording. Flick never asks for it. What the Screen Recording permission allows

Price and licensing

As of October 2026, rcmd's free version is free forever, and rcmd Pro is a lifetime license for €15, priced in euros. You can try the Pro features for 14 days without a card; when the trial ends, rcmd keeps working with the free features. Refunds are accepted within 14 days of purchase (rcmd's website).

Like rcmd, Flick has a free version that never expires, covering your 5 most recent windows; its license is a one-time payment in US dollars for each Mac, with every 1.x update included. Pricing

Permissions and privacy

rcmd's FAQ says it needs Screen Recording to read the titles of your open windows, which its switcher, Stages and window previews rely on, and that it doesn't record or capture your screen. On current macOS you'll find that permission in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording (Apple Support).

Flick reads window titles through Accessibility instead, so it never needs Screen Recording; it also asks for Automation for each browser whose tabs you turn on. The permissions Flick uses, and why

Using both

rcmd's documented shortcuts use the right ⌘ key with letters, digits and [ ], ⌥ with letters and digits (rcmd Pro), Caps Lock for Stages by default, plus ⌘Tab and ⌘`. None of them is ⌥Tab, Flick's default, so the two can run side by side.

1. Keep Flick on ⌥Tab

   Leave Option ⌥ + Tab selected in Settings › Shortcuts. Command mode would take ⌘Tab and, by default, ⌘` away from rcmd's window cycling, and only one app can have each shortcut.

2. Leave ⌘` to rcmd

   With the ⌥Tab trigger, Flick doesn't touch ⌘`. Its own shortcut for the front app's windows, ⌥`, stays off unless you turn it on.

3. Split the work

   Use rcmd's letters to jump to an app. Use Flick when you need one window of several, a window on another Space, or a browser tab: hold ⌥, tap Tab and type part of its title.

Questions