Flick and Witch, side by side

The short answer

Both show individual windows rather than one icon per app, both let you search, and both are one-time purchases. Witch, from Many Tricks, is built to be configured: you can set up as many switchers as you like, each with its own shortcut and layout, and it lists tabs in many apps, from Finder and Terminal to Safari and Chrome.

Flick does one job one way. Hold ⌥ and tap Tab, and every window on every Space is in one list, most recent first; type, and the best match moves to the top. It needs macOS 14 or later, has a free version, and with a license finds browser tabs in Safari, Chrome, Brave and Edge.

At a glance

When Witch fits better

• You want several switchers. Witch runs as many switchers as you like, say apps only on ⌘Tab, windows on ⌥Tab and a list in the menu bar, each with its own sort order, orientation and tab handling (Witch help: actions). Flick has one switcher, plus shortcuts for search and the front app's windows.
• You want to see your windows. Witch can show small previews in the list and pop up a larger one of the selected window, automatically or when you press Space (Witch help: appearance). Flick shows icons and titles only.
• You live in tabbed apps. Witch lists tabs in apps that use standard macOS tabs, such as Finder, Terminal and Xcode, and in others like iTerm2 (Witch FAQ: tabs). Flick lists browser tabs only.
• You use iCab, Orion or Opera, or an older Mac. Witch reads tabs in all three, Orion in beta (Witch release notes), and runs on macOS 10.13 or later. Flick supports none of them and needs macOS 14.

When Flick fits better

• You'd rather type than look. Every letter you type while holding ⌥ goes into Flick's search, and letting go switches to the top match. Matching understands initials (“vsc” finds Visual Studio Code) and the names of the files your windows show. How window search works
• You use Spaces and want fewer prompts. Flick lists windows on every Space, full-screen and minimized ones included, with Accessibility alone. It never asks for Screen Recording, and asks for Automation only for browsers whose tabs you turn on.
• You want tabs and windows in one search. With a license, Flick searches tab titles and addresses in Safari, Chrome, Chrome Beta, Brave and Edge, next to your windows. Browser tabs in Flick
• You want to start free. Flick's free version never expires and has every feature except browser tabs, across your 5 most recent windows.

Price and licensing

As of October 2026, Witch costs $14, one time, and owners of an earlier version can upgrade for $8. The license doesn't expire and includes at least a year of free updates; after that, Many Tricks may charge for updates, and the version you own keeps working if you skip them (Witch help: about). A free trial is available; the site doesn't give its length.

Unlike Witch, Flick has a free version that never expires, covering your 5 most recent windows; its license is one-time and per Mac, with every 1.x update included. Pricing

Permissions and privacy

Witch needs Accessibility, turned on for its helper, witchdaemon (Witch help). Previews need Screen Recording; Many Tricks says Witch only snapshots windows to show them in its panel and never sends that data anywhere, and Witch works without previews if you say no (Witch FAQ: Screen Recording). To reach windows on Spaces you haven't visited, Witch uses AppleScript, which macOS asks you to approve once per app (Witch help: advanced).

Flick needs Accessibility, plus Automation for each browser whose tabs you turn on, and never Screen Recording, since it shows no previews. The permissions Flick uses

Moving from Witch

1. Give ⌥Tab to one app

   Witch's first switcher, Cycle Windows, uses ⌥Tab, like Flick, so while both run Flick warns about it in Settings › Shortcuts. The warning names Witch's background helper, witchdaemon: “witchdaemon also uses ⌥Tab”. Change Witch's shortcut and click Don't Warn About witchdaemon (Flick goes by Witch's default), turn Witch off with Enable Witch, or click Use ⌘Tab Instead to move Flick. What each warning button does

2. Learn the new keys

   Flick keeps plain letters for search, so its window actions add ⇧. With the ⌘Tab trigger, use ⌘ in place of ⌥⇧ and ⌥, as in ⌘W and ⌘1.

   To	In Witch	In Flick (⌥Tab)
   Search	S, then type	Just type
   Close the window	W	⌥⇧W
   Minimize it	M	⌥⇧M
   Hide the app	H	⌥⇧H
   Quit the app	Q	⌥⇧Q
   Pick a numbered row	0 to 9	⌥1 to ⌥9

3. Match the settings you relied on

   If you used Witch's Cycle Apps > Windows, set Tab grouping to Group by app in Settings › General: each app becomes one row, and → opens its windows. For a list that opens with search ready, press ⇧⌘Space.

4. Turn on your browsers

   With a license, open Settings › Browser Tabs and turn on each browser whose tabs you want; macOS asks once whether Flick may control it. Safari's tabs are listed only while Include private windows is on.

Questions