No Permission Needed
The otter creates native Dock folder shortcuts for you — click to expand, no extra permissions required.
Let a Little Otter
Tidy Your Dock
Too many apps piling up on your Dock? Let the little otter organize and stash them into neat groups for you!
Free to try · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Dev Tools
CursorXcodeVS CodeWebStorm
Zed
Sourcetree
Communication
Lark›Discord›WeChat›Notion›
AI Assistants
ChatGPTPerplexityArcHover over a group icon to try
How It Works
Built for Speed and Flow
Hotkeys, keyboard nav, hover, click — your Dock responds the way you think.
Hover Mode with Permission
Grant Accessibility and hover over a group to expand it instantly. One less click, one step faster.
Global HotkeysFull version
Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+6 to instantly open groups from any app. Customize keys per group. No extra permissions needed.
Full Keyboard NavigationFull version
Navigate popups with arrow keys, open with Enter, close with Esc. Key hints shown at bottom.
Just Drag It In
Apps, files, folders — drag them into a group and the otter keeps them tidy.
Dress Up Your Icons
Shelf, Gradient, Otter and more icon skins — some exclusive to Pro. You can import your own too.
Speaks Your Language
5 languages: Chinese, English, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. Follows system or switch anytime.
Your Data Stays Local
Your groups stay on your Mac — no cloud sync, no accounts. Anonymous usage analytics via TelemetryDeck and PostHog help us improve the app.
Trusted by Mac Users
Built for Real Workflows
Otterdock is designed around how people actually work — fast, private, and distraction-free.
Privacy-First
All data stored locally on your Mac. No cloud, no accounts, no tracking.
One-Time Purchase
No subscription fees. Pay once, use forever with free updates.
5 Languages
EN, 中文, 日本語, Español, Português
macOS Native
Built with Swift & SwiftUI. Optimized for Apple Silicon and Intel.
“A tidy Dock is a tidy mind. Otterdock turns a chaotic row of icons into organized workflow groups — so you spend less time searching and more time doing.”
Pricing
Simple, Fair Pricing
One purchase, all features. No subscriptions, no hidden fees.
Full Power
Full Version
$6.99
one-time purchase
- ✓All features + Pro skins
- ✓Hover-to-expand mode
- ✓Sparkle auto-updates
- ✓Priority email support
30-day money-back guarantee
Coming Soon
Mac App Store
$2.99
one-time purchase
- ✓Core features included
- ✓Click-to-expand mode
- ✓App Store updates
- ✓Sandboxed for security
Coming Soon
Some system-level features are limited by App Store sandboxing.
Compare Editions
Which Edition Is Right for You?
Both editions share the same core experience. The Full edition unlocks all system-level features.
| Feature | Full | App Store |
|---|---|---|
| Create workflow groups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag-and-drop items | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom icon skins | ✓ | ✓ |
| Click-to-expand mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hover-to-expand mode | ✓ | — |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | ✓ | — |
| Full keyboard navigation | ✓ | — |
| In-group item sorting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-language support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic updates | Sparkle | App Store |
| Local-only data storage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited groups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Items per group | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium icon skins | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom File Opener | ✓ | — |
| Price | $6.99 | $2.99 |
Coming Soon
Mac App Store
Sandboxed edition
Coming Soon
Available soon on the Mac App Store
Changelog
v1.0.0 — Otter is Here
The first official release of Otterdock is now live.
- ✦Unclutter your Dock: Group Apps, files, and folders by scenario — Dev, Chat, AI, everything in its place.
- ✦Clean & Native: No drivers, no root, using official macOS Dock APIs for zero-footprint operation.
- ✦Summon instantly: Global hotkeys (Ctrl+1~6) to call any group from any application.
- ✦Full keyboard control in popups: Type to search, arrows to navigate, ⌘1–9 to open, ⌘A to launch all.
- ✦Custom File Opener (Pro): Define specific apps for different file types based on your workflow.
- ✦5 built-in icon skins: Customize the Look & Feel of your Dock (More skins coming soon!).
- ✦Privacy first: Your data stays local. No cloud, no registration, no tracking.
- ✦Fair Pricing: Two groups forever free, $6.99 for a lifetime license — No subscriptions.
FAQ
You Might Be Wondering
Otterdock is a macOS Dock organizer that lets you group apps, files, folders, and links into expandable workflow groups. Instead of a cluttered row of icons, you get tidy groups that expand on click, hover, or global keyboard shortcuts — with full keyboard navigation inside popups. Your Dock stays clean while everything is one action away.
Apps, files, folders, and links — all in the same group. You can mix different item types freely, so a "Design" group could contain Figma, a project folder, and a reference PDF all together.
No. Click mode works with zero macOS permissions. Grant Accessibility only if you want hover-to-expand — it’s used solely for detecting mouse position on the Dock, nothing else.
Your group configurations, app paths, and preferences are stored locally on your Mac in ~/Library/Application Support/Otterdock/ and never leave your device. Otterdock sends anonymous usage analytics through TelemetryDeck and PostHog to help us understand which features are used — no personal data, file paths, or group names are ever transmitted. You can opt out of all analytics in Settings.
macOS 14 Sonoma and later. Otterdock is built with Swift and SwiftUI, optimized for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Otterdock costs $6.99 as a one-time purchase. No subscription, no hidden fees. Includes all features, Pro skins, free lifetime updates, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Free tier: 2 groups with up to 8 items each.
Native Dock folders only show files inside a folder. Otterdock groups can contain apps, files, folders, and links mixed together. Plus, you get hover-to-expand, customizable icon skins (Shelf, Gradient, Otter, and more — or import your own), and organized popup windows instead of the default Dock folder view.
Email [email protected] within 30 days of purchase for a full refund, no questions asked.