Otterdock Free vs Pro: Exact Limits, What Pro Unlocks, When to Upgrade
Free is two groups of eight items with no time limit. Pro, a one-time US$6.99 purchase, removes both limits and adds skins and the Direct custom opener.
Free Otterdock has no trial period: two groups, up to eight items each, with widgets, the Direct popup, hover, global shortcuts and Dock sync all included. Pro is a one-time purchase (US$6.99 reference price) that removes the group and item limits and unlocks Pro skins; in the Direct edition it also unlocks the custom opener. Widget sizes stay 4, 8 and 12 items in both tiers.
On this page
Otterdock's free tier is designed to be useful on its own, not to be a crippled preview. Most of the features people search for, including the Direct edition's popup, hover, global shortcuts and automatic Dock sync, are free. Pro is about capacity and looks. This page lists the exact limits so you can tell in advance whether you will hit them.
The exact limits
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Groups | 2 | Unlimited |
| Items per group | 8 | Unlimited |
| Apps, files, folders and web links in one group | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop and Notification Center widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Widget capacity (small / medium / large) | 4 / 8 / 12 items | 4 / 8 / 12 items |
| Direct: automatic Dock sync | Yes | Yes |
| Direct: custom popup on click or hover | Yes | Yes |
| Direct: global shortcut per group | Yes | Yes |
| Launch all items (Command-A, Launch Group) | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in icon styles (Shelf, Gradient, Otter) | Yes | Yes |
| Pro skins (Ocean Wave, Sunset Warm and future packs) | No | Yes |
| Direct: custom opener for files | No | Yes |
| Price | US$0 | One-time, US$6.99 reference price |
The Mac App Store edition has the same free and Pro limits; its Dock behaviour differs for sandbox reasons rather than pricing reasons. Those differences are covered in Direct vs Mac App Store.
What two groups of eight actually covers
Two groups sounds small until you count. A typical setup:
- Work (8 items): mail, calendar, browser, notes, a chat app, the current project folder, a timesheet link, a shared drive.
- Create (8 items): editor, terminal, design app, repository folder, issue tracker link, documentation link, screenshot tool, a reference PDF.
That is sixteen items organized behind two Dock icons, with everything else left to Spotlight. Many people never need more. The free tier is the right place to find out, which is why there is no expiry.
How you fill those groups matters more than the count; building workflow groups on the Mac Dock shows two realistic layouts.
What Pro unlocks
Unlimited groups and items. You hit this when you want a third group (say "Personal" alongside "Work" and "Create") or when a group wants a ninth item. Otterdock tells you at the moment you try, and nothing is lost if you decide to wait.
Pro skins. The free icon styles (Shelf, Gradient, Otter) already make groups distinct. Skins are full icon designs layered behind your items, currently Ocean Wave and Sunset Warm, with more planned. If you keep many groups in the Dock, skins are the fastest way to tell them apart. How styles and skins differ from macOS folder icons is in how to customize Dock icons on macOS.
Custom opener (Direct edition only). Choose which app opens files from a group, by file extension with per-item exceptions: Markdown in your editor, PDFs in a particular reader, images in a specific viewer, without changing the system default. The sandbox keeps this out of the App Store edition. See open files with a specific app on Mac.
What Pro does not change
- Widget capacity. Small 4, medium 8, large 12, in both tiers. Pro gives you more groups to point widgets at, not bigger widgets.
- Edition features. Pro on the App Store edition does not add the popup, hover or global shortcuts; those are Direct features regardless of tier.
- Mac requirements, permissions or privacy. Identical in both tiers.
Price, purchase and ownership
Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The reference price is US$6.99; your checkout or local App Store sets the final amount and currency.
- Direct edition: buy a license key at checkout (payments handled by Creem), paste it into Otterdock Settings > License. The key can be deactivated on one Mac and activated on another. 30-day refund policy. Details: how Otterdock payments work with Creem.
- Mac App Store edition: buy inside the app. The purchase belongs to your Apple Account and comes back on any Mac through Restore Purchases. Refunds follow Apple's process.
A purchase is tied to the edition where it was made. If you are unsure which edition you want, decide that first using the installation guide, run free for a week, then buy.
When to upgrade
Upgrade when one of these happens, and not before:
- You try to create a third group and actually want it.
- A group needs a ninth item and splitting it would make it worse.
- You have several groups in the Dock and keep clicking the wrong one; skins fix that.
- (Direct) You keep opening a file from a group and then re-opening it in a different app.
If none of these has happened, stay on free. A plain Finder folder in the Dock is also still an option for a single collection with no software at all; see how to add folders to the macOS Dock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the free tier a trial that expires?
No. Two groups of eight items are free for as long as you want, with no watermark, nag timer or feature expiry.
Is Pro a subscription?
No. Pro is a one-time purchase in both editions. There is no renewal and no annual fee.
If I buy Pro on the Direct edition, do I get it in the Mac App Store edition too?
No. The two editions are separate products with separate purchases. Choose the edition you will keep using before buying.
Does Pro make widgets show more items?
No. Widget capacity is fixed by size: 4, 8 or 12 items. Pro removes the group and per-group limits, which means you can have more and larger groups to point widgets at, but a single widget still shows at most 12.
What happens to my groups if I stop using Pro?
Nothing is deleted. Groups and items beyond the free limits stay visible; you just cannot add new groups or items past the limit until you are back on Pro.