Moom is a strange one to compare, because it is really two tools stitched into one. Half of it is a snapping tool: custom grids, keyboard shortcuts, the same job as Rectangle or Magnet. The other half lets you save a layout and bring it back later, including tied to a specific display arrangement or a schedule. That second half is where Moom and Putback overlap, and since Putback added named Scenes and triggers, the overlap is wider than it used to be. It is worth being precise about what it covers now and where it still stops.
What overlaps and what does not
Putback still does its original job first: it learns your actual window layout per desk and puts it back automatically when a display setup appears, no saving required. On top of that it now has Scenes, named arrangements you switch to by hotkey or click, with optional triggers for a schedule or a calendar event. That is the part that lines up with Moom's saved-layout-plus-rule model. Outside of it, the two are still not real substitutes: Moom's snapping and custom grids have no Putback equivalent, and Putback makes no attempt to arrange a window you are actively dragging.
Within the overlap, the difference is how each arrangement gets made. Moom has you build a layout on a grid and save it on purpose, ahead of time, then write a rule for when it should apply. A Putback scene is whatever windows are already open when you name it, saved in one click, with no grid to design. If you rearranged three windows an hour ago and never told Moom to re-save, it will still apply the old layout it has on file. A Putback scene reflects whatever you saved it as, and the automatic per-desk memory underneath it never needed saving at all.
Configuration appetite is the other axis
Moom rewards people who like building things: a custom grid for your ultrawide, a saved layout per project, a rule for when each one should trigger. That is a real strength for the right kind of user. Putback still asks less of you for the basics: no grid to design, nothing to save for the layout you already have. Naming a scene is the one small step Putback adds, and it takes one click on windows you have already arranged, not a layout built from scratch. Triggers are optional and off by default.
The honest takeaway: keep Moom for snapping if you already rely on its grids and shortcuts. Add Putback for the automatic restore either way, and lean on its Scenes if you want named arrangements on a hotkey without building anything for them in advance. The two coexist fine, since Putback does not touch anything Moom is actively arranging.
How they actually differ
| Aspect | Putback | Moom |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Restores your actual layout automatically, plus named Scenes for arrangements you want on call | Snapping and custom grids, plus saved layouts |
| Save model | Per-desk memory learns continuously; a Scene saves whatever is already open in one click | You design and save a layout yourself |
| Restore trigger | Automatic on display change; Scenes switch by hotkey, click, schedule, or calendar event | Can trigger a saved layout on display change |
| Per setup memory | Separate memory for every display setup, and Scenes work independent of display count | Separate saved layouts and rules you manage |
| Configuration appetite | None required for restore; naming a Scene is optional and quick | Rewards people who enjoy configuring |
| Price model | $19 once, 7 day free trial | See Moom's own site for current pricing |
Based on Moom's public documentation; tools evolve, check their site for current details.
Who should pick which
If you already lean on Moom's grids and enjoy setting up saved layouts and trigger rules, there is no reason to give that up. If the part you actually want is your desk showing up the way you left it, plus a couple of named arrangements you can call up on a hotkey without building them in advance, that is the part Putback covers. See the wider comparison against Rectangle, Magnet and Stay in Putback compared with every Mac window tool, the reason any of this happens in the first place in why Mac windows move, the bigger picture in which kind of Mac window manager you actually need, or how Putback stacks up against Stay's manual snapshot model in Putback vs Stay.
Questions, answered.
Is Moom a restorer or a snapping tool?
Both. Moom's core is snapping and custom grids, the same job as Rectangle or Magnet. On top of that it lets you save a layout and trigger it again later, including when a specific display arrangement appears. That saved-layout side is the part that overlaps most with Putback.
What is the real difference between Moom and Putback?
Putback still restores what you actually had, automatically, per desk, with nothing to save. On top of that it now has Scenes: named arrangements you switch to by hotkey or click, which is closer to what Moom's saved layouts do. The difference is how each gets made. Moom has you build a layout on a grid and save it ahead of time. A Putback scene is whatever windows are already open, saved in one click, no grid to design.
Do I need to configure Putback the way I configure Moom?
Not for the basics. There is still nothing to set up beyond installing Putback; it starts learning your per-desk layout immediately. Scenes add one small step if you want them: naming an arrangement you already have. Triggers (a schedule, or a calendar event with a video call) are optional and off by default. Moom's custom grids and per-layout rules remain a deeper commitment if that is what you enjoy.
Should I replace Moom with Putback?
The saved-layout and trigger overlap is real now, and some people will find Putback covers it fully. Moom's snapping and custom grids are still useful on their own, and Putback does not do either. Many people keep Moom for arranging windows by hand and rely on Putback for both the automatic restore and the named scenes that bring a desk back exactly.
Keep Moom for snapping. Add Putback for restoring and Scenes.
Putback learns your layout while you work and restores it in about 0.4 seconds, and lets you name arrangements as Scenes you switch to with one hotkey.
Free for 7 days · then $19, once · macOS 14+