Compare · updated July 2026
Orbital vs Charmstone
Charmstone and Orbital agree on the big idea — launching should happen at your cursor, not in a centered search bar. Charmstone arranges up to eight apps around the pointer behind a modifier combo; Orbital opens a full radial dial of apps, windows, clipboard, workspaces, and system actions on a middle click.
Pick Charmstone if
- You want a tiny, focused app switcher and nothing else
- You run older Macs — Charmstone reaches back to macOS 10.15
- Eight well-chosen apps cover your whole day
Pick Orbital if
- You want windows, clipboard history, workspaces, and system actions in the same gesture
- You'd rather click a mouse button than hold a modifier and move
- You want a full dial with sections, presets, and themes
Side by side
| Orbital | Charmstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €9.99 one-time · 2 Macs | Free tier · Full version $9.99 one-time |
| Free trial | 7 days, every feature, no card | Freemium — core is free for good |
| Trigger | Middle click (default) or ⌥ Space | Hold a modifier combo (⌥⌘ default) and move the mouse |
| Opens at the cursor | Yes — radial dial at the cursor | Yes — icons appear around the pointer |
| Middle-click support | Yes — default, any mouse | No — modifier + mouse movement, no button trigger |
| Scope | Apps · Windows · Clipboard · Workspaces · Actions | App launching & switching (8 directional slots) |
| Platform | macOS 15+ (Apple silicon & Intel) | macOS 10.15+ (widest support in this space) |
Charmstone details from charmstone.app and public listings, last checked July 2026. Spotted something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Where Charmstone shines
Charmstone comes from Ryan Hanson, the developer behind Rectangle, and it shows: it is light, stable, and generous — the free tier is genuinely useful, and spatial memory (your browser is always “up-left”) makes it very fast for a fixed set of apps.
Where Orbital differs
Orbital treats the cursor menu as a command surface, not just a switcher. The same middle click that launches apps also focuses any open window, pastes from encrypted clipboard history, restores a saved window setup, and runs system actions — five sections on one dial, one Accessibility permission, €9.99 once for two Macs.
Common questions
- Is Charmstone free?
- Charmstone has a free tier with real functionality; the full version is a $9.99 one-time purchase. Orbital is €9.99 one-time for two Macs after a 7-day full trial.
- Does Charmstone support middle-click?
- No. Charmstone opens by holding a modifier combination (⌥⌘ by default) while moving the mouse. Orbital opens on a middle click by default — rebindable to any spare mouse button — or with ⌥ Space.
- Can Charmstone manage windows or clipboard history?
- No — Charmstone focuses on launching and switching apps. Orbital's dial includes open-window switching, encrypted clipboard history, saved workspaces, and system actions alongside app launching.
Try the middle-click dial.
Every feature free for 7 days — no card, no account.
Download Orbital 0.2.6