Compare · updated July 2026
Orbital vs Radial
Radial and Orbital are the two most ambitious pie menus on the Mac, with opposite centers of gravity. Radial goes deep on automation — snippets, scripts, macros, context-aware menus. Orbital goes deep on the desk itself — windows, clipboard, workspaces, actions — and is the only one of the two that opens on a mouse button.
Pick Radial if
- You want automation in the menu: text snippets, AppleScript, multi-step macros
- Per-app context menus matter to you
- Five-Mac licensing fits your setup
Pick Orbital if
- You want a mouse-button trigger, not another hotkey
- Window switching, clipboard history, and workspaces beat scripting in your day
- You prefer €9.99 to €19.99 (both one-time)
Side by side
| Orbital | Radial | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €9.99 one-time · 2 Macs | €19.99 one-time · 5 Macs (as of July 2026) |
| Free trial | 7 days, every feature, no card | 7 days, no card |
| Trigger | Middle click (default) or ⌥ Space | Keyboard hotkey (customizable) |
| Opens at the cursor | Yes — radial dial at the cursor | Yes — pie menu at the cursor |
| Middle-click support | Yes — default, any mouse | No mouse-button trigger documented |
| Scope | Apps · Windows · Clipboard · Workspaces · Actions | Apps · Files · Snippets · Scripts · Macros · Context menus |
| Platform | macOS 15+ (Apple silicon & Intel) | macOS 15+ |
Radial details from radial.appverge.net and public listings, last checked July 2026. Spotted something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Where Radial shines
Radial has the deepest automation of any Mac pie menu: snippets with variables, shell and AppleScript actions, multi-step macros, and menus that change per app. If you think in workflows, it's a serious tool with real polish.
Where Orbital differs
Orbital spends that depth on the desk instead: every open window one flick away, clipboard history encrypted on-device, whole window layouts captured and restored as workspaces, and system actions built in. It opens on a middle click — your hand never leaves the mouse — and costs half as much.
Common questions
- Is Radial a subscription?
- No — Radial is a one-time purchase (€19.99 for up to 5 Macs as of July 2026) with a 7-day trial. Orbital is also one-time: €9.99 for 2 Macs with a 7-day trial.
- Does Radial have clipboard history or window management?
- Neither is documented — Radial focuses on launching and automation (snippets, scripts, macros). Orbital ships open-window switching, encrypted clipboard history, and saved workspaces as core sections.
- Can Radial open with a mouse button?
- Radial documents keyboard hotkey triggers. Orbital's default trigger is the middle mouse button, rebindable to any spare button, with ⌥ Space as the keyboard fallback.
Try the middle-click dial.
Every feature free for 7 days — no card, no account.
Download Orbital 0.2.6