Many Displays vs sideOS
Many Displays and sideOS are both personal productivity tools. Many Displays is aimed at developers and freelancers, while sideOS is aimed at freelancers and developers. Only Many Displays has a free plan.
Mac menu bar app that restores windows after sleep, unlock or replug
Voice-driven Mac agent in the notch with local dictation and meetings
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Freelancers, Creators, Small businesses | Freelancers, Developers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | macos | macos |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Many Displays if
Mac users with docks or several external monitors, especially identical ones, who are tired of rearranging windows after every sleep.
- Works with zero setup: no layouts to name, save or trigger
- Built specifically for identical monitors that macOS swaps
- No network access, analytics or account inside the app
Look elsewhere if: People who want keyboard tiling or saved workspace presets rather than automatic restore (Rectangle, Moom).
Choose sideOS if
Mac professionals who want a private voice agent, dictation and meeting notes in one app they pay for once.
- One-time licence with all future updates and no subscription
- No account and no sideOS server between you and the model
- Dictation and meeting transcription stay on the Mac
Look elsewhere if: Windows or mobile users and teams that need shared meeting notes or admin controls (Granola, Raycast).
Many Displays vs sideOS pricing
Many Displays
- Free trial$014 days with every feature, no account or card
- Licence$19One-time; 1 person, up to 3 Macs, 12 months of updates
- BusinessCustomOne licence per employee; volume pricing by email
sideOS
- Lifetime licence$89.90One-time; one Mac at a time, every future update included
- AI model usageVariesPaid to your own provider, about 2 to 5 cents per command
Many Displays · Key features
- Automatic window restore after wake, unlock, login or monitor replug
- Identical monitors told apart by system UUID and physical port
- One remembered layout per combination of displays
- Restores arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, rotation and HDR first
- Reads the window server list in about 20 ms instead of polling apps
- Remembers and restores windows on other Spaces, not just the visible one
Cons
- macOS only, with no Windows or Linux version
- Cannot move windows between Spaces on macOS 14.5 and later
- Updates after the first year require buying a new licence
sideOS · Key features
- Hold-to-talk agent that reads the screen, clicks, types and runs AppleScript
- On-device dictation into any app in 62 languages at no extra cost
- Meeting recording for Zoom, Meet and Teams with on-device Whisper and speakers
- Background tasks with web search, file access and approved shell commands
- Reminders that can complete a task before they fire
- One-click MCP connections for Gmail, Calendar, Notion, Slack and GitHub
Cons
- Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later only
- Agent use adds API costs unless you run a local model
- No free trial or refund window stated on the site
Many Displays vs sideOS: FAQ
Do Many Displays and sideOS have a free plan?
Many Displays has a free plan. sideOS has no free plan.