rcmd alternative for Mac: jump to apps by letter, or pick the exact window?
rcmd has one great idea: hold the right ⌘ key, press the first letter of an app, and you're in it. No list to tab through. If you're searching for an rcmd alternative, it's usually for one of two reasons. Either letter-jumping never quite stuck, or you keep landing in the right app and the wrong window. This page sets out what rcmd does today, which kind of switching each approach is good at, and what to use instead (or alongside it).
What rcmd is today
Most of what's written about rcmd describes an older app. The details below are from the developer's own page, checked in October 2026.
- The core trick. Hold right ⌘ and press a letter: ⌘S for Safari, ⌘M for Mail. Apps get letters automatically, and you can pin your own with right ⌘ + right ⌥ + a letter. The same combo launches the app if it isn't running. Left ⌘ keeps working normally.
- It now does windows too. rcmd 3 adds a ⌘Tab replacement that cycles through recent windows, ⌘` to cycle one app's windows (across Spaces), fuzzy search of apps and windows, Space navigation by number, and "Stages", which save and restore a set of windows.
- Price. It's a direct download now. There's a 14-day trial of Pro, then the app keeps running in a Free mode that the developer says is free forever. Pro is a €15 lifetime licence. The older App Store version (2.7.1, macOS 13 or later) is labelled discontinued.
- Free vs Pro. In rcmd's own comparison table, the free version includes letter switching, custom keys, Spaces by number, Tab cycling between recent windows, the ⌘Tab replacement and the Keylume on-screen key hints. Fuzzy search, Stages, instant Space switching, ⌥+letter window jumping, moving windows between Spaces and mouse-follows-focus are Pro.
So rcmd is no longer an app-only tool. That changes the question. You're not choosing between apps and windows any more. You're choosing how your hands find the thing.
Two reflexes: recall vs recognition
Letter-jumping is recall. You have to know where you're going before you press anything. "I want Mail" becomes ⌘M, one motion, no looking. Nothing beats it for the five or six apps you live in, and it doesn't get slower as you open more windows.
A visual window switcher is recognition. You hold a key and see your windows, most recent first, and pick one. You don't need to know what it's called. It works when your target is "the other Chrome window, the one with the pull request". Letters name apps, not windows, and three windows of the same app all have the same name.
Most people's day is a mix of both. You know you want Slack. You don't know which of four Finder windows has the folder in it. That's why the honest answer is often "both", not "one".
The best rcmd alternatives at a glance
| rcmd | Let's Switch | AltTab | Cmd-Tab (built in) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main gesture | Right ⌘ + letter | Hold ⌥, tap ⇥ | Hold ⌥, tap ⇥ (default) | Hold ⌘, tap ⇥ |
| Unit | App (windows via cycling/search) | Window | Window | App |
| Window previews | Not stated | Yes, live, every monitor | Yes | No (app icons) |
| Order | Letter; recent windows on ⌘Tab | Most recent window first | Configurable | Most recent app first |
| Type to find | Pro (fuzzy search) | Pro (⌥Space palette) | Yes | No |
| Price | Free tier; Pro €15 once | Free; Pro $9.99 once | Free, open source | Included |
| Touches ⌘Tab | Replaces it (optional) | No, it stays as it is | No | — |
Let's Switch: when the window is the point
Let's Switch is built for the recognition reflex. Hold ⌥ and tap ⇥ and you get every open window across every app and every monitor, each with a live preview, most recently used first. Release and you're on it. ⌥` cycles just the current app's windows. That's the fix for "Cmd-Tab got me to Chrome, now which Chrome?"
The switcher is free, permanently, not a trial. Pro is $9.99 once. It adds an ⌥Space search palette, where you type a few letters of a window's title and press ↵. Press ⌥Space again and the same box launches any installed app. No subscription, no account (just a licence key), up to 20 devices per key, and no telemetry.
It's newer than rcmd and AltTab, and it doesn't try to do Spaces navigation or saved workspaces. If that's what you love about rcmd Pro, keep rcmd. Let's Switch only does the window-picking part, and it's built to be quick at it.
AltTab: free, open source, configurable
AltTab is the default recommendation for good reason. It's free and open source, shows window thumbnails, and has more settings than most people will touch. If open source matters to you, start there. We compared it in detail in DockDoor vs AltTab.
Built-in ⌘Tab and ⌘`
If you only ever switch between two or three apps, the built-in Cmd-Tab is already the fastest tool on your Mac: one tap goes back to the last app. Pair it with ⌘` for same-app windows and you may not need anything.
Can you run rcmd and a window switcher together?
Yes, and it's arguably the best setup. On paper the keys don't collide. rcmd lives on the right ⌘ key plus letters. Let's Switch uses ⌥⇥, ⌥` and ⌥Space, with no letters. Use rcmd to jump to an app you know, and the window switcher when you need to see what's open. If you turn on rcmd's ⌘Tab replacement or its Pro ⌥+letter window jumping, test your combination for a day before you rely on it. Shortcut conflicts depend on your settings.
Which should you pick?
- You know your apps by name and want one keystroke: rcmd. Its free tier is generous.
- You lose time choosing between windows of the same app: Let's Switch, free.
- You want free and open source above all: AltTab.
- You want saved workspaces and instant Space jumps: rcmd Pro.
- You switch between two apps all day: keep ⌘Tab.
If your switching starts with "where's that window?", a visual switcher will save you more time than any letter can. For more options, see our full Cmd-Tab alternatives roundup and the guide to opening apps with a keyboard shortcut.
Frequently asked questions
Is rcmd still free? Partly. After the 14-day Pro trial, rcmd keeps running in a Free mode that includes letter switching, custom keys and its ⌘Tab replacement. Fuzzy search, Stages and window jumping need the €15 Pro licence.
Does rcmd switch windows or only apps? Both now. Letters still jump to apps, and version 3 adds recent-window cycling, same-app cycling and (in Pro) fuzzy window search.
What's the best free rcmd alternative? For window switching, AltTab (open source) or the free tier of Let's Switch. For letter-per-app launching, macOS can also give any app a shortcut through Shortcuts. Our open-an-app-with-a-shortcut guide covers how.
Does Let's Switch replace ⌘Tab? No. It runs on ⌥⇥ and leaves ⌘Tab exactly as it is, so you keep both.