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Cooldock alternatives

2 open-source projects that already do this job. Free to use - not free to run, which is what the numbers on the right are for.

The full assessment →

The projects

glzr-io/zebar3,009GPL-3.0Cross-platform customizable taskbar and desktop widget host for creating panels and live widgets.Open on GitHub josejuanqm/docky1,081GPL-3.0A macOS Dock replacement with configurable layout, live widgets, window switcher, and scripted actions.Open on GitHub

What you give up either way

Polish of a shipped commercial product (animations, design polish, edge-case UX)
Built-in paid-license, payments, refunds, and customer portal
Ongoing curated widget catalogue and integrations (e.g., Dropbox, Supabase, Shopify, Resend) out of the box
Mac app notarization, cross-device licensing management, and official support

An open-source project doing the core job proves a replacement is possible. It does not prove it matches Cooldock, and it does not prove anyone has run it for a month. How we decide.