Best Dock Apps for Mac (2026): 10 Extra Docks and Launch Bars Compared

The macOS Dock is one row of icons. Dock apps add what it leaves out: more bars, groups, tabs, links, or a Windows-style taskbar. This guide compares ten of them by what they add, how they are sold and which macOS they need.

Short answer: our pick for most people who want an extra dock is Jetty: up to four bars on the top, bottom, left or right edge of your screen (or floating), each with tabs of one-click tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts, for a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, macOS 14 or later. If you need a dock on every display, pick DockThings or ExtraDock; if you want a taskbar of open windows, pick uBar.

Disclosure: I build Jetty, so treat "our pick" as the opinion of its developer. Competitor details last checked: 2026-10-10, from each vendor's own pages.

Quick comparison

"Not stated" means the vendor's page does not say; it does not mean the app lacks the feature. Prices are as each vendor page or App Store listing showed them on 2026-10-10; two vendor pages served EUR prices only. Of the ten apps in this table, two had a Mac App Store listing when we checked: Jetty and DockThings.

How we checked

On 2026-10-10 we read each vendor's own product page and, where one exists, the app's Mac App Store listing (through Apple's public lookup), and noted the price model, minimum macOS and what each app says it does. We did not test competitor apps, and we do not quote ratings or download numbers. Jetty's details come from its source code and its App Store listing; I build and use Jetty. The full list is on the Jetty facts page.

What a "dock app" can mean

The apps above do four different jobs, and picking the right job matters more than any feature list:

• Extra docks or bars next to the macOS Dock: Jetty, DockThings, ExtraDock, MultiDock.
• A replacement Dock or taskbar: ActiveDock, uBar.
• Different sets for the macOS Dock itself: DockFlow, Dock Spaces.
• A launcher window or group launcher: Overflow, DockGroups.

Our pick for extra docks: Jetty

Jetty is a Mac app that adds up to four extra docks to the edges of your screen, or floating anywhere. Each bar sits at the start, centre or end of its edge, so you can have one on top for work apps and one on the left for project folders.

• Tabs in every bar. One bar can hold "Design", "Dev" and "Web" tabs instead of one long row.
• Five kinds of tiles. Apps, files, folders (a click lists the folder's contents), websites and Shortcuts from Apple's Shortcuts app.
• Your own icons and layout. The app icon, any SF Symbol or an emoji; 1 to 6 rows or columns; three tile sizes; labels on or off; auto-hide per bar.
• Floating when you want it. Unlock a bar to drag it anywhere; lock it again and it snaps to the nearest edge.
• Mac App Store, one price. $9.99 one-time purchase, no subscription and no in-app purchases; no account; settings stay on your Mac.

Honest limits: Jetty's bars appear on the main display only, you can't set a keyboard shortcut to open a bar, and an auto-hidden bar comes back from Jetty's menu-bar item rather than when you move the pointer to the edge. It does not show open windows and does not change the macOS Dock.

How to add a second dock on Mac

macOS has one Dock, and System Settings has no option for a second one, so a second dock always comes from an app. With Jetty, our pick:

1. Install Jetty from the Mac App Store and open it.
2. Click Jetty's menu-bar item and choose New Dock. New bars start on the top edge.
3. In the bar's settings, pick the edge (top, bottom, left or right) and the alignment (start, centre or end).
4. Drag apps, files or folders from Finder onto the bar, or use Add Tile for websites and Shortcuts.
5. Repeat for a third or fourth bar, or unlock a bar to float it anywhere on the main display.

For a vertical second dock next to the macOS Dock, see move the Dock to the top or side of the screen.

Best for docks on several displays: DockThings or ExtraDock

DockThings (Synium Software) lets you "create as many docks as you like" and says docks "can be assigned to specific screens and snapped to any edge you prefer" (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). It holds files, folders, websites and Shortcuts, is a one-time $9.99 on the US Mac App Store and needs macOS 15. More in Jetty vs DockThings.

ExtraDock 5 (AppitStudio) says "Put a dock on any screen, any edge, or let it float" and adds widgets such as a clock and a shelf (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). Version 5 needs macOS 26; the vendor points users of macOS 12 to 15 to ExtraDock 4. Its page lists a one-year licence, a lifetime licence and a Forever Edition.

Best for panels with tabs outside the App Store: MultiDock 2

MultiDock 2 (MacPlus Software) describes "compact macOS panels for apps, files, and folders" that you pin to a screen edge or float, with tabs (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). It is sold directly, Standard $14.99, and needs macOS 15.

Best for launching a group at once: DockGroups

DockGroups says "Launch every app in a group at once" and has a free tier with two groups and a one-time Pro upgrade at $9.99 (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). It is a group launcher, not a bar on your screen edge. Jetty opens one item per click; to open several apps at once from Jetty, build a shortcut in Apple's Shortcuts app and add it as a Shortcut tile.

Best for a replacement Dock with window previews: ActiveDock 2

ActiveDock 2 calls itself "a full replacement for Apple Launchpad and Dock with many new features", with window previews, groups and folders and multiple-monitor support (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). Its FAQ says it does not create several docks; the same vendor points to MultiDock for that.

Side by side: Jetty vs ActiveDock 2.

Best for a Windows-style taskbar: uBar

uBar 4 says "uBar is the taskbar alternative to the Dock": a bar of open apps and windows with previews, and one bar per screen (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). If you came from Windows and want to see every open window, uBar does that job; Jetty does not list windows. See Jetty vs uBar.

Best for switching the macOS Dock between sets: DockFlow or Dock Spaces

DockFlow saves presets of the native Dock, including "Folders, Files, or website links", and switches between them (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). Dock Spaces is a free, open-source app that saves Dock profiles and swaps them in; its README lists macOS 26 or later. Both change the macOS Dock itself instead of adding bars.

Side by side: Jetty vs Dock Spaces.

Best for a launcher window: Overflow 3

Overflow 3 (Stunt Software) "allows you to quickly and easily launch applications, open documents, or access folders" from a window of collections, and takes URLs too (vendor page, checked 2026-10-10). It is a one-time $14.95.

Side by side: Jetty vs Overflow 3.

Not in this comparison

Keyboard launchers such as Raycast, Alfred and LaunchBar do a different job (type to search), as do window-preview tools such as DockDoor and HyperDock and full Launchpad replacements. If your goal is a fixed set of one-click icons, the apps above fit better; if you like typing, a keyboard launcher may suit you more. DockFix restyles the macOS Dock itself rather than adding docks; see Jetty vs DockFix.

More guides on the Dock

• How to customize the Dock on Mac: every built-in setting and Terminal tweak.
• Mac taskbar: Windows-style taskbar options and what Jetty does not do.
• How to add apps and websites to the Dock.
• Must-have Mac apps: eleven utilities, one per job.

FAQ

What is the best dock app for Mac?

In my opinion as Jetty's developer, Jetty is the best pick for extra docks on your screen edges: up to four bars with tabs, tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts, and a one-time price on the Mac App Store. If you need docks on several displays, DockThings and ExtraDock state that support on their own pages.

Can I have two docks on a Mac?

Not with macOS alone: the system has one Dock. A dock app adds more. Jetty adds up to four bars, each on its own edge position or floating.

Is there a free dock app for Mac?

Dock Spaces is free and open source, but it swaps profiles of the macOS Dock rather than adding a second dock. DockGroups has a free tier with two app groups.

Can I put a dock at the top of the screen on Mac?

The macOS Dock only goes on the left, bottom or right edge. Jetty bars can sit on the top edge too; new bars start there.

Which dock apps are on the Mac App Store?

Of the ten apps compared here, Jetty and DockThings had a Mac App Store listing when we checked on 2026-10-10. The others are sold or downloaded from their vendors' sites.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.