Spacepal vs DeskStag
Pick DeskStag if all you want is clear, colour-coded desktop names inside Mission Control and you prefer a small, focused app. Pick Spacepal if you also want to switch, search and move windows between Spaces from its own overview, save window layouts, or run automations per Space. Both keep native macOS Spaces and work with System Integrity Protection on.
The short version
DeskStag does one job: it draws a coloured label over each desktop thumbnail in Mission Control, and you rename a desktop by clicking its label. Spacepal also shows your names in Mission Control, but that is one feature among many. Its centre is a full-screen overview (⌥Tab) with a live preview of every Space, and around that sit switching shortcuts, window tools, layouts and automation.
So the real question is whether you want a labeller or a Spaces manager.
Feature comparison
| Spacepal | DeskStag | |
|---|---|---|
| Names in Mission Control | Yes, with icon and colour (can be turned off) | Yes, colour labels; click a label to rename inline |
| Names in the menu bar | Yes, several styles | Menu bar presence; a hotkey flashes the current name |
| Switch to a desktop by name | Yes, from the overview search or spacepal://switch/Mail | Yes, from the keyboard |
| Overview with previews of every Space | Yes | Not stated (it uses Mission Control's own view) |
| Shortcut per Space, previous Space | Yes (⌃⌥1…⌃⌥0, ⌃⌥`) | Not stated |
| Move windows between Spaces | Yes, the front window, by shortcut or from a tile's menu in the overview (macOS version limits below) | Not stated |
| Window search across Spaces | Yes (⌃⌥F) | Not stated |
| Save and restore window layouts | Yes; moving windows back depends on your macOS version (below) | Not stated |
| Automation | URL scheme, AppleScript, Raycast extension, actions on entering a Space | Not stated |
| Permissions | Accessibility and Screen Recording | Accessibility only |
| System | macOS 14 or later | macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon only |
| Where to get it | Direct download and Mac App Store | Direct download and Homebrew; not on the App Store |
| Price | One-time purchase, 14-day trial (pricing) | £19.99 / $23.99 one-time, up to 5 Macs, 14-day trial, 1.x updates free |
Competitor details checked 2026-10-27 from deskstag.com. "Not stated" means DeskStag's site does not describe the feature, not that it is impossible.
Where the two differ
Mission Control labels vs your own overview
DeskStag works inside Mission Control: you open it as usual and the "Desktop 1, 2, 3" strip carries your names. If Mission Control is already how you move around, that is the least disruptive change you can make.
Spacepal labels Mission Control as well, but it expects you to use its overview most of the time. The overview shows a large preview of every Space with its name, icon and colour, lets you type to filter by Space name or window title, and switches without the slide animation. Right-click a tile and choose Move Front Window Here to send the front window to that Space. See switching desktops without the animation.
Window and layout tools
DeskStag does not describe any window management. Spacepal moves the front window with ⌃⌥⇧1…⌃⌥⇧0, finds any window on any Space, saves where every window lives and offers to put them back after a restart or when you plug a monitor back in. Spacepal moves windows with a direct macOS call that works, with System Integrity Protection on, on macOS 14.0–14.4 and 26.4 and later. On other versions it falls back to holding the window by its title bar while it switches Spaces, the way you would by hand, and that fallback only works for the front window. Putting windows back on their Spaces uses the direct move only, so it works on macOS 14.0–14.4 and 26.4 and later; on other versions the drag fallback cannot help, because it only moves the front window, and those windows stay on the Space they are on. If windows landing on the wrong desktop is your daily annoyance, read windows on the wrong desktop after restart and moving a window to another desktop.
Permissions and footprint
DeskStag asks for Accessibility only. Spacepal also needs Screen Recording for its previews; the images stay on your Mac. If you would rather not grant Screen Recording to anything, that is a fair reason to pick DeskStag.
Both rely on undocumented parts of macOS
DeskStag's own site says Mission Control's internals are undocumented and a macOS update can pause its labels until a fix ships. Spacepal's Mission Control names work the same way and carry the same risk. Its overview, menu bar and shortcuts do not depend on Mission Control's layout.
When DeskStag is the better choice
- You like Mission Control and only want it to show real names instead of numbers.
- You want to rename a desktop by clicking it right in Mission Control.
- You want a single-purpose app with one permission.
- You are on macOS 13 Ventura, which Spacepal does not support.
- You want a licence that covers up to five Macs at a published price today.
When Spacepal is the better choice
- You want to see what is on each Space before you go there.
- You switch by keyboard a lot and want per-Space shortcuts and a quick way back.
- You move windows between Spaces often, or lose them after a restart.
- You want Spaces to drive automation: profiles, notes, actions on entering a Space, or the spacepal:// URL scheme.
- You want an App Store version. Spacepal has one, though a few features (four-finger tap, adding and removing desktops, restoring browser tabs, AltTab setup) are in the direct version only.
Related
- How to rename desktops on a Mac
- Spacepal vs SpaceJump, another app that labels Mission Control
- Spacepal vs Mission Control
- All comparisons
We make Spacepal, so read this with that in mind. Competitor details come from their own sites and are dated; if something is out of date, email support@getspacepal.com and we will fix it.
Written by Dan Bayer, developer of Spacepal. Last updated 2026-10-27.