Disclosure: I built Switchboard Browser Picker, one of the apps below. I've tried to give every app a fair shake. Where another app does something better, this page says so. Spot an error? Open an issue and I'll fix it.
Quick picks
Most complete, worth paying for
Velja ($10). Profiles for nearly every browser, link cleanup, desktop-app handoff for Zoom, Teams and Figma links. The latest version needs macOS 26.
Free and open source, with a GUI
Switchboard (MIT) for Chromium profiles, source-app rules and link cleanup. Browserino (GPL-3.0) for a simple picker with regex rules.
Rules as code
Finicky (MIT). Write rules in JavaScript or TypeScript, including rewrites and opener-app checks.
Free, closed source, link cleanup on by default
Switchbar. Profiles, wildcard rules and tracking removal. No source-app rules.
Feature comparison table
"Rules" means rules you set up yourself. "Source-app rules" means rules based on the app where you clicked the link, such as Slack or Mail.
| App | Price | Open source | Min macOS | Picker on click | Site / URL rules | Source-app rules | Chromium profiles | Private windows | Link cleanup | Config |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switchboard | Free | MIT | 14 | Yes | Yes, regex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GUI + JSON |
| Velja | $10 once | No | 26 (older builds for 14, 15) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, widest | Yes | Yes | GUI + JS |
| Finicky | Free | MIT | 12 | No | Yes, regex + JS | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | JS / TS file |
| Choosy | $10 once | No | 15.6 | Yes | Yes, regex | Yes | Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi | Yes | No | GUI |
| OpenIn 4 | $11.99 (App Store) | No | 15.1 | Yes | Yes + JS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | GUI + JS |
| Bumpr | $2.99 once | No | 10.13 | Yes | Domains | Unknown | No | Unknown | Unknown | GUI |
| Browserino | Free | GPL-3.0 | 13 | Yes | Yes, regex | No | No | Yes | No | GUI |
| Switchbar | Free | No | 13 | Yes | Yes, wildcards | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | GUI |
| BrowserFairy | Free tier; Pro $0.99/mo or $8.99/yr | No | 13 | Yes | Yes, wildcards | Yes | Pro only | Unknown | Short links | GUI |
| Linkquisition | Free | MIT | Unknown | Yes | Yes, regex | No | Manual setup | Unknown | Plugins | GUI + JSON |
| Browserosaurus | Free | GPL-3.0 | Discontinued. Repository archived and retired by its author in August 2025. | |||||||
Prices in USD as listed on 17 October 2026 and may change. "Unknown" means the official docs didn't say. Sources are linked in each app's section below.
Switchboard Browser Picker
Free · MIT · macOS 14+ · GitHub
A native SwiftUI menu-bar app. Links with no matching rule open a picker at your cursor, with one row per Chrome, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera or Chromium profile. Rules match on any mix of sites, a regex URL pattern and the app you clicked in. Hold ⌘ while picking to save a rule. Hold ⌥ to open a private window. Since v0.2.0 it also strips tracking parameters and unwraps Outlook SafeLinks, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack redirect links before rules match, entirely on your Mac.
Where it falls short: no short-link expansion or custom URL rewriting, no desktop-app handoff for Zoom or Figma, no Firefox profiles in the picker, and release builds aren't notarized, so the first launch needs a click on Open Anyway in System Settings. Installing with Homebrew avoids that prompt.
Velja: the most complete option
$10 one-time · closed source · sindresorhus.com/velja
Velja is the most polished app in this list. It supports browser profiles in almost every Chromium and Firefox-family browser. It removes more than 200 tracking parameters, expands short links, runs JavaScript URL transforms, opens Zoom, Teams and Figma links in their desktop apps, and sends Google Meet links to Chrome, all without setup. It has browser extensions and Shortcuts support too. The current version needs macOS 26, and older free builds remain for macOS 14 and 15. The trial is fully functional, with a reminder every 12 hours.
Velja vs Switchboard: pick Velja if you want JavaScript URL transforms, short-link expansion, app handoff and the widest browser support, and $10 is fine. Pick Switchboard if you want something free and open source that covers profiles, source-app rules, link cleanup and a picker.
Finicky: rules as code
Free · MIT · macOS 12+ · github.com/johnste/finicky
Finicky is the most popular open-source option (5,000+ GitHub stars). You write rules in a JavaScript or TypeScript file at ~/.finicky.js, matching URLs with wildcards, regex or functions, checking the opener app, and rewriting URLs before they open. Chromium profiles are supported. It has no picker of its own: its README points to a separate app for that. The stable release is v4.2.2. A v4.4 alpha adds a visual rules editor and Firefox profiles.
Finicky vs Switchboard: pick Finicky if you like configuring tools in code and need URL rewriting. Pick Switchboard if you want a picker and a settings window instead of a config file.
Choosy
$10 one-time · closed source · macOS 15.6+ · choosy.app
Choosy has been around since 2007. It offers a row or circle prompt, rich URL matching including regex, source-app rules, and profiles for Chrome, Edge, Brave and Vivaldi. It can also handle AirDrop and Handoff links and has a URL API. The trial lasts 45 days with no limits, and one license covers all your Macs.
Choosy vs Switchboard: similar core features. Choosy is mature, with extras like Handoff handling. Switchboard is free, open source and runs on macOS 14.
OpenIn 4
$11.99 on the App Store, also on Setapp · closed source · macOS 15.1+ · loshadki.app/openin4
OpenIn is the power-user pick. It handles web links, mailto links and file types, with GUI rules plus JavaScript, regex rewriting, Chromium and Firefox profiles, private windows (Safari included), Focus mode integration and a searchable history.
OpenIn vs Switchboard: pick OpenIn if you want one app to route links, email and files. Pick Switchboard for a free, focused browser picker.
Bumpr
$2.99 one-time · closed source · macOS 10.13+ · getbumpr.com
Bumpr is a cheap, simple picker for browsers and email apps, including Gmail in any browser, with domain rules and browser extensions. Its FAQ says browser profiles aren't supported.
Bumpr vs Switchboard: Bumpr runs on much older Macs and also picks email apps. Switchboard adds profiles, source-app rules and private windows.
Browserino
Free (pay what you want) · GPL-3.0 · macOS 13+ · github.com/AlexStrNik/Browserino
Browserino is a lightweight native picker with regex rules, custom apps and private windows. The author of Browserosaurus recommends it as a successor. Chrome profile support is an open feature request.
Browserino vs Switchboard: both are free and open source. Switchboard adds browser profiles and source-app rules.
Switchbar
Free · closed source · macOS 13+ · switchbar.com
Switchbar is from the makers of WebCatalog. It's free with no account, supports Chromium and Firefox profiles, wildcard rules and private windows, and turns on tracking removal and short-link expansion by default. It also runs on Windows. Its own comparison page lists source-app rules as something it doesn't do.
Switchbar vs Switchboard: both clean links. Switchbar adds short-link expansion and app handoff. Switchboard is open source and can route by source app.
BrowserFairy
Free tier · Pro $0.99/month or $8.99/year · closed source · macOS 13+ · browserfairy.com
BrowserFairy has a launcher you open with ⌥-click or a global shortcut, and rules by domain, wildcard and source app. The free tier allows three active rules. Browser profiles need Pro.
BrowserFairy vs Switchboard: BrowserFairy has browser extensions and a global launcher. Switchboard gives you unlimited rules and profiles for free.
Linkquisition
Free · MIT · macOS, Linux, Windows · github.com/Strobotti/linkquisition
Linkquisition is a cross-platform picker with regex rules, a "remember for this site" option and plugins that strip tracking parameters and unwrap Outlook SafeLinks. Profiles need manual custom commands. Like Switchboard, it isn't notarized.
Linkquisition vs Switchboard: pick Linkquisition if you also use Linux or Windows. Switchboard is Mac-native, with built-in profile rows and source-app rules.
Browserosaurus (discontinued)
Free · GPL-3.0 · github.com/will-stone/browserosaurus
Browserosaurus was a popular open-source picker. Its author archived it and announced its retirement in August 2025, and Homebrew has disabled the cask. If you're still using it, Browserino, Velja or Switchboard are the closest replacements.
How to choose a browser picker
- Need Chrome or Brave profiles? Rule out Bumpr and Browserino. Use Switchboard, Velja, Choosy, OpenIn, Switchbar, or BrowserFairy Pro.
- Want rules based on the app you clicked in? Switchboard, Velja, Finicky, Choosy, OpenIn and BrowserFairy support it. Switchbar, Browserino and Linkquisition don't.
- Want tracking parameters stripped? Switchboard, Velja, Finicky, OpenIn, Switchbar and Linkquisition can do it.
- Want free and open source? Switchboard, Finicky, Browserino and Linkquisition.
- Older Mac? Bumpr runs on 10.13, Finicky on 12, Browserino and Switchbar on 13, Switchboard on 14.
New to this? Every picker works by becoming your default browser. The guide to changing the default browser on Mac shows where that setting lives.
Try Switchboard Browser Picker
Free and open source. A picker with your real profile names, rules by site, URL or app, and link cleanup.
How this comparison was made
Every claim comes from the app's official website, Mac App Store listing, documentation or GitHub repository, read on 17 October 2026. I haven't run each competitor's full feature set by hand, so "Unknown" marks anything the docs didn't confirm. Prices are the listed USD prices on that date. I'll update this page when apps ship major changes.