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7/10

DockDoor

dockdoor.net

Does DockDoor have a moat?

No.

19/100 · Moatless

“A window previewer is a month of Swift. The only thing a clone lacks is DockDoor's open-source following, and AltTab and others already offer similar tools.”

Code to copy

a month

Moat to cross

6 months

Market

Crowded market

Share on X
Moat depth
MoatlessShallowReal

Revenue not verified. Founders can list on TrustMRR to show it here.

01/The verdict

A free, open-source Mac app (GPLv3, Swift) that shows live window previews when you hover Dock icons and adds Alt+Tab switching. A $20 one-time DockDoor Pro sells a full Dock replacement.

The core app is free, open source and written mostly by one developer. Anyone can fork it, and several forks already exist. What protects it is a few thousand GitHub stars, Homebrew installs and top placement on alternatives lists, which a newcomer needs months to match. The Pro app is a $20 one-time purchase with no lock-in, and AltTab, Contexts and others compete directly.

02/2 moats

Distribution

Real

~6 mo to cross

The GitHub repo (ejbills/DockDoor) has over 2,000 stars (likely more now) and a Homebrew cask. AlternativeTo and Mac app roundups rank it as a leading free Dock preview tool, and Reddit threads recommend it.

To cross it: Ship a better free tool, then earn the GitHub stars, Homebrew presence and roundup placement over a year or more.

Switching costs

Shallow

~2 mo to cross

Pro adds profiles, widgets, folders, pinned files and per-display setups, which take some time to configure. Users can still go back to the stock Dock, and a $20 one-time price makes leaving cheap.

To cross it: Offer import of Dock layouts and a similar Pro feature set at the same price.

03/The gap

Easy to copy

  • Window previews and Alt+Tab switching, which use the public Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions that any Mac developer can request.
  • The code is GPLv3 on GitHub, so anyone can fork it, as several people already have.
  • The $20 one-time price and Liquid Glass look are easy to match.

How you'd go after it

  • Fork it and sell a polished, closed-source or paid version with support and guaranteed fixes for each new macOS release.
  • Bundle window previews with a broader window manager (tiling, snapping, workspaces) so one app replaces several.
  • Win through Setapp or paid Mac app stores, where users shop for utilities in one place.
  • Target users who want a keyboard-first or search-based switcher, as Contexts does.

04/Build against it?

Only with an edge

Only go in with a clear wedge, such as an existing Mac audience or a bundled window manager. The free open-source leader and AltTab already cover the basic need, and users pay little for it.

Already selling this:AltTabContextsHyperDockWitchuBarDocktor

05/Receipts

Checked 57m ago by Claude Sonnet 5.5 on high effort, with web search. Confidence: medium.

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