Epichrome alternative: what to use now that Epichrome has ended
by ZwayStudiosupdated
Epichrome is no longer developed: its final release is 2.4.27, so it is not a safe long-term choice. The best Epichrome alternative depends on what you want. For a Dock icon for each profile of the Chrome you already run, use Chrome Profile Switcher (free during beta, also works with Brave, Edge and Firefox), Okie Dockie or Superdock. For each profile as its own separate app, the closest match is Unbundle.
Everything below is as of 29 September 2026, from each product’s own website.
What Epichrome did
Epichrome was a free, open source Mac tool that created Chrome-based apps. Each one was a separate app built on Chrome, so macOS treated it like any other app: its own icon in the Dock and its own place when you switch apps. That made it a way to keep different kinds of browsing apart, each behind its own icon.
Development has ended. The last release is 2.4.27, and the project lives on at github.com/dmarmor/epichrome. An app that no longer gets updates is a risk for something as central as your browser, so it makes sense to move on.
At a glance
| Chrome Profile Switcher | Epichrome | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Tiny launcher per profile that brings that profile’s windows forward in your one browser | Created separate Chrome-based apps |
| Price | Free during the beta | Free, open source |
| Browsers | Chrome (and Beta, Dev, Canary), Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera, Opera GX, Arc, Dia, Chromium, Yandex, Firefox, Zen, LibreWolf, Waterfox | Chrome based |
| Second copy of browser | No; about 2 MB per launcher | Yes, each app was Chrome-based |
| Dock | Apple’s Dock; icon next to the browser’s own icon | Apple’s Dock; one icon per app |
| Extra features | Live window previews on hover, right-click window list, New Incognito Window, optional Focus Window Under Pointer | A separate Chrome-based app for each use |
| Permissions | Accessibility; Screen Recording optional, for previews only | No longer updated |
| macOS | 14 Sonoma or later | No longer updated |
| Notarized | Not yet (beta, one “Open Anyway” step) | No longer updated; final release 2.4.27 |
Your options now
| If you want | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A Dock icon per profile, any major browser, free | Chrome Profile Switcher | Keeps Apple’s Dock, one browser, macOS 14 or later |
| A Dock icon per Chrome profile plus snap layouts | Okie Dockie | Chrome only, Pro $19 one time, notarized |
| A whole new dock with previews for every app | Superdock | Chrome only, replaces Apple’s Dock, profile icons $7.99 once |
| Each profile as its own app, like Epichrome | Unbundle | About 500 MB per profile, own Cmd-Tab entry, $6.99 |
| Fully separate instances | Parallel Spaces or Parall | Mac App Store, separate logins, more memory |
| A quick launcher with no install | DIY Automator or Shortcuts script | Always opens a new window, generic icon |
Where Epichrome’s approach is still the better idea
Epichrome’s model, a separate Chrome-based app for each use, has real strengths, and some people will still want it:
- Its own entry in Cmd-Tab. A separate app shows up on its own when you switch apps. Chrome Profile Switcher does not add separate Cmd-Tab entries.
- Full separation. A separate app keeps its data apart from your main browser.
- Open source. You could read and change the code.
If those points matter most to you, look at Unbundle, which builds a standalone Chrome copy per profile, each with its own Cmd-Tab entry.
Where Chrome Profile Switcher is the better choice
- Actively updated. Version 1.5.0 shipped on 29 September 2026, updates install by themselves, and the public changelog and roadmap show what is next.
- No copies to maintain. One browser keeps running with your existing logins and extensions. Nothing needs rebuilding when the browser updates.
- More browsers. Brave, Edge, Vivaldi and Firefox based browsers work too. See the browsers page.
- Your windows come back. Click a profile icon and that profile’s open windows come forward, even on another desktop. Hover for live window previews.
- Free during the beta, with no trial timer.
How to switch from Epichrome
- In your browser, create a profile for each Epichrome app you used, and sign in to its accounts. The switch Chrome profiles guide shows how.
- Give each profile a different name, so windows are matched to the right icon.
- Download Chrome Profile Switcher, move it to Applications and open it. If macOS says it cannot check the app, click Open Anyway in System Settings, Privacy and Security, once.
- Grant Accessibility.
- Open a window in each profile. Its icon appears in the Dock; right-click, Options, Keep in Dock to pin it where your Epichrome apps used to be.
- When everything works, quit your old Epichrome apps.
For all the options side by side, see the full comparison.
Ready to move on from Epichrome? Download Chrome Profile Switcher.