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Chrome Profile Switcher · compare

Chrome Profile Switcher or Unbundle: one Chrome with profile icons, or a copy per profile?

by ZwayStudiosupdated

Unbundle and Chrome Profile Switcher both put a separate icon in the Dock for each Chrome profile, but they are built on opposite ideas. Unbundle makes a standalone copy of Chrome for every profile, about 500 MB each, so each profile acts like its own app. Chrome Profile Switcher keeps one Chrome running and adds a tiny launcher per profile, so logins, extensions and memory stay shared.

Everything below is as of 29 September 2026, from each product’s own website.

At a glance

Chrome Profile Switcher Unbundle
Approach Tiny launcher per profile that brings that profile’s windows forward in your one browser Standalone copy of Chrome.app per profile
Price Free during the beta $6.99 one time, unlimited profiles
Browsers Chrome (and Beta, Dev, Canary), Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera, Opera GX, Arc, Dia, Chromium, Yandex, Firefox, Zen, LibreWolf, Waterfox Chrome
Second copy of browser No; about 2 MB per launcher Yes; about 500 MB per profile (about 2.5 GB for five)
Dock Apple’s Dock; icon next to the browser’s own icon Apple’s Dock; each copy has its own icon with a coloured badge
Extra features Live window previews on hover, right-click window list, New Incognito Window, optional Focus Window Under Pointer Own Cmd-Tab entry per profile, pin a profile to a Space, custom icons
Permissions Accessibility; Screen Recording optional, for previews only Each copy inherits camera, microphone and screen recording permissions
macOS 14 Sonoma or later 13 or later
Notarized Not yet (beta, one “Open Anyway” step) No claim on its site

Where Unbundle is the better choice

Unbundle’s copy-per-profile design gives you things a launcher cannot.

  • Its own Cmd-Tab entry. Each profile is a real app, so Cmd-Tab lists it separately. Chrome Profile Switcher does not add separate Cmd-Tab entries.
  • Pin a profile to a Space. You can keep one profile’s windows on a chosen desktop. Our app does not pin windows to a Space.
  • Custom icons. You can set your own icon for each copy. Custom icons are on our roadmap for later, but not in the app today.
  • Clear separation. Each copy runs on its own, which some people prefer for keeping clients or roles strictly apart.
  • Permissions carried over. Each copy inherits camera, microphone and screen recording permissions, so each profile copy starts with the same access as Chrome.
  • Older macOS and a low one-time price. It runs on macOS 13 and costs $6.99 for unlimited profiles.

If disk space is not a concern and you want each profile to behave like a separate app, Unbundle does that well.

Where Chrome Profile Switcher is the better choice

  • Disk space. A launcher is about 2 MB. Five Unbundle profiles take about 2.5 GB by Unbundle’s own numbers.
  • One browser, one set of updates. Nothing needs rebuilding when Chrome updates. Unbundle rebuilds each copy on the next launch after an update, and its DIY guide removes Chrome’s Keystone auto-updater from each copy.
  • Shared memory and extensions. One real browser keeps running, with the same logins, extensions and history. Separate copies mean more memory use. Our guide on Chrome profiles vs separate Chrome copies explains the trade off.
  • More browsers. Chrome Profile Switcher works with Brave, Edge, Vivaldi and Firefox based browsers, not only Chrome. See the browsers page.
  • Your existing windows come back. Click a profile icon and its open windows come forward, even on another desktop or display. Hover for live window previews.
  • Free during the beta.

Can you use both?

You can install both, but using both for the same profile gives you two icons that do the same job, and the Unbundle copy keeps its own separate data. A cleaner approach is to pick one method per browser. For example, some people keep one strictly separate profile as its own app and use launchers for the rest.

How to switch from Unbundle

  1. Open each profile in normal Chrome and check that it signs in and syncs as you expect.
  2. Quit the Unbundle copies. Once you are sure you no longer need them, you can remove them to get the disk space back.
  3. 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.
  4. Grant Accessibility.
  5. Open a window in each profile. Its icon appears in the Dock by itself; right-click, Options, Keep in Dock to pin it.

If you are not sure where your profiles live on disk, see Chrome profile folder location on Mac. The full comparison lists the other options.

Ready to try it? Download Chrome Profile Switcher.

questions

good to know

How much disk space does Unbundle use?

By Unbundle's own FAQ, each profile copy is about 500 MB, so five profiles take about 2.5 GB. Chrome Profile Switcher uses a launcher of about 2 MB per profile.

Does each Unbundle profile get its own Cmd-Tab entry?

Yes. Each Unbundle copy is its own app, so it shows up separately in Cmd-Tab. Chrome Profile Switcher does not add separate Cmd-Tab entries, because one browser keeps running.

What happens to Unbundle copies when Chrome updates?

Unbundle rebuilds each copy the next time you launch it after a Chrome update. Chrome Profile Switcher has nothing to rebuild, because it uses the Chrome you already have.

Is Unbundle notarized?

Unbundle's website makes no notarization claim as of 29 September 2026. Chrome Profile Switcher is not notarized yet either during its beta, so it needs a one time Open Anyway step.

more

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