Comparison
LiquidPad vs Slidepad
Slidepad is a well-loved, lightweight Mac utility that pioneered the slide-from-the-edge web-app workflow, and for simple quick-access browsing it does the job cleanly. LiquidPad is a newer, more ambitious take on the same idea, adding native productivity tools, isolated multi-account sessions, and a modern Liquid Glass interface on top of the core slide-over panel. Both are genuinely native (no Electron); the difference is how much each app does once the panel is open.
Feature comparison
Why people pick LiquidPad over Slidepad
- Per-app isolated sessions with separate cookie stores, so you can run multiple accounts of the same service (two Gmail or Slack logins) side by side.
- Built-in native tools Slidepad doesn't have: terminal, SSH manager, focus/pomodoro timer, tasks, habits, and a system monitor.
- Power-user navigation: Command palette (⌘K), Boards / multi-column view, and Workspace scenes for switching whole setups at once.
- Cloud sync of your entire setup across Macs (Pro), so a new machine is configured in seconds.
- Modern macOS Liquid Glass design, a 10,000+ app catalog, notification badges, Universal Picture-in-Picture, and a Vault to lock apps behind a PIN.
- Free tier to start (3 apps, 1 board) plus a 14-day trial, with an optional AI omnibar and a no-telemetry policy.
Where Slidepad shines
Credit where it's due, Slidepad is a strong product. It's the better choice when:
- Mature and proven: a long-established app with a polished, focused slide-over experience and an inexpensive one-time license.
- Hover-to-reveal activation from either screen edge, plus configurable keyboard shortcuts and trigger edges.
- No limit on the number of web apps you can add, even on the paid license.
- Available through Setapp, so existing Setapp subscribers can use it at no extra cost.
Pricing
Slidepad is cheaper for the bare slide-over feature, with a low one-time license (or bundled in Setapp); LiquidPad starts free, with Pro at $4.99/mo or $47.88/yr and a $59 lifetime option for its much larger native tool set and cloud sync.
The verdict
Choose Slidepad if you want the cheapest, simplest way to slide a couple of web apps in from the edge and nothing more. Choose LiquidPad if you want that same slide-over convenience plus isolated multi-account sessions, native terminal/SSH and productivity tools, boards, a command palette, and cloud sync in one modern Liquid Glass app.
Try LiquidPad free, no account needed.
Three apps and one workspace on the house. Go unlimited with a 14-day trial whenever you're ready.
Download for MacmacOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple Silicon & Intel