Both keep Mac windows always on top. TopShelf is built around web apps and six built-in mini apps that open as their own floating windows on demand. Floaty pins any window you already have open, a browser tab, Zoom, a PDF, and adds transparency and click-through on top. Here is when to pick each.
Pick Floaty if the thing you want to keep on top is a window you already have open, a Zoom call, a PDF, a Preview.app image, a browser tab you are already using. Floaty pins that existing window in place and adds opacity and click-through on top of it.
Pick TopShelf if you want a small, dedicated floating window for a web app (ChatGPT, Claude, Spotify Web Player, YouTube, a docs page) or a built-in mini app (calculator, notes, to-do, pomodoro, color picker, password generator) without opening a full browser first. TopShelf spawns the floating window; you do not need the app already running.
| TopShelf | Floaty | |
|---|---|---|
| Float a web app as its own window | Yes, paste a URL, get a floating window | Only if you already have that page open in a browser window |
| Built-in mini apps (calculator, notes, to-do, pomodoro, color picker, password generator) | Six included | Not included |
| Pin an existing native window (Zoom, PDF, VS Code, Notion desktop) | Menu-bar quick-launch only; brings the window forward but does not force always-on-top | Yes, this is Floaty's core job |
| Per-window opacity / transparency | No | Yes |
| Click-through overlay | No | Yes |
| Auto-unpin timers | No | Yes |
| Raycast extension | No | Yes |
| Distribution | Mac App Store (main) + Gumroad (older free trial) | Direct DMG + Floaty Lite on the App Store |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase, free updates | Free tier + Pro one-time upgrade |
| macOS support | Modern macOS, Apple Silicon & Intel | macOS Sonoma / Sequoia / Tahoe (26), Apple Silicon & Intel |
| Actively maintained | Yes | Yes |
You already work with the exact window you want to keep in view, a Zoom or Meet call, an open PDF, a specific Terminal, your Notion desktop client. Floaty makes that window float, and its opacity and click-through controls are unmatched if you want the pinned window to fade into the background but still be visible.
You also want Raycast integration or AppleScript-driven automation around the pin/unpin toggle. Floaty is built for the "I know exactly which window, I just want it on top" case.
The thing you want on top is a web app (ChatGPT, Claude, Spotify Web Player, YouTube, a Notion doc URL, a Slack thread) and you do not want to leave a whole browser open just to keep one tab visible. TopShelf gives that URL its own small floating window, direct from the menu bar. Paste the URL once, pin it, done.
Or when you want built-in mini apps that do not exist as a URL, a floating calculator, a floating pomodoro, a quick scratchpad, a color picker for design work, a password generator. TopShelf ships six of them, all native, all always-on-top, no third-party accounts.
TopShelf also lives on the Mac App Store, which some buyers prefer for sandboxing and automatic updates.
Yes, they solve related but distinct problems and do not conflict. A common setup is TopShelf for the web apps and mini apps you keep pinned all day (ChatGPT next to your editor, a floating pomodoro), and Floaty when you occasionally need to pin a specific native window like a Zoom call above your notes for one meeting.