Editions & Capabilities
Last updated: September 18, 2026
Desco is one app with three unlock stages, not separate paid/free editions. Everyone starts free, earns more desktops over time, and can buy the full version whenever they want the rest immediately.
Desco's unlock stages
| Capability | Free (4–15 desktops, unlocked over time) | Time-unlocked (16, free) | Full (one-time purchase) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name desktops 1…N (N = your unlocked count) | ✅ 1…count | ✅ 1…16 | ✅ 1…16 |
| Switch to desktops 1–10 (⌃-number) | ✅ within your unlocked count | ✅ | ✅ |
| Switch to desktops 11–16 (⌃⌥-number) | ✅ if unlocked that far | ✅ | ✅ |
| Colors & line accents | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wallpaper & floating labels | ✅ within your unlocked count | ✅ | ✅ |
| Notes | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Usage analytics (opt-in, stored locally) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Desktops unlocked | 4, plus milestones up to the 16th over ~7.5 years | 16 | 16 |
| Cost | free | free (a long wait) | one-time purchase |
Included at every stage: click-to-switch and switch-by-typing-a-name, jumping back to your previous desktop, the Desktop Map (2D per-display switcher), the desktop comparison report, multi-display support, custom keyboard shortcuts, and free auto-updates.
macOS itself supports up to 16 desktops per display, switched with ⌃-number (1–10) and ⌃⌥-number (11–16); a fullscreen app keeps its own name rather than a Desco desktop name. These limits apply at every stage.
What's next
Two more products are on the roadmap, sketched below — not committed, and pricing is a placeholder until closer to release.
| Capability | Desco Lite (planned, Mac App Store) | Desco (today) | Desco Automation (planned add-on) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution | ⏳ Mac App Store, free | direct download | ⏳ direct license |
| Auto-detect real desktops | ❌ (App Store sandbox rules it out) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Notes about desktops | ⏳ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Usage analytics (opt-in, local) | ⏳ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Auto-place / auto-switch | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Run your own script/AppleScript on switch | ❌ | ❌ (kept out of the base app) | ⏳ ✅ — the whole point |
| Role | free, links to full Desco | the product | opt-in plugin for power users |
Desco Automation's scripting would be a separate, optional plugin — never part of the base Desco download — so the core app stays verifiably "just a desktop labeler."
Questions
Petr Muselík · muselik+desco@gmail.com