🌎 A Site Specific Browser with Coherence X and Unite. But Why?

A site specific browser takes a website and dresses up the browser so it looks like an application. This can be for sites that don’t have a native app or you always want the window on top. As an example, always display a Kanban board or float a Netflix window above everything else. It’s also a handy way to keep a website in a siloed workspace.

There are several tools to help make a new browser application such as Fluid, Webcatalog, Flotato, Coherence and Unite.

In each case, you specify the name of the “app,” the home URL, and app icon. A few seconds later you have a browser dedicated to that site.

It’s a neat concept, except some of these tools are ridiculously expensive. For example, Coherence X and Unite are just shy of $30 a piece. Further, you need a separate license for each machine you use the browser on.

By comparison, Keyboard Maestro, which has almost unlimited functionality is $36. So, a tool that changes a .plist file and adds an icon is overpriced at $30. Not to mention, the browsers themselves are free.

Ironically, I did buy Coherence X, from Bundlehunt for $5, which is what these tools should cost. As a $4.99 app, you could hardly complain.

Coherence X is the Chromium browser version and reconfigures Chrome, Brave, or Opera. And by reconfigure I mean it changes the app name and makes a custom icon.

It’s a handy tool, and worth having, if you get it on sale.

One problem with site specific browsers, unless it is a full install, you won’t be able to use plugins to block ads or use privacy features. Fine on Jira, bad on YouTube.

If you follow along here, you can edit the .plist file and copy in your own app icon.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/385073/how-do-i-rename-an-app-in-macos-properly

If you want to try out Site Specific Browsers for yourself, have a look at WebCatalog or Fluid. Fluid is a little bit older, but it still works and does a nice job.