Waggle and all-in-one chat apps
All-in-one apps gather your chats into one big window. Waggle does the opposite: each account is a small separate bee that stays out of the way until it needs you. Here's how they differ, so you can pick what suits the way you work.
Two different ideas
- One window with tabs (Rambox, Ferdium, Franz): each service's web app in a tab or sidebar of one large window. Good when you live in your messages and want them all in one place.
- One unified inbox (Beeper): chats from several networks merged into a single list. Good when you want one place to read everything.
- A bee per account (Waggle): each account floats on your desktop as a small bee that wiggles when something new arrives. You glance, reply in a small window, and it tucks away. Good when your messages are interruptions to your real work, not the work itself.
How Waggle works
- A native Mac app for Apple silicon, macOS 14 or newer.
- WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, Telegram and iMessage; Gmail, Outlook and any IMAP email; Google, Outlook and Apple calendars with a meeting countdown; Claude, ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini; and Web bees for a single site.
- Each bee is its own account, so work and personal stay apart. Group bees into hives or place them anywhere.
- Your messages go straight between your Mac and each service. They don't pass through Waggle's servers. The optional Waggle Relay, for Settings sync and iMessage on another Mac, only ever sees encrypted data.
- Calm by design: muted chats and ordinary Slack channel chatter stay quiet; wiggle, glow and sound can each be turned off; and Stop All Notifications pauses everything.
- Paid once, not a subscription: 12 months of Updates & Relay are included, then £9.99 per 12 months if you want it, with no automatic payments. Your first bee is free after a 14-day trial of every bee.
When an all-in-one app may suit you better
- You spend most of the day in your messages and want them full-screen.
- You need a service Waggle doesn't have (Signal, for example), or you use Windows or Linux.
- You want one merged inbox rather than separate accounts.
Waggle is a quick check-in, not a replacement for each service's own app. For long conversations, open the full app.
Questions
Are the WhatsApp and Slack connections official?
No. The WhatsApp bee connects as a linked device using WhatsApp's web protocol, and the quick Slack sign-in uses your own Slack web session. Neither is an official API, and either could change. A work Slack connects only through the Slack app route your admins approve. See FAQs.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. Every bee is free for 14 days, with no card and no account. After that, your first bee is free on one Mac.
Does Waggle replace WhatsApp or Slack?
No. It's a quick glance and reply while you work. Keep the full apps for long conversations, calls and settings.
More bees
Floating WhatsApp · Slack without opening Slack · Gmail notifier · Meeting countdown and Join · iMessage on a work Mac