Comparisons

How Burly compares

Plenty of macOS apps route links. Most pick a browser, charge for it, or hide behind a config file. Burly is free, native, and built around one idea: your browser profiles, Safari profiles included, are the destination. Here is an honest look at how it stacks up.

Every macOS link router at a glance

The four things that usually decide it. Full detail, including where each app beats Burly, is on the individual comparisons below.

AppPriceBrowser profilesSafari profilesPicker
BurlyFreeRadial, under the cursor
Velja$8 one-timeChromium and FirefoxList popup
Choosy$10 one-timeChromium onlyMenu or list
FinickyFreeChrome and FirefoxNo picker (config only)
BrowserosaurusFreeGrid popup
Bumpr$2.99 one-timePopup under the cursor
OpenIn$11.99 one-timeSelection dialog

How to choose one

Almost every choice here comes down to one question: do you want to decide where a link goes at the moment you click it, or do you want to write rules once and never think about it again? Velja, Choosy, Finicky, and OpenIn are built for the second answer. Burly, Browserosaurus, and Bumpr are built for the first. Neither is better, and picking the wrong side of that line is the most common reason people end up replacing whatever they installed.

The second question is how far down the app needs to reach. Bumpr and Browserosaurus stop at the browser: they can send a link to Chrome, but not to your work profile inside Chrome. Velja, Choosy, and Finicky reach Chromium and Firefox profiles but cannot target a Safari profile. Only Burly and OpenIn reach every profile, Safari included, so if your work life lives in a Safari profile the field narrows to two immediately.

Price sorts the rest. Finicky and Browserosaurus are free but ask for a config file or are no longer maintained. Burly is free and needs neither. If you want rules, native-app routing, or link types beyond the web, the paid apps genuinely earn their money, and each comparison below says exactly where.

If the category itself is new to you, the browser picker guide explains what these apps do, why macOS needs one, and how to set one up before you start comparing prices.

The full comparisons

Burly vs. Velja

$8 one-time

A polished $8 router from Sindre Sorhus, built around per-host and per-app rules.

Burly vs. Choosy

$10 one-time

The deepest rules engine of the bunch, at $10, with Share menu, Handoff, and AirDrop routing.

Burly vs. Finicky

Free, open source

Free and open source, driven by a JavaScript config file rather than a picker.

Burly vs. Browserosaurus

Free, open source

A free, open-source browser picker that was retired in 2025 and is no longer maintained.

Burly vs. Bumpr

$2.99 one-time

A $2.99 picker that chooses between browsers and mail clients, but not between profiles.

Burly vs. OpenIn

$11.99 one-time

An $11.99 route-everything utility covering links, mail, files, and phone numbers.

See it for yourself

Free, native, and private. No account required.

Download for macOS