OpenIn alternative
A free, focused OpenIn alternative for browser profiles
OpenIn routes every kind of link for $11.99. If all you want is to get web links into the right browser profile, for free, with a fast picker and nothing to configure, Burly is the alternative to try.
By Matt Senter, who builds Burly
Matt Senter is an independent Mac developer who designs, builds, and ships small native apps end to end. He built Burly to send every link on his own Mac to the right browser profile, including Safari profiles that other routers cannot reach, and he writes these pages from that first-hand use.
Why people switch from OpenIn
OpenIn is the most capable app in this comparison, and that is exactly why people look for something else. It routes links, mail, files, and phone numbers, rewrites URLs with regex, and can call out to shell scripts, all of which has to be set up. If the only job you actually need done is getting a web link into the right browser profile, you are paying $11.99 and doing rule configuration for a fraction of the app. Burly does that one job, for free, with nothing to configure. Note that OpenIn does reach Safari profiles, so unlike the others this is a comparison about scope and price, not capability.
Is Burly a good OpenIn alternative?
OpenIn is the rare competitor that, like Burly, can target Safari profiles, so an OpenIn alternative search is usually about scope and price. OpenIn routes everything: web links, mail, files, phone numbers, with regex rewriting and scripts, for $11.99. If all you actually want is to get web links into the right browser profile, that is a lot of utility to pay for and configure. Burly does that one job for free, with a picker and zero setup. If you also need to route non-web links, OpenIn is the better tool and worth its price.
How to switch from OpenIn to Burly
- Download Burly and drag it to Applications.
- Set Burly as your default web browser in System Settings, under Desktop & Dock.
- Burly discovers your browsers and profiles on its own, so there are no OpenIn rules to recreate.
- Leave OpenIn installed if you still want it handling files, mail, or phone links; only the web-link handler changes.
What you give up
You are trading breadth for focus, knowingly. OpenIn handles link types Burly ignores entirely, rewrites URLs with regex, and can route to scriptable targets in zsh or JavaScript. If you route more than web links, or you have rules doing real work, OpenIn is worth its price and Burly will feel narrow by comparison.
OpenIn (OpenIn 4) by Loshadki is the most full featured router on this list. It sends not just web links but mailto links, phone numbers, and files to the app of your choice, with regex URL rewriting, scriptable targets, and a selection dialog when more than one target matches. Like Burly, it can open links in a specific browser profile and can target Safari profiles. It costs $11.99 as a one time purchase, or comes with Setapp.
Burly vs. OpenIn: the quick take
The quick take: OpenIn is a do-everything router for $11.99 that also reaches Safari profiles, the pick if you want one utility for web, mail, files, and phone links with deep rules. Burly is free and deliberately narrow: web links to browser profiles, through a fast radial picker, with per-profile keys and global hotkeys and nothing to configure. Choose by scope, whether you want one tool for every link type or a free, focused one for browser profiles.
Burly vs. OpenIn, feature by feature
| Feature | Burly | OpenIn |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $11.99 one-time |
| Opens links in a specific browser profile | ✓ | ✓ |
| Targets Safari profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Routes mail, files, and phone links | ✗ | ✓ |
| Regex URL rewriting and rules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scriptable targets (zsh, JavaScript) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Picker at your cursor | Radial, under the cursor | Selection dialog |
| Works with zero configuration | ✓ | Rule setup |
| Per-profile keyboard shortcuts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global hotkey to open a profile (no link needed) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Per-profile emoji, account photo, and color | ✓ | ✗ |
| Native macOS app | ✓ | ✓ |
Features checked against the OpenIn site as of September 2026. OpenIn lists at $11.99 one-time on the Mac App Store.
Where OpenIn is the better pick
- OpenIn routes everything, not just web links. Mailto links, phone numbers, and files all go to the app you choose.
- It has regex URL rewriting and can run zsh or JavaScript scripts as targets, for advanced automation.
- Like Burly, it can target Safari profiles, which most competitors cannot.
The verdict
If you want one utility to route every kind of link, mail, files, and phone numbers included, with deep rule based automation, OpenIn is an excellent $11.99 tool. Burly is free and does one job intently: getting web links into the right browser profile through a fast radial picker, with per-profile keys and global hotkeys and nothing to configure.
Other OpenIn alternatives
OpenIn is the most capable router on macOS, so alternatives in the plural are really a question of which capability you are willing to drop. Burly drops everything except web links and makes profiles, Safari profiles included, the destination, for free. Velja ($8) keeps native-app routing and rules but cannot reach Safari profiles. Choosy ($10) keeps the deepest rule matching, also without Safari profiles. Finicky is free and scriptable, the closest thing to OpenIn's power-user side, at the cost of a config file. Bumpr ($2.99) is the minimal option if all you route is web and mail. Here is the shortlist.
- Velja · $8 one-time
A polished $8 router from Sindre Sorhus, built around per-host and per-app rules. - Choosy · $10 one-time
The deepest rules engine of the bunch, at $10, with Share menu, Handoff, and AirDrop routing. - Finicky · Free, open source
Free and open source, driven by a JavaScript config file rather than a picker. - Browserosaurus · Free, open source
A free, open-source browser picker that was retired in 2025 and is no longer maintained. - Bumpr · $2.99 one-time
A $2.99 picker that chooses between browsers and mail clients, but not between profiles.
Want them side by side instead? The comparison hub puts every macOS link router in one table, and the Mac link router guide explains what these apps do and how to set one up.
OpenIn alternatives: common questions
- Is there a free OpenIn alternative?
- Burly is free and, like OpenIn, can open a link in a specific browser profile including a Safari profile. Finicky is free and open source, and closer to OpenIn in spirit if you like scripting, but it cannot target Safari profiles. Neither routes files, mailto links, or phone numbers.
- Which OpenIn alternatives can target Safari profiles?
- Only Burly. Velja, Choosy, Finicky, Bumpr, and Browserosaurus all stop short of Safari profiles, so if that is why you bought OpenIn, Burly is the one substitute that keeps the capability, and it is free.
- Does Burly route mailto links, files, or phone numbers?
- No. Burly handles http and https links only. If you rely on OpenIn to route mail, files, or tel links, keep it, or run Burly as the default web browser and leave your other defaults where they are.
Try Burly free
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