The best xScope alternative for Mac
xScope can do a lot, but you have to learn how first. Irid does the jobs you do every day with tools that make sense the first time you open them.
Luke Haas · Updated
Irid vs xScope at a glance
| Capability | Irid | xScope |
|---|---|---|
| Magnified color sampling | Yes | Yes |
| Saved colors | History and palettes | Yes |
| WCAG contrast check with fixes | Yes | No |
| Palette from an image | Yes | No |
| Color vision simulation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag to measure, snapping to edges | Yes | No |
| Pin measurements to compare | Yes | No |
| Hover to measure distances | Yes | Yes |
| Floating guides | Yes | Yes |
| Layout grids | Pixel, column, baseline, modular | Responsive grids |
| Grids and overlays that follow a window | Yes | No |
| Mockup overlay with opacity | Yes | Yes |
| Mirror to iPhone and Apple Watch | No | Yes |
| Rotating rulers, device templates, glyph inspector | No | Yes |
xScope features as described on its website and App Store listing, checked 3 October 2026.
Why Irid is the better alternative
xScope can do a lot. Ten tools, each with its own options, and that breadth comes at a cost: it's a toolkit you have to learn, and relearn when you come back to a tool you haven't used in a while. It's easy to spend more time remembering how to drive it than actually measuring anything.
Irid starts from the other end. Most days, you need four things: grab a color, measure a gap, check the grid, hold the mockup up against the build. Irid does those four, and each one does the obvious thing the moment you open it.
Nothing to learn
Open the screen ruler and hover between two elements: that's the distance. Drag loosely around a card and the box snaps tight to its edges. There are no guides to place, no ruler to line up and no mode to pick first.
When you want more, it's there without getting in the way. Press H or V to pin a measurement and compare it with the next one, or switch to Background Mode to keep your measurements on screen while you click through to the app underneath.
Colors that stay with you
Irid's color picker copies the color in the format you work in, from hex and HSL to OKLCH and SwiftUI. Every sample goes into your history, so the color you picked an hour ago is still there. Save colors into palettes, or pull a palette straight out of a screenshot.
It doesn't just tell you a pair of colors fails WCAG contrast, either. Nudge it and watch it pass.
Grids and overlays that follow the window
Point the grid overlay or the design overlay at a window and it locks on. Move or resize the window and the grid or mockup goes with it, so you can drag a browser through its breakpoints without lining anything up again. Run both at once to check a mockup and its grid together.
Designed for macOS as it is today
xScope 4 came out in 2014, and its interface still feels like it. Irid launched in July 2026, designed from scratch to feel at home on a modern Mac.
Where xScope still has the edge
xScope has a few specialist tools Irid doesn't try to match. The main one is Mirror, which shows your designs live on an iPhone or Apple Watch. It also has rotating rulers, device screen templates and a glyph inspector. If you use those every day, xScope is still worth keeping.
xScope or Irid?
| If you... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want tools that work without reading a manual | Irid |
| Pick colors and want them in history and palettes | Irid |
| Check and fix color contrast as you work | Irid |
| Measure UI by hovering and dragging | Irid |
| Check a responsive build against its grid and mockup | Irid |
| Preview designs live on an iPhone or Apple Watch | xScope |
Irid is free while it's in early access, so try it alongside xScope for a week and see which one you reach for.
