The best Picture-in-Picture apps for a Mac

Picture-in-Picture is already built into every current Mac browser at no cost. Safari, Chrome, and Firefox can all float a video into a small always-on-top window with a couple of right-clicks. Third-party apps exist too, and they are worth it only if you want something native PiP does not do: seek controls, PiP for a whole app window, or a player for local video files.

This list covers what is already built into your Mac, then the real third-party apps that add to it, so you can pick the right one instead of guessing.

What Picture-in-Picture Do You Already Have on a Mac?

Before installing anything, it is worth knowing what your Mac already does for free.

Safari: The Most Reliable Native Option

Safari has the tightest PiP integration on macOS. Right-click a video once to dismiss the site's own menu, then right-click again to reach Safari's context menu and choose 'Enter Picture in Picture.' The video detaches into a small floating window you can drag to any corner, resize, and move between displays. Many sites also show a PiP button directly in the player controls.

Chrome: Native PiP, Plus a Richer API

Chrome supports the same right-click-twice method as Safari for individual videos. It also supports the Document Picture-in-Picture API, which lets a site or extension float more than a bare video, including full player controls or a custom interface inside the floating window. This API is Chromium-specific, so it does not carry over to Safari or Firefox.

Firefox: Built In, With One Known Limitation

Firefox has had native PiP for years. On Mac, the shortcut is Command-Shift-Option-], or you can right-click a video and choose 'Watch in Picture in Picture.' The one long-standing catch: Firefox's PiP window stays on top reliably when Firefox itself is in full screen, but not when a different app is in full screen. If you regularly work in full-screen apps, Safari handles that case more consistently.

Which Third-Party Apps Add More to Picture-in-Picture?

Native PiP is limited on purpose: no seeking, one video at a time, and it only works with an actual video element. The apps below fill in specific gaps rather than replacing what your Mac already does.

Pippo - Adds Seek Controls to Native PiP

macOS's built-in PiP window has no way to skip forward or back. Pippo, from developer Jordi Bruin, adds seek buttons to the existing PiP window using macOS Shortcuts behind the scenes. It is a pay-what-you-want download on Gumroad, including free, and it works with any video already playing in PiP rather than replacing the system feature.

PiPHero - Floats Any App Window, Not Just Video

PiPHero is a free, open-source menu bar app that goes further than video. It can put any application window into a floating panel, so you can keep an eye on a chat, a terminal, or a dashboard while you work in something else. It is a different job to video PiP, closer to a general 'float this window' utility.

Elmedia Player - Picture-in-Picture for Local Video Files

Browser PiP only works on video playing in a browser tab. If you are watching a file saved on your Mac, Elmedia Player is a full media player with its own PiP mode built in, plus wide format support. The player itself is free, with a $19.99 Pro upgrade that unlocks extras like unrestricted streaming to other devices.

Floating - Float Windows and Web Pages

Floating: Picture in Picture is a Mac App Store app that can turn a window, or a whole web page, into a small floating panel, even on sites without a native PiP button. It is free to download, with an optional one-time in-app purchase for extra features.

How Do These Compare?

Does Echo Do Picture-in-Picture Too?

Echo is not a PiP utility first. It is a native Mac menu-bar app that remembers everything you play, across your apps and your browser, and brings it back at the exact spot with ⌘⇧E. It can also float a video so it stays on top while you work, combining the always-on-top convenience of PiP with the memory layer that plain PiP does not have.

The difference matters the moment you close the window. Native PiP, and every third-party app above, forgets the video the second the floating panel or the tab closes. Echo keeps the full history, so reopening it later brings the video back at the exact second you stopped, not the beginning.

Which One Should You Use?

For most people, native PiP in Safari is the right starting point. It costs nothing, needs no install, and covers the common case of floating one video while you work.

Reach for a third-party app only when you hit a specific gap: Pippo if you keep wishing you could skip forward in the floating window, PiPHero if you want to float more than video, Elmedia Player if your video is a local file rather than a browser tab, or Floating if you want to pin a whole web page rather than just its video.

If the real frustration is losing your place after you close the window, that is a different problem than PiP solves, and it is the one Echo is built for.