Dorso vs SitSense: Mac Menu-Bar App vs Browser-Based Posture AI
Dorso watches your posture from the Mac menu bar, either through your webcam or, with no camera at all, through the motion sensors in your AirPods. SitSense watches through a browser tab on any OS. One is a $4.99 one-time Mac purchase; the other is free with nothing to install. This is written by SitSense, so treat the verdict accordingly — every claim about Dorso here comes from its own site, App Store listing, or public GitHub repo.
Side by Side
| SitSense | Dorso | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Browser tab, nothing installed | Native Mac menu-bar app |
| Platforms | Any OS with a modern browser | macOS 13.0+ only (AirPods mode needs 14.0+) |
| Detection method | Webcam, MediaPipe pose estimation | Webcam, or AirPods motion sensors with no camera at all |
| Forward head / tech neck | Yes, in both the web app and free extension | Yes, detected explicitly |
| Shoulders and trunk | Shoulders: yes, in both. Trunk angle: web app only | Not described in its own materials |
| Price | Free, unlimited sessions; Pro $2.92-4.99/mo | $4.99 one-time purchase, no subscription found |
| Account required | No, for the free extension; a free account for the web app | No — no account, no cloud |
| Video/motion data | Never leaves the device | Never leaves the device |
| What it shows you | A companion reviving a reef as you sit well | A daily posture score with weekly/monthly trend charts |
| Open source | No | Yes, MIT license on GitHub |
The AirPods Mode Is the Interesting Part
Dorso can run without a camera. With AirPods Pro, Max, or 3rd generation or later on macOS 14.0+, it reads head position straight from the earbuds’ motion sensors — including with the laptop lid closed. That is something SitSense cannot do at all: it is webcam-only, so no webcam means no reading.
It is a genuinely useful mode for anyone who runs a closed-lid setup with an external monitor, or who would rather not have a camera pointed at them regardless of what happens to the footage. The tradeoff is what it can see: head-motion sensors can tell you where your head is pointed, not what your shoulders or spine are doing, so it is a narrower read of posture than a webcam gets from your whole upper body.
Both Keep Everything On the Device
Dorso states that it "processes everything locally on your Mac. No account required, no cloud services, no data collection," and its App Store privacy declaration states the developer collects no data from the app at all. SitSense runs pose estimation in the browser tab through MediaPipe and sends nothing but numbers to a server; no video frame ever leaves the device either way.
Between these two specifically, privacy is not the deciding factor — both mean it. The differences that actually matter are what each one can see, and what you pay.
A Purchase vs a Subscription
Dorso is a $4.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store. No subscription, and no free tier we could find on its site or store listing — you pay once and own it.
SitSense’s everyday tier is free indefinitely, no card required: the companion, the reef, and unlimited sessions. Pro adds full session history for $2.92/month billed annually ($34.99/yr) or $4.99/month billed monthly. If you already know you want a Mac-only posture tool and would rather pay once and stop thinking about it, Dorso’s model has a real edge. If you are not sure yet, SitSense costs nothing to find out.
A Score vs a Reef
Dorso’s dashboard reports a daily posture score alongside weekly and monthly trend charts — a fairly conventional quantified-self view of your posture over time.
SitSense used to work the same way and deliberately took the score away in August 2026. Sitting well now feeds a companion you hatch, who spends that on reviving a bleached coral reef one object at a time — there is no score, streak, or leaderboard left in the product. Which of these you would rather look at is genuinely a matter of taste, not a right answer. If you want a number and a line going up, Dorso’s dashboard is the more literal tool of the two.
Choose Dorso if
You are on a Mac and staying there, want to pay once and never see a bill again, need posture tracking with the lid closed or the camera covered via AirPods, or you want a straightforward score-and-trend dashboard.
Choose SitSense if
You are not on a Mac, or move between machines, want to try a posture tool for free before paying anything, want your shoulders and trunk read alongside your head, or you have found score-driven apps easy to tune out and want to try something built around a different mechanic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dorso work without a webcam?
Yes. With AirPods Pro, Max, or 3rd generation or later on macOS 14.0+, Dorso reads head position from the earbuds’ motion sensors instead of the camera, including with the laptop lid closed. SitSense has no camera-free mode — it needs a webcam to run at all.
Is Dorso free?
No free tier is stated on its site or App Store listing as of writing — it is a one-time $4.99 purchase with no subscription. SitSense’s everyday tier is free indefinitely with no card required; Pro is $2.92-4.99 a month for full session history.
Does Dorso upload my data anywhere?
No. Dorso states it processes everything locally with no account and no cloud services, and its App Store privacy listing states the developer collects no data. SitSense also processes video locally in the browser and only sends numeric metrics to its server, never a frame of video.
Can I use Dorso on Windows or in a browser?
No — Dorso is a native macOS app (13.0 or later) with no Windows, Linux, or browser version. SitSense runs in any modern browser on any operating system.
Does Dorso track more than head position?
Not according to its own materials — it detects slouching and forward-head, or "turtle neck," posture from head angle, via webcam or AirPods. SitSense’s web app adds shoulder slope, trunk angle, and neck rotation to that reading; the free Chrome extension adds the same shoulder slope and neck rotation, but not trunk angle, since a webcam sees your whole upper body rather than just where your head is pointed.
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Your posture, without being graded for it
SitSense reads seven posture angles through your webcam, in the browser — nothing installed, no wearable, and no frame ever leaves your machine. Sitting well makes light for a companion you hatch, who brings a bleached reef back to colour. No score, no streaks.
Free to start — no credit card required. See how it works
Last updated: 2026-08-04