Magnet vs Rectangle

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Magnet

A low-cost Mac App Store window manager that snaps windows into halves, thirds and quarters.

Paid

Visit Magnet Magnet profile

Rectangle

A free, open-source Mac window manager that snaps windows with keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to screen edges.

Open source

Visit Rectangle Rectangle profile

The short answer

Rectangle and Magnet both snap Mac windows to halves, quarters and thirds with keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to screen edges. Rectangle is free and open source under the MIT licence; Magnet is a paid one-off purchase from the Mac App Store. For basic snapping they do the same job, so most people can start with Rectangle; Magnet appeals to those who prefer an App Store app with simple setup.

Magnet or Rectangle: our take

Rectangle began as a successor to the discontinued Spectacle and supports Spectacle's shortcuts, which makes switching easy. Dragging a window to an edge or corner snaps it, and repeating a shortcut cycles through sizes. It handles portrait displays and multiple monitors, installs from its website or Homebrew, and recent versions need macOS 14 or later. The same developer sells Rectangle Pro, a separate app with a 10-day free trial, adding workspace layouts, custom snap targets, edge-stashing and iCloud sync, with a licence covering 3 devices at a time.

Magnet, by CrowdCafé, works like Windows snapping: drag to a corner for a quarter, a side for a half, the top to maximise, or the bottom for thirds, with matching shortcuts and a menu bar menu. It supports vertical screens and up to six external displays, needs macOS 13 Ventura or later, and the developer says it collects no data. It is sold only through the Mac App Store as a one-time purchase with free updates, so there is no free version.

Neither tiles windows automatically, and Magnet has no saved layouts, while Rectangle needs its paid Pro app for them. Magnet's lower system requirement matters for Macs still on macOS 13. Choose Rectangle for a free, open-source snapper with a clear upgrade path to layouts. Choose Magnet for a simple App Store purchase that is easy to reinstall across Macs, or for older macOS versions. Anyone wanting automatic tiling should look at AeroSpace, yabai or Amethyst instead.

Choose Magnet if…

Mac users who want Windows-style window snapping with minimal setup
Simple drag-to-edge snapping with keyboard shortcuts
Supports vertical screens and up to six external displays

Choose Rectangle if…

Mac users who want simple, free keyboard and drag-to-edge window snapping
You want open-source software
You want a free option (Magnet is paid only)
Free and open source
Shortcuts and drag-to-snap both work well

What is Magnet?

Magnet is one of the best-known window snapping apps for the Mac, sold through the Mac App Store by developer CrowdCafé. It works the way Windows snapping does: drag a window to a corner for a quarter, a side for a half, the top edge to maximise, or the bottom edge for thirds, and it also has keyboard shortcuts and a menu bar menu for the same actions. It handles vertical displays and up to six external monitors, and the developer says it collects no personal data. It is a paid app with a one-time App Store price and free updates, and because it is distributed only through the App Store, buying and reinstalling is simple. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. Magnet does fixed layouts only: there are no saved multi-window layouts, no automatic tiling and only limited customisation, so power users often move to Moom, Rectangle Pro or a tiling manager. For most people who just want tidy side-by-side windows, though, it is quick to set up.

What is Rectangle?

Rectangle moves and resizes windows on macOS with keyboard shortcuts or snap areas: drag a window to an edge or corner and it fills that half, quarter or third. Repeating a shortcut cycles through sizes, so there is less to memorise. It began as a successor to the discontinued Spectacle app and can use Spectacle's default shortcuts, which makes it an easy switch. The app is free and open source under the MIT licence, installs from the website or Homebrew, and supports portrait displays and multiple monitors. The same developer sells Rectangle Pro, a separate paid app with a 10-day trial that adds a single-shortcut 'window throw' to 16 positions, custom snap targets, layouts for whole workspaces triggered by shortcuts or display changes, edge-stashing of windows and iCloud sync of settings; one Pro licence covers three Macs. Recent free versions require macOS 14 or later. It does not tile windows automatically; for that, look at AeroSpace, yabai or Amethyst.

Side by side

Attribute	Magnet	Rectangle
Pricing	Paid	Open source
Open source	No	Yes
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	macOS	macOS
Best for	Mac users who want Windows-style window snapping with minimal setup	Mac users who want simple, free keyboard and drag-to-edge window snapping
Status	Active	Active