Rectangle is a solid, free window manager for Mac — but it only does one thing: snap windows into positions with keyboard shortcuts. If you need saved layouts, automatic layout switching when you dock your laptop, or scheduling windows to arrange themselves at 9am, Rectangle can't help. Here's how the main alternatives compare, and when each one makes sense.
What Rectangle is actually good at (and where it stops)
Rectangle handles keyboard-driven snapping well. Press a shortcut, the window fills half the screen. Press another, it moves to a different display. It's free, open source, and has been around long enough that it works reliably on every macOS version including Sequoia.
Where it ends:
- No saved layouts. You can't say "I want Chrome top-left, Terminal bottom-right, Slack on the second monitor" and restore that in one action.
- No multi-monitor profiles. Rectangle doesn't know whether you're docked with two external displays or running solo on your MacBook. It applies the same shortcuts regardless.
- No scheduling. You can't tell it to apply a layout automatically at 9am or when you connect your monitor.
- No auto-launch of missing apps. If an app isn't open, Rectangle can't position it.
If you only need fast snapping, none of that matters. But a surprising number of people search for Rectangle alternatives not because they dislike it, but because they've realised they need something it was never designed to do.
Magnet ($7.99 on the Mac App Store)
Magnet is Rectangle with a slightly tidier UI and a price tag. It offers drag-to-corner snapping on top of keyboard shortcuts, which some people prefer. The feature set is otherwise very similar: snap to halves, thirds, quarters, and corners. No saved layouts, no multi-monitor profiles, no scheduling.
When it makes sense: you want drag snapping and don't mind paying for a Mac App Store app with a visible support presence. When it doesn't: if you've outgrown Rectangle, you've outgrown Magnet too — they solve the same problem.
Moom ($10 on the Mac App Store)
Moom is more powerful than both Rectangle and Magnet. It lets you define custom snap zones, create window arrangement "snapshots" that you can apply manually, and draw on a grid to position windows. The UI is dense — it rewards time spent configuring it, but that's also the barrier.
The gap: Moom's snapshots are manual. There's no automatic layout switching when your monitor configuration changes, and no time-based scheduling. It's powerful for deliberate, on-demand arrangement; it won't quietly fix your windows every morning.
When it makes sense: you want granular control and enjoy configuring tools. It's genuinely capable. When it doesn't: you want things to happen automatically without thinking about it.
BetterSnapTool ($3 on the Mac App Store)
BetterSnapTool is cheap and does the basics — custom snap zones, keyboard shortcuts, drag-to-snap. The UI is dated and configuration is fiddly. It's essentially a budget Magnet. Hard to recommend in 2025 unless you specifically want the cheapest paid option.
macOS Sequoia's built-in tiling (free, but frustrating)
Sequoia added native window tiling — press and hold the green traffic light button or drag a window to an edge. In theory this removes the need for third-party tools entirely. In practice it's inconsistent: tiling often fails to trigger, keyboard shortcuts don't work reliably, and there's no way to save or restore a layout. If you've tried it and given up, you're not alone.
Layoutish ($6.99, one-time purchase)
Layoutish solves the problems that none of the above tools touch. The core feature is saved window layouts: you arrange your windows exactly how you want them, save that as a layout, and restore it instantly with a keyboard shortcut or the Quick Switcher (⌘⇧L). Any apps that aren't open get launched automatically.
The parts that matter most in practice:
Multi-monitor display profiles. Layoutish detects which monitor configuration you're connected to — laptop only, docked with one external display, docked with two — and applies the right layout automatically. This is the feature that replaces the ten minutes of window-shuffling you do every morning when you sit down at your desk.
Time-based scheduling. You can set a layout to apply at 9am on weekdays, or whenever you want. Useful if you have a consistent work setup.
Smart positioning. Some apps resist being moved programmatically — they snap back or ignore the request. Layoutish retries positioning for stubborn apps rather than silently giving up.
One thing worth knowing: Layoutish requires macOS 14+ and the Accessibility permission (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility). That permission is what lets it move and resize windows on your behalf — same requirement as Rectangle, Moom, and every other window manager.
Pricing note: the current price is $6.99 as a one-time purchase. It rises to $9.99 on 1 September 2026. Existing owners are unaffected — all future updates are free.
How the options actually compare
| Rectangle | Magnet | Moom | Layoutish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $7.99 | $10 | $6.99 |
| Keyboard snapping | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag-to-snap | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Saved layouts | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✓ |
| Multi-monitor profiles | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduled layouts | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-launch missing apps | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| macOS required | 10.15+ | 12+ | 10.11+ | 14+ |
Which one should you actually use?
Stick with Rectangle if snapping to halves and quarters is all you need. It's free, it works, and there's no reason to pay for something that does the same thing.
Use Moom if you want the most configurability in a manual tool and you're willing to spend time setting it up.
Use Layoutish if you're docking and undocking a laptop, managing multiple monitors, or tired of manually re-arranging windows every morning. The automatic layout restoration on monitor change is the thing that Rectangle, Magnet, and Moom simply don't do.
You can try Layoutish free for 7 days — no account required, just download and run it. If the automatic multi-monitor switching solves your problem in the first five minutes (it usually does), it's worth the one-time price. See Layoutish →
Common questions
Is Rectangle still worth using in 2025?
Yes, for basic snapping. Rectangle is actively maintained, works on macOS Sequoia, and costs nothing. If all you need is keyboard shortcuts to snap windows to halves, thirds, or corners, there's no reason to switch.
Does Layoutish replace Rectangle or work alongside it?
Layoutish includes its own snapping shortcuts, so it can fully replace Rectangle. But if you're already used to Rectangle's keyboard layout, you can run both — they don't conflict. Most people switch to Layoutish only for the layout-saving and multi-monitor features, then drop Rectangle once they realise Layoutish covers snapping too.
Why does macOS Sequoia's built-in tiling feel broken compared to third-party apps?
Sequoia's tiling was added in macOS 15 but the implementation has known reliability issues — triggers that don't fire consistently, keyboard shortcuts that conflict with other apps, and no way to save or replay a layout. Third-party tools like Rectangle and Layoutish use the Accessibility API directly, which gives them more precise and consistent control over window positioning than Apple's own native implementation currently provides.
Originally published at appish.app
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