Rectangle · macOS Window Management
Rectangle is free and open source. Magnet costs $4.99 on the Mac App Store. Both snap windows into halves, quarters, and thirds by dragging or shortcut — the real differences show up in customization, sixths, and where each app lives on your Mac.
Quick answer: Rectangle wins on value and depth — free, open source, includes sixths and deeper shortcut customization. Magnet’s one real advantage is Mac App Store distribution and free iCloud sync. For most users there is no functional reason to pay for what Rectangle gives away.
Contents
Quick verdict
Rectangle wins on value and depth: free, open source, does everything Magnet does plus sixths, custom sizes, and far more granular shortcut remapping. Magnet’s one real advantage is Mac App Store distribution — sandboxed, auto-updating, no outside download required. If that specifically matters to you, Magnet is a perfectly fine $4.99 app. For everyone else, there is no functional reason to pay for what Rectangle gives away.
Pricing and distribution
Magnet is a one-time $4.99 purchase through the Mac App Store — no subscription, no in-app purchases. Rectangle is free and open source under the MIT license, distributed as a direct download or via Homebrew. It is not on the App Store, since Apple’s sandboxing rules conflict with the Accessibility permissions Rectangle needs to move windows system-wide.
| Category | Rectangle | Magnet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $4.99 one-time |
| Distribution | Direct / Homebrew | Mac App Store |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Halves, quarters, thirds | Yes | Yes |
| Sixths | Yes | Limited |
| Custom sizes / positions | Pro only | Custom commands |
| Drag-to-snap | Yes, per-zone configurable | Yes, “Trigger Areas” |
| iCloud settings sync | Pro only | Yes, free |
| App-specific auto layouts | Pro only | No |
Feature comparison
Both apps cover the fundamentals identically: drag a window to an edge for a half, a corner for a quarter, the top for maximize. Magnet calls its drag zones “Trigger Areas”; Rectangle calls them snap areas. Functionally they behave the same — a translucent preview shows where the window lands before you release.
Where they diverge is depth. Rectangle’s free tier includes sixths — useful on anything wider than a standard 24-inch display. Magnet counters with unlimited custom commands and free iCloud settings sync across Macs, a feature Rectangle locks behind its Pro tier.
Neither app does app-specific auto layouts at the free tier. Rectangle Pro adds that; Magnet has no equivalent at any price.
Shortcut customization
This is where the gap is widest. Rectangle lets you remap every single action — halves, thirds, sixths, Larger/Smaller, Center, Almost Maximize — to any key combination. Its “Subsequent execution mode” controls what happens when you press the same shortcut twice in a row, cycling through sizes. Magnet’s shortcut list is shorter and its remapping options are more limited, though the defaults are sensible enough that most users never feel the gap unless they are deliberately customizing.
Performance and reliability
Both apps are lightweight and sit near zero CPU usage when idle. Magnet’s App Store sandboxing means it auto-updates silently along with your other App Store apps. Rectangle updates through its own mechanism or Homebrew — a minor bit of friction that App Store distribution removes.
Neither app collects meaningful telemetry. Magnet’s App Store privacy label lists “Data Not Collected,” and Rectangle’s open source code is fully auditable on GitHub for anyone who wants to verify that directly.
Who should actually pick which
- You want the most features for zero cost
- You are comfortable installing outside the App Store
- You want sixths on a wide monitor
- You want to audit the source code
- App Store-only install is a hard requirement
- You want free iCloud settings sync
- You prefer silent auto-updates
- You simply prefer Magnet’s drag feel
- You only split two windows a couple of times a day — macOS Sequoia’s native tiling (System Settings → Desktop & Dock) already covers that without installing anything