Magnet vs Rectangle

Magnet

• Mac users who want simple window snapping for a small one-time price
• People who arrange windows by dragging them to screen edges
• Multi-monitor setups, including vertical displays

Rectangle

• Mac users who want window snapping by shortcut or drag at no cost
• Former Spectacle users who want to keep the same shortcuts
• People who prefer open-source utilities

Magnet

• macOS only and sold solely through the Mac App Store; it requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• The pages read mention no free version or trial; the app is a paid download.
• Windows can be arranged within the active Space but not across different Spaces.
• Non-standard windows cannot be resized, and Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Cloud apps older than the 2017 versions are not supported.

Rectangle

• macOS only. The website lists macOS 10.15 or later, while the GitHub README says the newest release needs macOS 14.
• Window throwing, custom sizes and positions, saved workspaces, window stashing and iCloud sync are only in Rectangle Pro, a separate paid app.
• Rectangle Pro's price is not shown as readable text on the site. It has a 10-day free trial, and one license can be active on 3 devices.

Magnet

Drag-to-snap trigger areas

Drag a window to a screen corner to snap it into a quarter, or to a side edge for a half. The top edge maximizes the window and the bottom edge creates thirds.

Keyboard shortcuts

Window commands can be run from keyboard shortcuts, which are optional and customizable.

Menu bar and green button menus

Commands are also available from a menu bar icon, which can be hidden, and from the menu on a window's green button.

Custom commands

Beyond the built-in set of commands, the App Store listing describes an unlimited number of custom commands and configurable layout properties.

External and vertical displays

Supports up to six external displays. On a vertical screen, thirds are created along the sides, with quarters and halves in the corners and on the bottom edge.

iCloud sync

Settings can optionally be synchronized through iCloud, according to the App Store listing.

Rectangle

Keyboard shortcuts

Move and resize the active window with a shortcut. Repeating a shortcut cycles through window sizes.

Snap areas

Drag a window to a screen edge or corner to snap it, and choose which window action each snap area triggers.

Preset sizes and positions

Commands for halves, quarters, thirds, fourths and sixths, plus maximize, almost maximize, maximize height, smaller, larger, center and restore.

Multiple displays

Next and previous display commands send a window to another screen, and layouts for displays in portrait orientation are supported.

Todo Mode

Keeps one app that you specify visible while you snap and resize other windows. The equivalent in Rectangle Pro is called Pin Mode.

Spectacle-compatible shortcuts

Rectangle is described as nearly a complete drop-in replacement for the Spectacle app, and Spectacle's default shortcuts can be chosen on first run.

Magnet

• Magnet$4.99

  one-time purchase (US Mac App Store price)

  A perpetual license with free updates, no subscription and no in-app purchases. The listing supports Family Sharing.

Rectangle

• Rectangle$0

  Keyboard shortcuts, drag-to-snap areas, menu bar commands, halves to sixths, display switching and Todo Mode. Free and open source.