Magnet vs Swish

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

Swish

• MacBook and Magic Trackpad users who prefer gestures to keyboard shortcuts
• Multi-monitor setups where windows move between screens often
• Buyers who want a low one-time price, or who already pay for Setapp

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.

Swish

• macOS only, version 12 and above. It is not on the Mac App Store because it cannot run sandboxed.
• It is designed mainly for the Magic Trackpad; a third-party mouse needs a separate app such as Mac Mouse Fix to emulate touch gestures.
• A license can be active on two Macs at a time and has to be unlinked in Settings before moving to another Mac.
• The Buy button shows a price that Paddle localizes by country; $16 is the US figure.

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.

Swish

Title bar snapping

A quick swipe on a window's title bar snaps it into position, in place of dragging the window to a screen edge.

Grids and shared dividers

Snapping supports 2×2, 3×2 and 3×3 grids, and dragging the divider between snapped windows resizes several of them at once.

Close, minimize and full screen

Pinching in closes a window, swiping down minimizes it and pinching out sends it full screen, replacing the three title bar buttons.

Screens and spaces

Swipes move windows between displays according to how the monitors are physically arranged, and further gestures work with macOS spaces.

Keyboard hotkeys

Arrow, WASD, IJKL and Dvorak hotkeys trigger the snapping, screen and spaces actions, configured in the Advanced tab of the settings.

30 gestures, each switchable

The site counts 30 window, Dock and menu bar gestures. Each can be turned on or off by clicking its icon in the settings window, which also includes a tutorial.

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.

Swish

• Swish license$16

  one-time purchase (US price; Paddle localizes it elsewhere)

  A full license with no recurring cost, for personal use on two computers. One license can be active on two machines at a time.

• Setapp subscription$9.99

  per month, after 7 days free, for the whole Setapp catalog

  Swish is also available through Setapp, a subscription that the Swish site says includes more than 200 Mac and iOS apps.

Magnet

No public discounts listed.

Swish

• Education

  33% off for students

  The Swish FAQ says students get 33% off by sending an email from a .edu address.