Rectangle Alternatives for Mac: When You Need More Than Window Snapping

Rectangle is one of the most popular free apps on Mac, and for good reason - it adds keyboard-driven window snapping that macOS should have shipped with. But a lot of people search for Rectangle alternatives not because Rectangle is bad, but because they've hit its ceiling: it snaps one window at a time, it can't remember a full desk layout, and it has nothing to offer when you disconnect a monitor and your windows scatter. If any of that sounds familiar, you've outgrown snapping and need layout management instead.

What Rectangle actually does (and what it doesn't)

Rectangle moves the frontmost window to a position - left half, right third, maximised, centred - when you press a shortcut. It's fast and reliable. Rectangle Pro ($9.99) adds a handful of extras: custom snap areas, window gaps, and a few multi-window arrangements.

What neither version does:

• Save a named layout and restore it later
• Automatically apply a layout when a monitor connects or disconnects
• Schedule a layout at 9am Monday to Friday
• Remember which app was in front of which
• Reopen an app that wasn't running when you restore

If your workflow is "resize the current window quickly," Rectangle does that perfectly and costs nothing. Stay on it.

If your workflow is "I want my 12 windows arranged exactly the way I had them yesterday, across two monitors, the moment I plug my laptop in" - Rectangle can't help with that.

The main Rectangle alternatives, and what each is actually for

Magnet ($7.99, App Store)

Magnet does roughly the same job as Rectangle: keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge snapping for individual windows. It's polished and has been around for years. If you want Rectangle but with an App Store purchase and a slightly different shortcut layout, Magnet is the answer. It has no saved layouts.

Moom ($10, App Store)

Moom goes further than Rectangle with custom snap zones - you can draw a grid and assign windows to specific cells, and save those arrangements per-app. It's genuinely powerful. The interface is more involved than most people expect, and "powerful but complex" is a fair description. If you want to invest time in a highly configurable snapper, Moom is worth the trial.

macOS Sequoia's built-in tiling

Sequoia added native window tiling in 2024. In theory you don't need anything extra. In practice, it's inconsistent: shortcuts that work one day silently stop working the next, multi-monitor tiling breaks in ways that are hard to predict, and there's no concept of saved layouts at all. I've written about what's actually broken in Sequoia's window tiling if you want the full picture - the short version is that it's fine for occasional snapping on a single display but unreliable as a daily workflow.

Layoutish ($9.99, appish.app)

Layoutish is for a different job entirely. Instead of snapping one window at a time, you save a complete desk - every open window, every app, every display, in the exact front-to-back order you had them - as a named layout. Then you restore it: from the menu bar, a keyboard shortcut, or automatically when a specific monitor configuration connects.

Key things it does that Rectangle and Moom don't:

• Saved layouts with names, icons and hotkeys - save "Morning work" and "Video call" and switch between them in one keystroke
• Display profiles - Layoutish recognises your monitor setup by name and resolution; when you plug in your studio display, a specific layout applies automatically, without you doing anything
• Auto-launch - if an app in the saved layout isn't running, Layoutish opens it
• Scheduling - apply a layout at 9am on weekdays, switch to another at 6pm
• Window order - windows come back in the same front-to-back order, on every display
• Smart positioning - for apps that resist being moved (Electron apps, GPU-rendered windows), Layoutish uses macOS's accessibility interface and retries until the window lands correctly

It also works on macOS 13.5 (Ventura) and later, on both Apple Silicon and Intel.

Which one should you choose?

Here's a direct comparison:

Rectangle and Layoutish aren't really competing - they solve different levels of the same problem. Rectangle is a shortcut for a single window. Layoutish is memory for your entire desk.

That said, they don't conflict. Some people run both: Rectangle for quick in-session adjustments, Layoutish for the morning setup and monitor hot-plugging. Both need the Device Control and Data Access permission (called Accessibility before macOS 27) and nothing else.

The monitor-change problem - where most Rectangle users hit a wall

The most common reason people search for a Rectangle alternative isn't missing features - it's the docking problem. You close your MacBook lid at the office, connect to two monitors, and want your windows where you left them. macOS scrambles them. Rectangle can't fix that because it doesn't know what "where you left them" means.

Layoutish handles this through display profiles. When you save a layout on your two-monitor desk, Layoutish associates it with that monitor configuration. Next time those monitors connect - same names, same resolution, any scaling - that layout applies. You walk to your desk, plug in, done.

I've written a longer piece on exactly how this works and how to set it up if you want step-by-step instructions.

What about Rectangle Pro?

Rectangle Pro is $9.99 - same price as Layoutish. It adds custom snap areas and a few multi-window shortcuts over free Rectangle. If you specifically want drag-to-custom-zone snapping, it's a reasonable buy. It still doesn't save layouts or handle display changes. At the same price point, the choice comes down to whether you want better snapping (Rectangle Pro) or layout memory (Layoutish).

Do these apps conflict with each other?

Rectangle and Layoutish can run side by side without issues. They use different shortcut spaces by default, and both just talk to macOS's accessibility interface. If you have keyboard shortcut conflicts, you can remap either app - Layoutish requires ⌘ or ⌃ (or a function key) in its hotkeys because macOS 15 refuses ⌥-only shortcuts.

Layoutish has a 7-day free trial, no card required. Rectangle is free, forever. Try both before spending anything.

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Common questions

Is Rectangle free forever, or is there a paid version?

Rectangle itself is free and open source, with no paid tier. Rectangle Pro is a separate $9.99 purchase from the same developer that adds custom snap zones and a few extra layouts. The free version covers the core snapping features most people use.

Can Layoutish replace Rectangle entirely?

Layoutish saves and restores full window layouts but doesn't have Rectangle's drag-to-edge snapping during a session. Many people run both: Rectangle for quick single-window snapping, Layoutish for whole-desk layouts and monitor automation. They don't conflict, and both are available on free trials.

Does Layoutish work on Intel Macs and older macOS versions?

Yes - Layoutish works on both Apple Silicon and Intel, and requires macOS 13.5 (Ventura) or later. It does not require macOS 14 or 15. Display profiles and scheduling work on all supported versions.