Utilities · alternatives
Alternatives to Rectangle
20 utilities tools sit alongside Rectangle in this directory. Below is what separates each from Rectangle on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 12
- Cheaper to start
- 2
- Rectangle starts at
- Free, then $9.99/one-time
Why people look past Rectangle
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. Rectangle has a free tier, and starts at $9.99/one-time against a category median of $29/month. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Mac App Store window manager sold as a one-time paid app, with no free tier
- No free tier, where Rectangle has one.
- Starts $5 a one-time cheaper, at $4.99/one-time.
- Sold on a One-time purchase model rather than Open source, no licence fee.
- 1 tier to Rectangle's 2.
Mac gesture, shortcut and automation customisation tool sold as a one-time licence with a lifetime tier
- No free tier, where Rectangle has one.
- Starts $2.01 a one-time dearer, at $12/one-time.
- Sold on a One-time purchase model rather than Open source, no licence fee.
Mac launcher and automation tool sold as a one-time Powerpack licence rather than a subscription
- Starts $24.009999999999998 a one-time dearer, at £34/one-time.
- Sold on a One-time purchase model rather than Open source, no licence fee.
- 3 tiers to Rectangle's 2.
Free open source BitTorrent client with true thin-client architecture for remote daemon control
- 1 tier to Rectangle's 2.
McDonald's mobile ordering and MyMcDonald's Rewards app used to drive app-exclusive deals and first party data
- Sold on a Free app, revenue from purchases model rather than Open source, no licence fee.
- 1 tier to Rectangle's 2.
Domino's Pizza ordering app with Piece of the Pie Rewards, built to route orders away from delivery marketplace commissions
- Sold on a Free app, revenue from purchases model rather than Open source, no licence fee.
- 1 tier to Rectangle's 2.
Every Rectangle alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rectangle (this page) | Free, then $9.99/one-time | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | |
| MagnetIf you prefer a single Mac App Store purchase with no separate Pro app to manage | $4.99/one-time | One-time purchase | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| BetterTouchToolIf you want window management bundled with much broader gesture and shortcut customisation | $12/one-time | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Rectangle |
| AlfredIf you want window snapping as one small part of a larger launcher and automation tool | Free, then £34/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs Rectangle |
| Deluge | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| McDonalds | Free | Free app, revenue from purchases | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Dominos | Free | Free app, revenue from purchases | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Find My | Free | Free, built into Apple hardware and iCloud | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Karabiner-Elements | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Maccy | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Google Lens | Free | Free, bundled into other Google apps | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| qBittorrent | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Starbucks | Free | Free app, revenue from prepaid stored value and purchases | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Shottr | Free, then $8/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs Rectangle |
| Kap | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Calsense | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Hazel | $42/one-time | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Rectangle |
| Sedaru | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| Paste | $29.99/year | Per user per month | 1 | vs Rectangle |
| CleanShot X | $29/one-time | One-time purchase | 2 | vs Rectangle |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Rectangle badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (12)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Alfred , Free, then £34/one-time
- Deluge , Free
- McDonalds , Free
- Dominos , Free
- Find My , Free
- Karabiner-Elements , Free
- Maccy , Free
- Google Lens , Free
What you would be giving up
Rectangle is most often brought in for a developer who wants source-available window management with no cost and no account, anyone replacing magnet who does not want to pay even a small one-time fee, a user who installs software via homebrew rather than the mac app store, a power user who later wants rectangle pro extras but does not need them from day one. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Rectangle is broadly right and the question is cost, the Rectangle pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Utilities category lists everything the directory holds, and best utilities tools ranks them.
Rectangle runs on mac. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Rectangle alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Rectangle?
- 20 other utilities tools are listed in this directory, led by Magnet, BetterTouchTool, Alfred, Deluge. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Rectangle?
- 12 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Alfred, Deluge, McDonalds, Dominos, Find My.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Rectangle?
- Yes. 2 of the alternatives below start under Rectangle's $9.99/one-time: Magnet at $4.99/one-time, Shottr at Free, then $8/one-time.
- Is there a reason to switch away from Rectangle?
- Nothing in the data flags one. Rectangle has a free tier, and starts at $9.99/one-time against a category median of $29/month. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from Rectangle?
- Rectangle is most often brought in for a developer who wants source-available window management with no cost and no account, anyone replacing magnet who does not want to pay even a small one-time fee, a user who installs software via homebrew rather than the mac app store, a power user who later wants rectangle pro extras but does not need them from day one. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Rectangle?
- None of the utilities tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Rectangle alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Utilities, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Rectangle against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Rectangle covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every utilities tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Utilities category, 20 tools beside Rectangle. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.