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Utilities · head to head

Rectangle vs VTScada

Rectangle logo

Rectangle

Utilities

Free open source window snapping for macOS, with a separate paid Rectangle Pro for extra features

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
VTScada logo

VTScada

Utilities

SCADA software for water, wastewater and remote telemetry with a published price list

From
$3395/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Rectangle has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Rectangle rectangle Pro is a separate app rather than an in-app purchase, so upgrading means installing and managing a second piece of software.; VTScada licences are per installed PC rather than per system, so a redundant pair plus a development machine means paying three times unless you buy the discounted multi-server bundles.
  • They diverge on capability: Rectangle covers Keyboard shortcuts, VTScada covers Automatic version control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rectangle and VTScada actually diverge.

Attributes where Rectangle and VTScada differ
AttributeRectangleVTScada
Starting priceFree$3395/one-time
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacWindows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Rectangle

  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Drag to snap
  • Multi-display support
  • Almost full screen
  • Rectangle Pro extras
  • Open source core

Only in VTScada

  • Automatic version control
  • Bundled historian
  • Alarm notification
  • Driver set included
  • Redundancy and sync
  • Thin clients
  • Idea Studio
  • Slippy maps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Rectangle

  • A developer who wants source-available window management with no cost and no accountnot VTScada
  • Anyone replacing Magnet who does not want to pay even a small one-time feenot VTScada
  • A user who installs software via Homebrew rather than the Mac App Storenot VTScada
  • A power user who later wants Rectangle Pro extras but does not need them from day onenot VTScada

VTScada

  • A municipal water authority with 60 remote pump stations on licensed radio that needs DNP3 polling and regulator-facing change recordsnot Rectangle
  • An oil and gas gathering operator polling wellsite RTUs over intermittent cellular links with store and forwardnot Rectangle
  • A small utility that must produce a defensible budget number before going to council for capital approvalnot Rectangle
  • An integrator standardising on one product where historian, alarming and dialler costs are inside the licence rather than quoted separatelynot Rectangle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Rectangle

  • Rectangle Pro is a separate app rather than an in-app purchase, so upgrading means installing and managing a second piece of software.
  • It is Mac only, so it offers nothing for a user who also runs Windows and wants one window manager everywhere.
  • It has no official paid support channel, being a community open source project, so issues are handled through GitHub rather than a vendor support desk.
  • Some very old or unusually built third party apps still resist Rectangle window snapping, a limitation shared with most third party window managers on macOS.
  • Because it is not distributed through the Mac App Store, some users have to manually approve accessibility permissions and updates rather than getting silent App Store updates.

VTScada

  • Licences are per installed PC rather than per system, so a redundant pair plus a development machine means paying three times unless you buy the discounted multi-server bundles.
  • Thin client licensing is by concurrent connection and is priced steeply at scale: unlimited thin clients on a 50,000 tag system costs 59,395 USD on top of the base licence, more than the base licence itself.
  • It is Windows only with no Linux or container deployment, which rules it out of modern edge and virtualised architectures that other SCADA products now support.
  • SupportPlus at 15 percent of the original software price must be maintained continuously; if you let it lapse you cannot simply resume, and reinstatement is negotiated rather than published.
  • The scripting environment and the integrator pool are both proprietary and small, so finding a second-source integrator in a region where Trihedral has thin coverage is genuinely difficult.

Pricing, plan by plan

Rectangle

Free
  • RectangleFree
    • Free and open source, no account needed
    • Keyboard and drag window snapping
    • Multi-display support
  • Rectangle Pro$9.99/one-time
    • Separate paid app, not an in-app unlock
    • Cursor-following snap areas
    • Per-app window size memory

VTScada

$3395/one-time
  • Base licence up to 1,000 I/O$3395/one-time
    • Runtime and full historian
    • All I/O drivers included
    • Alarms and events
  • Base licence up to 5,000 I/O$4295/one-time
    • Runtime and full historian
    • Development add-on 4,100 USD
    • Alarm notification add-on 2,895 USD
  • Single Server bundle, 5,000 I/O$19095/one-time
    • Development node
    • Alarm notification
    • 2 thin clients
  • Single Server bundle, 50,000 I/O$32495/one-time
    • Development node
    • Alarm notification
    • 2 thin clients

Which should you pick?

Choose Rectangle if

  • You need keyboard shortcuts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want drag to snap.
Rectangle review

Choose VTScada if

  • You need automatic version control.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want bundled historian.
VTScada review

Questions people ask

Is Rectangle or VTScada better?
Neither clearly leads. Rectangle starts at Free and VTScada at $3395/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rectangle or VTScada?
Rectangle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Rectangle and $3395/one-time for VTScada.
Does Rectangle or VTScada run on more platforms?
Rectangle runs on Mac. VTScada runs on Windows.
Can I use Rectangle for free?
Yes. Rectangle has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. VTScada starts at $3395/one-time.
What is Rectangle best used for?
Rectangle is most often used 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. Of those, a developer who wants source-available window management with no cost and no account and anyone replacing magnet who does not want to pay even a small one-time fee are not what VTScada is typically brought in for.
What can Rectangle do that VTScada cannot?
Rectangle covers Keyboard shortcuts, Drag to snap, Multi-display support, Almost full screen. VTScada covers Automatic version control, Bundled historian, Alarm notification, Driver set included.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rectangle: Is Rectangle really free?

Yes. The core app is free and open source with no feature gating or trial period.

VTScada: Is VTScada perpetual or subscription?

Perpetual. Licences are one-time purchases per installed PC, with an optional annual SupportPlus contract at 15 percent of the original software price.

Rectangle: What does Rectangle Pro add?

Cursor-following snap areas, per-app window size memory and some additional layouts, sold as a separate one-time purchase app.

VTScada: Are drivers extra?

No. Standard and proprietary I/O drivers, the historian, trending, reporting and security are all included in the base licence.

Rectangle: How is it different from Magnet?

Rectangle is free and open source; Magnet is a paid Mac App Store app from the start with no free tier.

VTScada: What does support actually cost?

Annual SupportPlus is 15 percent of total software purchase price. Adding 24/7 emergency support is a further 5 percent with a 1,540 USD minimum.

VTScada: Does it run on Linux?

No. VTScada is Windows only.

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