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Utilities · head to head

Magnet vs Yelp

Magnet logo

Magnet

Utilities

Mac App Store window manager sold as a one-time paid app, with no free tier

From
$4.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yelp logo

Yelp

Utilities

Local business reviews and search app whose real business is advertising and first party lead data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Yelp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Magnet there is no free tier at all, so a user cannot try before buying beyond the Mac App Store return window.; Yelp its revenue model depends on selling advertising and leads to the same businesses being reviewed, which creates a structural tension over how neutral rankings and filtered reviews really are.
  • They diverge on capability: Magnet covers Keyboard shortcuts, Yelp covers Business search and reviews.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Magnet and Yelp actually diverge.

Attributes where Magnet and Yelp differ
AttributeMagnetYelp
Starting price$4.99/one-timeFree
Pricing modelOne-time purchaseFree for consumers, advertising sold to businesses
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMaciOS, Android, Web

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 Magnet

  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Drag to snap
  • Multi-display support
  • Mac App Store distribution
  • Menu bar access
  • Third display layouts

Only in Yelp

  • Business search and reviews
  • Reservations and waitlist
  • Yelp Guest Manager listings
  • Request a Quote
  • Photos and menus
  • Collections and lists

What people use each for

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

Magnet

  • A user who wants the App Store handling licensing, family sharing and updates automaticallynot Yelp
  • Someone who prefers paying a small one-time fee up front over evaluating a free tool firstnot Yelp
  • A less technical user who does not want to install from GitHub or Homebrewnot Yelp
  • A family sharing one Apple ID that wants one purchase to cover multiple Macs in the householdnot Yelp

Yelp

  • Finding a nearby restaurant or service and reading recent customer reviews before visitingnot Magnet
  • Booking a table at a restaurant that uses Yelp for reservationsnot Magnet
  • Requesting quotes from local contractors or service providers for a specific jobnot Magnet
  • Checking a business's current hours, menu or photos before goingnot Magnet

Where each one falls short

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

Magnet

  • There is no free tier at all, so a user cannot try before buying beyond the Mac App Store return window.
  • It offers fewer customisation options than Rectangle, such as fewer configurable snap zones and less granular per-app behaviour.
  • Update cadence has historically been slower than the actively developed open source Rectangle project.
  • It is Mac only and App Store only, so it cannot be scripted, redistributed internally by a company, or installed outside Apple normal channels.
  • Being a small independent app, support depends on the developer responding to App Store reviews or email rather than a dedicated support team.

Yelp

  • Its revenue model depends on selling advertising and leads to the same businesses being reviewed, which creates a structural tension over how neutral rankings and filtered reviews really are.
  • Businesses can pay to have a competitor's ad appear on their own listing page, a practice that has drawn sustained criticism from small business owners.
  • Yelp's review filtering algorithm is not disclosed in detail, so businesses cannot audit why some reviews are filtered out as unreliable and others are not.
  • Review quality varies widely by category and city, with restaurants and nightlife much better covered than niche trades in smaller markets.
  • Consumer data such as searches and saved lists feeds Yelp's advertising and lead products sold to businesses, which is the actual monetisation even though the app itself is free.

Pricing, plan by plan

Magnet

$4.99/one-time
  • Magnet$4.99/one-time
    • Full app unlocked immediately, no trial gating
    • Mac App Store purchase and family sharing
    • Free updates through the App Store

Yelp

Free
  • Consumer appFree
    • Free search, reviews and reservations

Which should you pick?

Choose Magnet if

  • You need keyboard shortcuts.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want drag to snap.
Magnet review

Choose Yelp if

  • You need business search and reviews.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want reservations and waitlist.
Yelp review

Questions people ask

Is Magnet or Yelp better?
Neither clearly leads. Magnet starts at $4.99/one-time and Yelp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Magnet or Yelp?
Yelp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $4.99/one-time for Magnet and Free for Yelp.
Does Magnet or Yelp run on more platforms?
Magnet runs on Mac. Yelp runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Yelp for free?
Yes. Yelp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Magnet starts at $4.99/one-time.
What is Magnet best used for?
Magnet is most often used for a user who wants the app store handling licensing, family sharing and updates automatically, someone who prefers paying a small one-time fee up front over evaluating a free tool first, a less technical user who does not want to install from github or homebrew, a family sharing one apple id that wants one purchase to cover multiple macs in the household. Of those, a user who wants the app store handling licensing, family sharing and updates automatically and someone who prefers paying a small one-time fee up front over evaluating a free tool first are not what Yelp is typically brought in for.
What can Magnet do that Yelp cannot?
Magnet covers Keyboard shortcuts, Drag to snap, Multi-display support, Mac App Store distribution. Yelp covers Business search and reviews, Reservations and waitlist, Yelp Guest Manager listings, Request a Quote.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Magnet: Does Magnet have a free version?

No. It has always been a paid Mac App Store purchase with no free tier.

Yelp: Does Yelp cost anything to use as a reviewer?

No, browsing and writing reviews is free with no subscription.

Magnet: Can I share one purchase across my family Macs?

Yes, through Apple Family Sharing on the Mac App Store, the same as any other App Store app.

Yelp: How does Yelp actually make money?

From advertising and lead generation products sold to local businesses, not from consumers.

Magnet: How is it different from Rectangle?

Magnet is a paid App Store app from the start; Rectangle is free and open source, with paid Pro features sold as a separate app.

Yelp: Can a business pay to remove negative reviews?

No, Yelp states paying for ads does not remove or bury negative reviews, though critics have long disputed how independent the ranking and filtering process really is.

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