What is Rectangle?
Rectangle moves and resizes windows on macOS using keyboard shortcuts or snap areas — you drag a window to a screen edge or corner and it snaps into place. It is a near drop-in replacement for Spectacle, and the Spectacle default shortcuts can be selected when it first runs, which matters because Spectacle is no longer maintained. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, supports macOS 10.15 and later on both Intel and Apple silicon, and is written in Swift. A separate paid application, Rectangle Pro, adds custom shortcuts for any window size and position and quicker snapping; it is free for ten days and costs $9.99. Rectangle suits anyone who wants window management on macOS without paying for it.
Verified product facts
- Type
- window managerEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Apple Silicon
- YesDeveloper-stated
- Pricing
- FreemiumDeveloper-stated
- Price
- USD 9.99Developer-stated
- Open source
- Yes
- Developer
- Ryan HansonDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Licence
- MIT
- Current version
- 2.0.3Developer-stated
- Official website
- rectangleapp.com/
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Rectangle does at a glance.
Move and resize windows
With keyboard shortcuts
Repeat a shortcut to cycle
Through window sizes
Snap areas
Drag a window to a screen edge or corner to snap it
Portrait display layouts supported
Nearly a drop-in replacement
For Spectacle, with Spectacle's default shortcuts selectable at first run
Written in Swift
Supports macOS 10.15 and later
On both Intel and Apple silicon
Rectangle Pro adds custom shortcuts for any size and position, and quicker snapping
What you can use Rectangle for
- Arranging windows into halves, quarters or thirds without dragging by hand
- Replacing Spectacle, which is no longer maintained
- Snapping windows by dragging them to screen edges and corners
- Cycling through window sizes by pressing the same shortcut repeatedly
Who is Rectangle for?
- Mac users who want keyboard-driven window management without paying for it
- Former Spectacle users looking for a maintained replacement
Who is Rectangle not for?
- Anyone who wants automatic tiling window management, which is a different model from snapping to positions
- Users on macOS 10.14 or earlier, since Rectangle requires 10.15 or later
Limitations
- The free application covers a fixed set of sizes and positions; custom shortcuts for arbitrary sizes need Rectangle Pro
- Rectangle Pro is a separate paid application rather than an in-app purchase, and it is free for only 10 days
- The minimum macOS version is 10.15, so it will not run on older systems
- Apple Silicon support is stated for the free application; the pages Nuanyue checked do not state it separately for Rectangle Pro
Strengths and trade-offs
What Rectangle does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Is free and open source under the MIT licence, with the source published on GitHub.
- Supports macOS 10.15 and later on both Intel and Apple silicon.Developer-stated
- Snap areas let windows be placed by dragging them to a screen edge or corner, and portrait layouts are supported.Developer-stated
- Is nearly a drop-in replacement for Spectacle, and can adopt Spectacle's default shortcuts on first run.Developer-stated
- Repeating a shortcut cycles through window sizes, so fewer shortcuts need to be memorised.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Custom shortcuts for any window size and position require the separate paid Rectangle Pro.
- Rectangle Pro is free for only 10 days before it must be purchased for US$9.99.
- It snaps windows to predefined positions rather than tiling them automatically, so it is not a tiling window manager.Derived
- Requires macOS 10.15 or later.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Downloaded from rectangleapp.com or installed through a package manager; the source is also published on GitHub.
- First launch Developer-stated
- On first run the Spectacle default shortcuts can be selected, so existing muscle memory keeps working.
- System integration Derived
- Requires accessibility permission so it can move and resize windows belonging to other applications.
- Apple Silicon Developer-stated
- Supported
What it does
Rectangle arranges windows on a Mac. Two mechanisms do the work: keyboard shortcuts that move and resize the active window to a set position, and snap areas, where dragging a window to a screen edge or corner drops it into that position. Portrait display layouts are supported for the second of those, which matters on a rotated monitor where the useful positions are different.
Two details make it pleasant rather than merely functional. Repeating the same shortcut cycles the window through successive sizes, so fewer shortcuts have to be memorised. And on first run the application offers to adopt Spectacle’s default shortcuts, which means anyone migrating from Spectacle — the app this one is a near drop-in replacement for — does not have to relearn anything.
Free and Pro
Rectangle itself is free and open source under the MIT licence, supports macOS 10.15 and later on both Intel and Apple silicon, and is written in Swift. It covers a fixed set of sizes and positions, which is what most people need.
Rectangle Pro is a separate application rather than an upgrade inside the free one. It adds custom shortcuts for any window size and position, quicker snapping, and support for configuring several shortcuts. It is free for ten days and then costs US$9.99, so it is worth establishing whether the fixed positions are actually a limitation before paying.
What it is not
Rectangle snaps windows to positions; it does not tile them automatically. A tiling window manager rearranges every window whenever one opens or closes, which is a different model with a different feel. If that is what you want, Rectangle is the wrong tool — the distinction is worth knowing before choosing between the two approaches.
Questions about Rectangle
Is Rectangle free?
Yes. Rectangle is free and open source under the MIT licence, with its source published on GitHub. A separate application, Rectangle Pro, adds custom shortcuts for any window size and position and costs US$9.99 after a 10-day free trial.
Does Rectangle replace Spectacle?
The vendor describes Rectangle as a worthy successor and nearly a complete drop-in replacement for Spectacle, and notes that Spectacle's default shortcuts can be selected when the app first runs.Developer-stated
Which macOS versions and chips does Rectangle support?
macOS 10.15 and later, on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs.Developer-stated
What does Rectangle Pro add?
Quicker window snapping, custom shortcuts for any window size and position, and the ability to configure multiple shortcuts. It is a separate application rather than an upgrade inside Rectangle, free for 10 days and then US$9.99.Developer-stated
Alternatives to Rectangle
Apps that could replace this one — the same job, a different trade-off.
yabai
Tiling window manager for macOS with binary space partitioning.
Both manage window layout on macOS, but yabai is a keyboard-driven tiling window manager while Rectangle snaps windows to predefined positions by shortcut or drag.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Magnet
Window manager that keeps your workspace organized.
Both snap windows to positions using keyboard shortcuts, but Magnet is a paid Mac App Store application while Rectangle is free and open source.
Works well with
Not a replacement — apps commonly used alongside this one.
AltTab
Windows-style Alt-Tab window switcher for macOS.
Rectangle arranges where windows sit on screen and AltTab switches between the windows themselves, so they cover different halves of the same problem.
Links
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
