TL;DR
Amethyst vs Rectangle: For most Mac users in 2026, Rectangle is the better choice for window managers because it is the more widely adopted, better-maintained option in the window managers space. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Amethyst instead if window support is your priority.
Which is better: Amethyst or Rectangle?
Rectangle is the top pick for most Mac users looking at window managers — it is free and open-source and installs in one Homebrew command. Amethyst is the stronger choice if you prefer an open-source alternative. Both are worth trying.
Amethyst vs Rectangle
Which is the better window managers for Mac in 2026?
We compared Amethyst and Rectangle across 6 key factors including price, open-source status, and community adoption. Read our full breakdown below.
Amethyst
Automatic tiling window manager
Rectangle
Move and resize windows using keyboard shortcuts
Visual Comparison
Amethyst
Amethyst — Official Website
Rectangle
Rectangle — Official Website
Our Verdict
For most Mac users in 2026, Rectangle is the better choice for window managers because it is the more widely adopted, better-maintained option in the window managers space. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Amethyst instead if window support is your priority.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Amethyst | Rectangle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Replaces | Magnet ($4.99) | Magnet ($8) |
| Best for | window, tiling, management | window, management, keyboard |
| Install | brew install --cask amethyst | brew install --cask rectangle |
| Category | System Utilities | System Utilities |
Quick Install
brew install --cask amethystbrew install --cask rectangleLearn More
In-Depth Overview
What is Amethyst?
Amethyst is an automatic tiling manager for macOS. Ian Yh builds it in Swift as ianyh/Amethyst on GitHub, and the release you should grab today is 0.24.3 from Homebrew Cask or GitHub Releases, published 2 April 2026 after the 0.24.2 cut in March. That cadence is the simplest proof the project is not abandoned. A much older 0.22.2 build for Catalina is still posted for stuck Intel machines, but anyone on Apple Silicon should use the current 0.24.x zip. The idea behind Amethyst is simple. The screen is a set of tiles that never overlap. Every time you open, close, focus or move a window between displays, the engine recalculates positions through the macOS Accessibility APIs. Layouts on offer include Tall and Tall-Right, Wide, Two Pane, the 3Column family on left, middle and right, Widescreen-Tall, Fullscreen, Column, Row, Floating and Binary Space Partitioning, plus a beta for custom JavaScript layouts. You move between them by cycling, resizing the main pane, changing how many windows sit in the main area, swapping windows or throwing them to another Space or display. Shortcuts default to mod1 as Option-Shift and mod2 as Control-Option-Shift, with mod3 and mod4 available, and they are all remappable. Power users can also keep a YAML file in their home folder. You need macOS 10.15 or later and Accessibility permission. One setting matters a lot. Turn off Mission Control's "Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use" or your numbered Space throws will jump around. There is no paid version, no telemetry pitch and no Electron runtime. It lives as a native menu bar utility. In 2026 most roundups still put Amethyst alongside yabai and AeroSpace as the three tiling choices on the Mac, while Rectangle sits in the snap manager group with Magnet and BetterTouchTool.
What is Rectangle?
Rectangle is the open source window manager that picked up where Spectacle left off, but without pushing you into tiling. Homebrew Cask lists 0.98, released 15 July 2026 on GitHub, so it is clearly still maintained. The free app runs on Intel and Apple Silicon, needs macOS 10.15 or later, and gives you a long set of default shortcuts for halves, corners, thirds, sixths and centered sizes. Hit the same shortcut again and it cycles through sizes, and you can also drag to edges and corners to snap, even on portrait screens. Todo Mode reserves a strip for your task list while other windows take the rest, handy if you write or live in tickets. Moves to the next or previous display keep the window's relative size. Nearly every shortcut can be remapped, and you can adjust gaps and how eager the snap areas are. Ryan Hanson also sells Rectangle Pro as a separate app. It is US$9.99 once, covers up to three Macs under the published EULA, and comes with a 10-day trial. Pro adds faster snap options, custom positions for any size and location, saved App Layouts, display-aware auto layouts, Window Throw for background windows, Edge Stash, cursor gestures and iCloud sync for settings. The free version is deliberately complete for normal snapping. Pro is an upgrade, not a requirement. Rectangle stays in the menu bar, does nothing until you call it, and uses almost no CPU at idle. That quiet footprint is why it shows up in almost every Mac setup guide in August 2026.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Management Philosophy
CriticalAutomatic tiling. Every window open, close or focus reflows the grid so panes do not hide behind each other unless you float them. Space use is high and manual dragging drops away once you learn the shortcuts. Verified on Apple Silicon and Tahoe 26.x, where Accessibility remains the install gate.
Manual snapping. Windows float until you hit a shortcut or drag to an edge. Nothing moves on its own. You decide when to tidy. Also verified on Apple Silicon and Tahoe 26.x with the same Accessibility gate.
Verdict: The product choice is the philosophy. Amethyst automates, Rectangle waits for your command.
Layout Flexibility
HighBuilt in layouts include Tall, Wide, the 3-Column variants, BSP and Widescreen-Tall, plus main pane count and size controls and a beta for JavaScript custom layouts. Closing a window rebalances the rest automatically.
Preset positions cover halves, corners, thirds and sixths, with size cycling. Free Rectangle does not rebalance like a tiler. Pro adds custom zones and saved layouts for that gap.
Verdict: Amethyst gives you more automatic layout variety. Rectangle Pro closes some of the gap if you will pay for custom zones.
Multi-Monitor Support
HighPer display layouts with dedicated focus and throw shortcuts between screens. Multi monitor tiling stays a core strength, especially for IDE plus docs or several SSH panes.
Reliable moves to the next or previous display with snap on each screen. Less automatic reflow after a throw than Amethyst, but predictable and easy to learn.
Verdict: Amethyst is stronger for keyboard driven work across several displays.
User Interface & Ease of Use
MediumSteep start. Windows can jump until you build float lists and learn the shortcuts. Preferences are dense. It rewards converts and can frustrate casual users in the first two days.
Install, grant Accessibility, snap in seconds. The menu bar lists shortcuts visually and drag to edge feels familiar if you came from Windows. Little to memorize on day one.
Verdict: Rectangle wins onboarding by a wide margin.
Customization & Shortcuts
HighAlmost every tiling action is remappable, with YAML config, app based ignore and float rules, and optional mod3 and mod4. Depth matches the automation.
Shortcuts are fully remappable, with control over gaps and snap sensitivity and Todo Mode. Pro adds custom targets, gestures and per app layouts for finer control.
Verdict: Both let you tune heavily. Amethyst for tiling structure, Rectangle and Pro for snap ergonomics.
Pricing & Licensing (2026)
HighCompletely free under MIT. No paid tier, no upsell, and that has not changed in the 2026 releases.
Free open source core is fully usable. Rectangle Pro is a plain US$9.99 one time purchase, not a subscription, for the extra features.
Verdict: Either way the value is high. Amethyst is all features free. Rectangle splits free essentials from a cheap Pro.
Maintenance & Platform Fit (Tahoe / Apple Silicon)
MediumThe 0.24.x line shipped into 2026, with 0.24.3 in April. Tiling through the Accessibility API is solid on Apple Silicon. Disable Spaces auto rearrange for predictable navigation.
Version 0.98 shipped in mid July 2026 with steady GitHub activity. Both free and Pro track current macOS and idle with a tiny footprint.
Verdict: Both are healthy in August 2026. Rectangle's newer 0.98 cut and larger casual base give it a slight edge for non tilers.
Who Should Choose Which?
1Full-stack Developer
Editor + terminal + browser stacks stay visible without constant snapping.
2Creative Professional
Floating palettes and flexible canvases conflict less with manual snaps than forced tiles.
3Student or Researcher
PDF + notes split-screen is a two-shortcut job.
4System Administrator
Many SSH panes and log windows benefit from automatic reflow across monitors.
5Minimalist User
Stay invisible until summoned; no layout religion required.
Migration Guide
Amethyst → Rectangle
Quit Amethyst completely before you enable Rectangle, or the two will fight over Accessibility frames. Translate your frequent Amethyst outcomes, for example side by side editor and browser or a three column research layout, into Rectangle halves and thirds or Pro custom zones. Accept that closing a window will no longer pull siblings into place. You will need to place the next window yourself. Many migrants find the desktop calmer, which is either a relief or a step back depending on why you tiled. If you used custom JavaScript layouts in Amethyst, you will need to recreate that intent with Pro zones or with a different tool, because Rectangle does not run user tiling code.
Rectangle → Amethyst
Quit Rectangle first. Give Amethyst Accessibility, turn off Mission Control's automatic Space rearrangement, and spend your first session on float rules for fussy apps. Learn cycle layout, swap main, shrink and expand main, and throws to other screens before you build anything exotic. Try not to drag windows, because dragging works against tiling. Give it a week. If you are still disabling Amethyst every day after seven days, tiling may not fit how you work, and that is a fine outcome. Keep your Rectangle shortcuts written down for the first few days. When a window does not go where you expect, check the float list before you change layouts. Most early frustration comes from one or two apps that need to be floated, not from the layout itself.
Final Verdict
Depends on use case
Winner
Runner-up
Re checked in August 2026, Amethyst 0.24.3 and Rectangle 0.98 and Pro remain the two sensible defaults for Mac window management if you do not want a heavier tool like BetterTouchTool. Amethyst wins on automation, density on wide screens and keyboard control across monitors. Rectangle wins on ease, idle efficiency, Spectacle familiarity and a fair Pro upgrade. Scores sit near 9 out of 10 for both because picking a single winner would misread what they are for. If you are tired of babysitting frames, give Amethyst a focused week. If you just need halves and thirds quickly, install Rectangle in five minutes and get on with work. Neither app pretends to be a full workspace manager like Stage Manager or Mission Control. They do one job and they do it quietly. That is part of why they have lasted. Try the one that matches how you like to work, not the one with the longer feature list.
Bottom Line: Pick Amethyst for automatic xmonad style tiling on macOS. Pick Rectangle for best in class free snapping, and buy Pro only when custom zones or app layouts clearly save you time.
Video Tutorials
Boost your MacOS PRODUCTIVITY with Amethyst | Tiling Window Manager
Tech Craft • 154.4K views
Amethyst Tiling Window Manager | Demo, Review, & Key Bindings!
How Noah Sees It • 24.2K views
Mouseless MacOS Window Management - Yabai vs Amethyst
Brandon Boswell • 51.3K views
pros don’t need to use a mouse - tiling window managers #developer #coding #programming #cs
Leon Si • 293.1K views
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Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- Amethyst's current Homebrew cask / GitHub release line is 0.24.3 (April 2026) and remains free/MIT.[cite-amethyst-github, cite-amethyst-brew]
- Rectangle free is at v0.98 (July 2026); Rectangle Pro is a US$9.99 one-time purchase with a 10-day trial.[cite-rectangle-official, cite-rectangle-github]
- Both apps require macOS Accessibility permission to move and resize other applications' windows.[cite-amethyst-official, cite-rectangle-official]
- 1Amethyst official site
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 2Amethyst GitHub releases (v0.24.3)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 3Homebrew cask: amethyst
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 4Rectangle official site (Free + Pro pricing)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 5Rectangle GitHub releases (v0.98)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 6Homebrew cask: rectangle
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
- 7Rectangle Pro EULA (3-device license)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
Research queries: Amethyst 0.24.3 macOS 2026; Rectangle 0.98 Rectangle Pro 9.99 2026; Amethyst vs Rectangle tiling vs snapping
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
macOS Productivity Tools
Utilities that make the Mac desktop more efficient, from window managers and clipboard helpers to menu bar helpers. In August 2026 this matters because many users weigh tiling managers against snap tools while moving to Apple Silicon and Tahoe 26.x. The cluster helps you compare Amethyst's automatic approach with Rectangle's manual style and see where each fits in a broader productivity setup.
Tiling vs Floating Windows
How grid based tiling differs from the classic overlapping window model you get by default on macOS. The question still matters in August 2026 as people test both approaches on modern Macs, especially on ultra wide monitors where the cost of dragging windows by hand is most obvious. Amethyst sits on the tiling side of this debate, Rectangle on the floating side.
Keyboard-Centric Workflows
Ways to run the system mostly from the keyboard, from tiling shortcuts to app launchers and window throws. Interest is steady in August 2026 as Mac users compare tiling and snapping tools for hands on keyboard workflows on Apple Silicon. Both Amethyst and Rectangle are keyboard first, but Amethyst asks you to live in the keyboard layer more completely.
Open Source Mac Apps
Well kept community built Mac software that remains free and open source. The grouping stays useful in August 2026 as users look for capable free alternatives to commercial window tools on Tahoe 26.x. Amethyst and Rectangle are both open source and are often the first two names that come up when people ask for a free window manager that will still be maintained next year.