# Rectangle for macOS

67 Hacker News commenters recommended Rectangle for macOS and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 1 years (3 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free open-source macOS app that adds keyboard shortcuts and snapping to arrange windows, fixing weak native window handling. Critics call it a hack and say it lacks full tiling.

## Why people recommend it

- Keyboard shortcuts for moving windows (8 comments): "I've been using Rectangle for years now. IMO the shortcuts actually make it a massive improvement over Windows." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46997568)) "I end up using Rectangle on macos for moving windows and maximising them using keyboard shortcuts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47585200)) "Rectangle [1] is a great way to get key combinations for resizing and moving my windows around." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46589357))
- Standard first install on new Macs (5 comments): "Rectangle is a must-have, it's the very first thing I install after getting brew configured on a new Mac." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46998069)) "A mac with homebrew and rectangle installed works well enough as a hobby development machine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48593341)) "Rectangle and some alternative window switcher plus brew are the minimum to survive" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47205632))
- Better than native macOS snapping (3 comments): "I keep going back to macOS with Rectangle to solve its UX issues." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444958)) "Far better than the MacOS's native snapping, which is half-assed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49734278)) "Rectangle solved my macos window management annoyances." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49444001))
- Quick, easy window arranging (4 comments): "The keybinds are convenient and the auto-sizing/tiling is pleasant as can be." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46581829)) "Lots of options for snapping them and keeping windows nice and organized." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47004281)) "I've used Rectangle for years so I can arrange windows more quickly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46580859))

## What people warn about

- Feels janky or hacky (3 comments): "I have found some hacky options to do this, but they are just too janky for my taste" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47642957)) "Rectangle is a literal hack on top that hopefully works when you need it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49809312)) "I found that it was janky enough I switched back to Rectangle." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47582642))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [InstantSpaceSwitcher](https://hackerapproved.com/p/instantspaceswitcher.md): 11 recommend
- [FancyZones](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fancyzones.md): 8 recommend
- [Moom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/moom.md): 8 recommend
- [OmniWM](https://hackerapproved.com/p/omniwm.md): 8 recommend
- [Native Instant Space Switching](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macos-native-instant-space-switching.md): 8 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Rectangle for macOS", https://hackerapproved.com/p/rectangle/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).