Alternatives to Magnet
Simple paid snapping from the App Store
Magnet ranks #5 of 8 in Window managers, with an Alt Score of 60. It is proprietary, sold as a one-time purchase from $4.99 and available on macOS. 7 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
People who juggle many open windows on a Mac and want to arrange their workspace without manually resizing and dragging each one.
Magnet snaps windows into fullscreen, halves, quarters, or thirds so they line up in a clean grid instead of overlapping haphazardly. It supports layouts across up to six external displays, with a vertical mode that optimizes side-aligned thirds for portrait screens. Available exclusively on the Mac App Store.
Drag a window to a screen edge or corner, use a customizable keyboard shortcut, or pick a layout from the menu bar; corners produce quarter-tiles, side edges produce halves, the top edge maximizes, and the bottom edge produces thirds.
Where Magnet stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Magnet
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Magnet compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Window managers checklist | Magnet | BetterTouchTool | FancyZones | Rectangle | Hammerspoon | Moom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Keyboard shortcuts | ||||||
| Snap layouts | ||||||
| Tiling (automatic) | ||||||
| Multi-monitor profiles | ||||||
| Scriptable | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| One-time purchase option | ||||||
| Touchpad gestures | ||||||
| Menu bar control |
Every fact and feature listed for Magnet is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model One-time verified 2026-07-10
No subscription
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-10
Perpetual license
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Starts at $4.99 verified 2026-07-10
$4.99
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Platforms macOS verified 2026-07-10
Only for Mac
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
04/12/2025
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Keyboard shortcuts Yes verified 2026-07-10
Activated by keyboard shortcuts (optional/customizable)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Snap layouts Yes verified 2026-07-10
Fullscreen, halves, quarters & thirds. Up to six external displays supported.
https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/index.html -
Tiling (automatic) No verified 2026-07-10
Manual snap by drag/shortcut; not automatic tiling.
Activated by dragging, customizable keyboard shortcuts or via menu bar,
https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/index.html -
Multi-monitor profiles Yes verified 2026-07-10
Up to six external displays supported.
https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/index.html -
Open source No verified 2026-07-10
Perpetual license
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
One-time purchase option Yes verified 2026-07-10
No subscription
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12 -
Menu bar control Yes verified 2026-07-10
Operated via menu bar icon (optional/hidable)
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnet/id441258766?mt=12
FAQ
Yes. FancyZones, Rectangle and Hammerspoon have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
FancyZones, Rectangle and Hammerspoon — every license claim links its source.