# Best Magnet Alternatives for Mac, Free and Paid

Magnet alternatives for Mac: built-in tiling, Rectangle, BetterSnapTool, Loop, Moom, Rectangle Pro, Amethyst and a scrolling strip. Cost and fit.

[Ribbon](https://meetribbon.app) is the Magnet alternative for most people who are done placing every window by hand. Windows keep their width on a strip. Rectangle is the free snapper, and BetterSnapTool, Moom and Amethyst cover cheaper dragging, saved layouts and free tiling.

## The short version

| You want... | Try | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Many apps on a laptop, nothing squeezed | [Ribbon](https://meetribbon.app) | $17 once |
| Free, nothing to install | [macOS built-in tiling](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mac-window-tiling-icons-keyboard-shortcuts-mchl9674d0b0/mac) | Free, macOS 15+ |
| Free, with keyboard shortcuts and thirds | [Rectangle](https://rectangleapp.com/) | Free, MIT |
| Cheaper than Magnet, drag to snap | [BetterSnapTool](https://folivora.ai/bettersnaptool) | $1.99 |
| Mouse-driven, with a radial menu | [Loop](https://github.com/MrKai77/Loop) | Free, GPL-3.0 |
| Much more than Magnet | [Rectangle Pro](https://rectangleapp.com/pro) or [Moom](https://manytricks.com/moom/) | $9.99 / $15 |
| Windows placed for you | [Amethyst](https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst) | Free, MIT |

## What Magnet does, and why people look elsewhere

[Magnet](https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/) is $4.99 on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 13 or later. Drag a window to a corner for a quarter, a side for a half, the top edge to maximise, the bottom edge for thirds. Keyboard shortcuts and a menu bar menu do the same. Its site says it supports up to six external displays.

It's simple and it works. The usual reasons people look further:

- **They don't want to pay** for something free apps now do.
- **macOS caught up.** Since macOS 15 Sequoia, the system snaps to halves and quarters.
- **They want more:** saved layouts, custom positions, mouse gestures.
- **Snapping isn't enough.** With ten windows open, snapping each one by hand gets old.

## Magnet alternatives compared

| App | Kind | Price | macOS | Drag to snap | Thirds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Ribbon](https://meetribbon.app) | Scrolling | $17 | 14+, Apple silicon | Drag reorders columns | A third is one width preset |
| Magnet (baseline) | Snapping | $4.99 | 13+ | Yes | Yes |
| macOS tiling | Snapping | Free | 15+ | Yes | No |
| Rectangle | Snapping | Free | 14+ | Yes | Yes |
| BetterSnapTool | Snapping | $1.99 | 12+ | Yes, plus custom areas | Custom areas |
| Loop | Snapping, radial | Free | 13+ | Radial menu | Yes |
| Rectangle Pro | Snapping | $9.99 | 13.5+ | Yes, custom targets | Yes |
| Moom | Snapping, saved layouts | $15 | 10.13+ | Yes, snap zones | Yes |
| Amethyst | Tiling | Free | 10.15+ | Not the model | Layout-driven |

## [Ribbon](https://meetribbon.app)

Instead of snapping windows into a grid, Ribbon puts them on a horizontal strip, one strip per display. A new window opens as a column beside the one you're using. Nothing else resizes. Control-Option-Left and Right move along the strip.

Magnet users tend to care about two things, and Ribbon has both. Control-Option-R sets the focused window's width, cycling a quarter, a third, a half, two thirds, three quarters and full. And when you want a classic grid, Command-Control-4 lays out four windows, with 2, 3, 5 and 6 layouts too.

It asks only for Accessibility, keeps SIP on and uses native Spaces. One-time: $17 for one Mac, $39 for three, $59 for five.

Good to know: Ribbon needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later, and there is no free trial. The [browser demo](/shortcuts) shows the keys.

## macOS built-in tiling, if halves and quarters are enough

Before buying anything, try what's already there. Apple's [shortcut list](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mac-window-tiling-icons-keyboard-shortcuts-mchl9674d0b0/mac) gives Fn-Control-Left Arrow and Right Arrow for halves, Fn-Control-Shift-Left Arrow to put two windows side by side, Fn-Control-F to fill the screen, Fn-Control-C to centre and Fn-Control-R to put a window back. You can also drag to an edge or hover the green button. Corners have no shortcut, but drag works.

**Verdict:** for many Magnet users this is enough. The full walkthrough is in [how to split screen on a Mac](/guides/split-screen-mac).

## Rectangle, the free Magnet replacement

[Rectangle](https://rectangleapp.com/) is free and MIT licensed. The current build supports macOS 14 and later. It does drag-to-edge snap areas and keyboard shortcuts, and repeating a shortcut cycles sizes. Install it with `brew install --cask rectangle` or from the site.

**Verdict:** the default answer. It does what most people use Magnet for, adds thirds on a key, and is still maintained. More options in [Rectangle alternatives](/guides/rectangle-alternatives).

## BetterSnapTool, if you want it cheaper and still on the App Store

[BetterSnapTool](https://folivora.ai/bettersnaptool) is $1.99, for macOS 12 and later. It snaps by dragging to corners and sides like Magnet, and lets you draw custom snap areas anywhere on screen.

**Verdict:** the closest like-for-like swap, with custom areas Magnet doesn't have.

## Loop, if you'd rather flick than drag

[Loop](https://github.com/MrKai77/Loop) is free and GPL-3.0, for macOS 13 and later. Hold a trigger key and move the pointer; a radial menu and a preview show where the window will go.

**Verdict:** a good fit for trackpad people. Its last tagged release is 1.4.2 from January 2026.

## Rectangle Pro or Moom, if Magnet feels too basic

[Rectangle Pro](https://rectangleapp.com/pro) is $9.99 after a 10-day trial, active on three devices, macOS 13.5 and later. It adds a one-key window throw to 16 positions, custom snap targets, layouts tied to display changes and iCloud sync.

[Moom](https://manytricks.com/moom/) is $15 with a free trial, on macOS 10.13 and later. It adds a pop-up palette on the green button, saved layouts, snap zones and chains of actions.

**Verdict:** Rectangle Pro if you're keyboard-first, Moom if saved layouts are the point. [Moom alternatives](/guides/moom-alternatives) compares the layout apps.

## Amethyst, if you want to stop snapping by hand

[Amethyst](https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst) is a free, MIT tiling window manager for macOS 10.15 and later. Every time a window opens or closes, it rearranges all of them using a layout like Tall, Wide or Column.

**Verdict:** a real change in how you work. Good on a big display, tight on a small one, because every window must fit. See [Amethyst alternatives](/guides/amethyst-alternatives).

## Which Magnet alternative should you pick?

- **You keep a dozen apps open on a laptop:** [Ribbon](https://meetribbon.app).
- **You just want halves and quarters:** macOS built-in tiling.
- **You want it free with shortcuts and thirds:** Rectangle.
- **You want to stay on the App Store and pay less:** BetterSnapTool.
- **You use the trackpad more than the keyboard:** Loop.
- **You want saved layouts or custom positions:** Moom or Rectangle Pro.
- **You want windows placed for you:** Amethyst.

The whole field is in [best window manager for Mac](/guides/best-window-manager-for-mac).


## FAQs

### Is there a free alternative to Magnet?

Yes. Rectangle is free and open source, and macOS 15 or later snaps to halves and quarters on its own. Loop is also free.

### Is Magnet worth it in 2026?

Only if you want a simple App Store purchase. On macOS 15 or later, the built-in tiling and free Rectangle cover what most people use Magnet for.

### Can macOS snap two windows side by side without an app?

Yes, on macOS 15 or later. Fn-Control-Shift-Left Arrow puts the active window on the left half and the next window on the right, per Apple's tiling guide.

### Which Magnet alternative has custom snap areas?

BetterSnapTool, Rectangle Pro and Moom all let you define your own snap areas or targets. Magnet uses fixed edge and corner zones.

### Does macOS tiling do thirds like Magnet?

No. Built-in tiling does halves and quarters. For thirds, use Rectangle (free) or keep Magnet.