Make Mac BetterCompare
Make Mac Better vs Rectangle
Rectangle is one of the most popular window managers on the Mac, and for good reason: it is free, open source and does window snapping very well. Make Mac Better takes a different approach to windows and bundles seven other utilities. Here is how they compare.
| Feature | Rectangle | Make Mac Better |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source (paid Pro version with extra options) | €19.99 once, with seven more utilities included |
| Snap to halves, thirds, corners | Yes, with shortcuts and by dragging to screen edges | Yes, by docking windows onto each other’s edges |
| Windows arrange themselves | No: you place each window | Yes: a scrolling strip or automatic tiling |
| Scrolling strip (niri/PaperWM style) | No | Yes, ⌃⌥←/→ to glide between columns |
| Tabs from any windows | No | Yes, hold ⌘ while dropping one window on another |
| Requirements | macOS 10.15 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon | macOS 15 or later, Apple Silicon |
Where Rectangle is better
If you only want to snap a window to the left half or a corner with a shortcut, Rectangle is hard to beat: it is free, light, works on older Macs and Intel, and its keyboard shortcuts are a classic (it can even use Spectacle’s). If that is all you need, use it.
Where Make Mac Better is different
Rectangle moves a window when you ask. Make Mac Better keeps every window in a place all the time. In the strip, each window is a column on a long row that slides left and right, so nothing overlaps. In tiling, you drag a window onto the edge of another and a grey preview shows exactly where it will land; neighbours share the space automatically and you can group windows as tabs.
Beyond windows
Make Mac Better also includes a second Dock with widgets, 38 local file tools (video, PDF, images), a file library with natural-language search, phone-to-Mac transfer, screenshots with an editor and keep-awake. If you already pay for some of those, one app can replace several.
Bottom line
Choose Rectangle for free, simple snapping on any Mac. Choose Make Mac Better if you want windows that organise themselves (strip or tiling) and the other utilities in the same app.
Reviewed October 2026. Prices and features of other apps can change; check their websites.