The best Magnet alternative for Mac (and when to switch)
Magnet has been the App Store's default window snapper for years, and it earns that spot: it's cheap, polished, and does exactly what it says. So if you're searching for a Magnet alternative, it's usually not because Magnet is broken — it's because something about it doesn't fit how you work. Maybe you want the same thing for free. Maybe you've hit the ceiling of halves and thirds and want a real grid. Maybe you'd rather not tie your license to an Apple ID. This guide walks through the honest reasons to switch, the alternatives worth trying, and where each one fits.
Why look for a Magnet alternative at all
Magnet's model is snap: drag a window to a screen edge or press a shortcut, and it jumps to a region — left half, top-right quarter, center third. It costs $4.99 as a one-time App Store purchase, with no subscription and no in-app purchases. For a lot of people that's the end of the story, and honestly, keep it. But a few things send people looking:
- You'd rather not pay for snapping at all. Magnet's price is small, but free tools now do everything it does. If cost is the only reason you're on Magnet, there's no reason to stay.
- You've outgrown fixed regions. Magnet covers halves, quarters, thirds, and two-thirds. That's plenty on a laptop. On a 27-inch or ultrawide display, you start wanting custom column widths and grids Magnet doesn't offer.
- You memorize a shortcut per layout. Like every snap tool, Magnet asks you to learn a chord for each region. Halves stick; the rest often don't, so you drift back to dragging with the mouse.
- The license is tied to the App Store. Magnet is App Store only, so your license rides on your Apple ID and Family Sharing. If you manage machines outside the App Store, or want one key across many devices, that's a constraint.
If none of those bother you, Magnet is a perfectly good tool. But if one rings true, here's where to look.
The best Magnet alternatives at a glance
| Magnet | Rectangle | Loop | Let's Tile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 one-time (App Store) | Free (Pro ~$9.99) | Free | Free tier + one-time Pro |
| License | Proprietary, via App Store | Open source (MIT) | Open source (GPLv3) | Proprietary; free thirds forever |
| How you choose a layout | Memorize a shortcut / drag to edge | Memorize a shortcut | Radial flick menu | Summon a visible grid, tap a region |
| Thirds / custom regions | Halves, quarters, thirds | Yes (some Pro) | Halves, quarters, thirds | Thirds free; full grid in Pro |
| Devices per license | Tied to Apple ID | Pro: a few Macs | n/a | Up to 20 per key |
| Account required | Apple ID | No | No | No — just a key |
Let's Tile — when you'd rather see the grid than memorize it
Let's Tile is built around the one thing every snap tool leaves on the table: instead of remembering a shortcut for each region, you press a shortcut to summon a grid overlay, glance at it, and tap a couple of keys to drop the active window into place. Because the grid is on screen, there's nothing to memorize — you learn the layout by using it. That's exactly the wall people hit with Magnet: the shortcuts beyond left/right that never quite stuck.
It's a fair trade to weigh. Let's Tile is newer than Magnet, and it's not open source — so if either matters to you, that's a real point for the others. What Let's Tile offers in return is a gentler learning curve and friendlier licensing: thirds are free with no time limit, so you can find out whether keyboard tiling sticks before paying anything. Let's Tile Pro unlocks the full grid — reshape it on the fly with ⌥ + arrows, expand a window across cells with ⇧ + arrows, send the grid to another display with ⌘⇧ + arrows, plus per-monitor defaults and margins between windows. It's a one-time purchase, no subscription, no account, no telemetry, and the key works on up to 20 of your devices — where Magnet's license lives inside your Apple ID.
The other alternatives, briefly
Rectangle is the answer most people land on. It's free, open source (MIT), and does everything Magnet does and then some — halves, quarters, thirds, sixths, and a deep set of remappable shortcuts. If you want a like-for-like snap tool without paying, this is it. The trade is configuration: Rectangle has a lot of settings, and you're still memorizing a shortcut per layout. There's a fuller Rectangle comparison if that's the direction you lean.
Loop is the most interesting free option if the keyboard-chord model never clicked. It's open source and built around a radial menu: hold a trigger key, flick toward a direction, and the window snaps there. If a visual, gesture-style flow appeals more than remembering chords, Loop is worth a look — and it costs nothing.
For the wider category — including power-user tilers like yabai and AeroSpace — see our best macOS window manager guide and the roundup of free window managers for Mac.
Which should you pick?
- You want exactly what Magnet does, for free — get Rectangle. It's the closest free, open-source match.
- You never liked memorizing chords — try Loop (radial) or Let's Tile (visible grid). Both let you place a window without recalling a shortcut per layout.
- You want thirds and custom grids without the mouse — a visible grid is the shortest path, and free thirds let you test it for a day before deciding.
- You're happy with simple snapping and live in the App Store — honestly, Magnet is fine. There's no need to switch for its own sake.
Switching is low-stakes — just don't run two snappers at once, since their shortcuts will fight. Pick one, remove the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Magnet?
Yes. Rectangle is free, open source, and does everything Magnet does plus more layouts. Loop is free with a radial-menu interface. And Let's Tile has a free tier with thirds and no time limit, so you can try a visible-grid workflow at no cost.
Is Magnet still worth buying in 2026?
It's a solid, cheap, one-time app, but free tools have caught up. If you're new to window management, start with a free option like Rectangle or the free tier of Let's Tile and only pay if you want more than basic snapping. If you already own Magnet and it works for you, there's no reason to replace it.
What's the difference between Magnet and Let's Tile?
Magnet is a snap tool: you memorize a shortcut (or drag to an edge) and the window jumps to a fixed region. Let's Tile shows a grid overlay on screen so you tap the region you want — nothing to memorize — and Pro lets you reshape the grid and send windows across monitors from the keyboard. Let's Tile also offers free thirds and a one-time license good for up to 20 devices; Magnet is a single App Store purchase tied to your Apple ID.