Window manager comparison
Rectangle, Magnet, and Raycast move and resize the front window. They do not save a named Mac workspace and put every window, app, and active browser tab back later. SnapState does not tile or snap. It restores visible window positions and sizes, relaunches the apps in a workspace, remembers the monitor layout, and reopens the active tab URL in Safari, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Chromium. If you only want snapping, do not buy SnapState.
Short version: use Rectangle, Raycast, or Magnet to snap. Use SnapState, at $9.99 once, when the job is calling a whole workspace back. Rectangle Pro is the paid snap tool that also arranges apps.
Rectangle (rectangleapp.com) is free and open source. It moves and resizes windows with keyboard shortcuts or snap areas on macOS 10.15 or later, on Intel and Apple Silicon. It is a snap tool, not a named workspace restore product.
Magnet is a Mac App Store app listed around $4.99 one-time in the U.S., with a perpetual license and no subscription. It requires macOS 13 or later. You snap the window you are using from trigger areas, keyboard shortcuts, the green-button menu, or the menu bar. Its listing does not describe named multi-app snapshots or browser tab restore.
Raycast includes Window Management commands that snap, resize, and move windows between displays with shortcuts. Raycast also sells a separate Pro plan for other features. Those window commands do not restore a saved multi-app layout or browser tab URLs.
Rectangle Pro is a separate app, not an unlock inside free Rectangle. It costs $9.99 one-time after a 10-day trial, and one license can be active on 3 devices. It is the stronger snapping product: faster throws, custom sizes, and more shortcuts.
Its own site also says it can arrange an entire workspace of apps with one shortcut and activate when displays are connected or disconnected. Do not treat SnapState as the only paid app that can arrange apps. The difference is the job. SnapState keeps several named snapshots you switch on demand, relaunches missing apps, restores the active tab URL, and can restore on wake or when a matching display layout appears. It still does not snap.
SnapState is a native menu bar app for macOS 15.7 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel. Version 2.5.2 ships as a signed, notarized DMG, not through the Mac App Store. A workspace stores the visible windows on the current desktop, the apps needed to relaunch them, the display layout, and the active tab URL after Automation permission. Restore from the menu bar or with Control-Command-1 to 6. Optional triggers cover display connect, disconnect, a matching layout, and wake from sleep. If the displays differ, saved frames are remapped. Workspace data stays on the Mac in ~/Library/Application Support/SnapState/. The app needs Accessibility permission to move windows.
The license is $9.99 one-time for up to three Macs, with a 14-day refund. That is the same price as Rectangle Pro and more than Magnet, for a different feature set. For a deeper tiling comparison, see Moom vs SnapState. For a free display-memory app, see Stay vs SnapState.
Use the table to separate snapping from restoring a workspace. Rectangle Pro is called out in the rows where it differs from free Rectangle.
| Capability | SnapState | Rectangle | Magnet | Raycast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snaps or tiles the front window | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Named workspaces you switch on demand | Yes | No | Not listed | No |
| Relaunches apps in a saved workspace | Yes | No in free Rectangle. Rectangle Pro can arrange a workspace of apps. | Not listed | No |
| Restores the active browser tab URL | Yes | No | Not listed | No |
| Restore on display connect or disconnect | Yes | Rectangle Pro, not free Rectangle | Not listed | No |
| Wake and matching-layout triggers | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | No |
| Price | $9.99 one-time | Free. Pro is $9.99. | About $4.99 one-time | Window commands included. Pro is separate. |
SnapState saves the visible windows on the current desktop, not every macOS Space. It restores only the active tab URL per supported browser window, not full tab sets, and Firefox is not supported. It will not replace Rectangle, Magnet, or Raycast if your daily habit is snapping windows into zones. If that habit plus one display-aware app arrangement is the whole job, try Rectangle Pro before you pay for SnapState. Using a snap tool and SnapState together is reasonable when you want both jobs.
Not if you only want to snap the front window into halves, thirds, or quarters. Rectangle and Raycast already do that, and Magnet does it as a paid Mac App Store app. Buy SnapState when you want named workspaces, app relaunch, and the active browser tab URL, and you do not need tiling.
No. SnapState does not tile, snap, or resize the window you are dragging. It saves an arrangement you already made and puts those windows back later.
Rectangle Pro is a separate $9.99 app. Its site says it can arrange an entire workspace of apps with one shortcut and activate when displays connect or disconnect. It is the stronger snapping product. SnapState differs by keeping several named snapshots, relaunching missing apps, restoring the active tab URL, and offering wake and matching-layout triggers, without snapping.
Yes. Use Rectangle, Magnet, or Raycast to place the window you are working in now. Use SnapState to capture the whole arrangement and call it back after a restart, a monitor change, or a context switch.
SnapState saves visible windows on the current desktop, not macOS Spaces. It restores only the active tab URL per supported browser window, not full tab sets. Firefox is not supported. It requires macOS 15.7 or later.