Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CerebroApp VS Rectangle

Compare CerebroApp VS Rectangle and see what are their differences

CerebroApp logo CerebroApp

Productivity booster with a brain

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.
  • CerebroApp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20

CerebroApp features and specs

  • Intuitive User Interface
    CerebroApp features a clean and user-friendly interface that allows for easy navigation and quick access to key functionalities.
  • High Performance
    CerebroApp is designed to be lightweight and fast, ensuring that it runs smoothly without slowing down your system.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    The app supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for a wide range of users.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    CerebroApp supports a variety of plugins that can extend its functionality, allowing users to customize their experience to meet specific needs.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, CerebroApp allows users to contribute to its development and ensures greater transparency and security.

Possible disadvantages of CerebroApp

  • Limited Plugin Repository
    Compared to other similar tools, CerebroApp has a relatively smaller repository of plugins, which may limit its functionality for some users.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Customization
    While the app is easy to use out of the box, customizing it through plugins and settings can be complex for those who are not tech-savvy.
  • Occasional Bugs
    As with many open-source projects, users may encounter occasional bugs or glitches that can impact the user experience.
  • Resource Intensity
    Despite being lightweight, some users have reported that CerebroApp can occasionally consume more RAM and CPU resources than expected.
  • Limited Official Documentation
    Official documentation and support can be sparse, making it difficult for new users to fully understand and utilize all of its features without community help.

Rectangle features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Rectangle offers an intuitive user interface that makes window management straightforward and user-friendly.
  • Customizable Shortcuts
    Users can easily configure keyboard shortcuts to better suit their workflow, making window management faster and more efficient.
  • Free
    Rectangle is available for free, making it accessible to anyone without the need for a financial investment.
  • Frequent Updates
    The app receives regular updates, introducing new features and ensuring compatibility with the latest macOS versions.
  • Lightweight
    Rectangle is a lightweight application that doesn't consume many system resources, ensuring smooth performance even on older Macs.

Possible disadvantages of Rectangle

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Rectangle lacks some of the more advanced features found in paid window management applications, such as multiple monitor support and more complex window arrangements.
  • MacOS Only
    Rectangle is only available for macOS, so users of other operating systems are unable to take advantage of its features.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Some users report occasional bugs or unpredictable behavior, which might require troubleshooting or waiting for a future update.
  • Learning Curve for Shortcuts
    While customizable shortcuts are a benefit, there is an initial learning curve for users to memorize and effectively use these shortcuts.
  • Basic Aesthetic
    The app's design and aesthetic are quite basic, lacking the polish and visual appeal found in some other similar tools.

Analysis of Rectangle

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Rectangle is highly regarded for its ease of use, extensive customization options, and the fact that it is free and open-source. It provides essential functionality without unnecessary complexity, making it suitable for both casual users and power users who need efficient window management.

Why this product is good

  • Rectangle is a popular window management tool for macOS, known for its simplicity and ease of use. It allows users to efficiently organize and resize application windows using customizable keyboard shortcuts or by dragging windows into pre-defined areas of the screen. This can enhance productivity by minimizing the time spent arranging windows and improving multitasking capabilities.

Recommended for

    Rectangle is recommended for macOS users looking for a straightforward, lightweight solution to manage application windows. It is particularly beneficial for those who frequently work with multiple applications at once, including developers, designers, and anyone who values a tidy and organized desktop environment.

CerebroApp videos

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Rectangle videos

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

  • Review - Skywalker Rectangle Trampoline Review #1
  • Review - Marvin Malton 160 Rectangle Flying Hour Watch Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CerebroApp and Rectangle)
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
App Launcher
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CerebroApp and Rectangle

CerebroApp Reviews

7 Best Alfred Alternatives To Maximize Your Productivity
Cerebro is a productivity tool that helps you search for files, look at maps and translations, and use plugins to get your work done.
Source: blaze.today

Rectangle Reviews

Best 6 Mac Window Managers
Rectangle shows that you donโ€™t need to dip into your bank account to get window resizer tools. This free Mac window manager lets you manage multiple windows using keyboard shortcuts, menu options, or by dragging and dropping. Just like Magnet, you can split your screen up into quarters, thirds, or halves.
Source: mackeeper.com
Top 6 Window Manager Apps for Mac
Most window manager apps for Mac support multiple monitors. They can help you move windows between screens and create custom layouts for each monitor. Many window manager apps โ€“ such as BetterSnapTool, Magnet, and Rectangle โ€“ offer this functionality.
The 6 Best Mac Window Management Tools
However, it might take some time for you to get used to the shortcuts in the Rectangle app since there are many. Furthermore, you can also add some of your apps to exceptions if you want to keep them away from Rectangle's shortcuts.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be a lot more popular than CerebroApp. While we know about 479 links to Rectangle, we've tracked only 4 mentions of CerebroApp. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CerebroApp mentions (4)

  • What checks would allow you to deem a closed-source app as safe? (worries over Fluent Search)
    You could also see if Cerebro or Flow work for you, both of which I tried last year before settling on ueli. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Spyglass updated to crawl & index local text files (self-hosted search engine)
    Not to take away from OPโ€™s post, but there are several alternatives already. https://cerebroapp.com. Source: about 4 years ago
  • A Look at Curiosity - A MacOS Spotlight search style app available for Linux
    We have had awesome applications that do exactly this, while being fully FOSS, for some time. Albert and cerebro just to name a few. (I use Albert myself all the time and it is fantastic! And extensible!). Source: over 4 years ago
  • Arvis introduction
    It's interesting how many of these alternatives are popping up around now. We too have made a cross platform, open source variant named LaunchMenu alternative which we released into Beta. It looks like you've gone for a similar approach as Cerebro with a plugin system based on a getPluginItems listener. Cerebro's general design is much more akin to LaunchBar than Alfred however. Source: about 5 years ago

Rectangle mentions (479)

  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released
    As a both old Linux and now decade user of MacOS, after I got used to no middle-click paste and no focus-follows-mouse: 1. Keyboard shortcuts are Emacs, Ctrl-A: start of line, E: end of line, K: kill selected or to end of line, Y to paste, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-au/102650#text 2. Karabiner elements (FOSS) fixes keyboard mappings outside of the Settings: https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/ 3. I have the... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    Every macOS user uses Rectangle.app โ€” https://rectangleapp.com The ones who don't use it is because they donโ€™t know it exists. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    I use https://rectangleapp.com/ and enjoy it. I have shortcuts to move windows to the left/right half of the screen, and cycle between monitors. This, combined with native cmd+tab and cmd+` is enough for me. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    Rectangle [1] is pretty much essential for me because of this. I use only a few keypresses (maximize window, move to one of the halves of the screen horizontally) but that is enough. My mouse very rately interacts with the borders of any window, or those buttons. I had to click on the green one that you mentioned in order to see what it did (yuck). [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    I use Rectangle [1] for window management. I only use three shortcuts: full screen, left half of the screen, and right half of the screen. My editors and chrome are always running in one of these modes. But for other apps like Messages, Notes, Music, etc - yeah I don't usually expand them to full screen. [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CerebroApp and Rectangle, you can also consider the following products

Alfred - Alfred is an award-winning app for macOS which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more. Search your Mac and the web, and be more productive with custom actions to control your Mac.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

Keypirinha - A lightning fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows. No installation required (portable).

yabai - A tiling window manager for macOS based on binary space partitioning

Wox - An effective launcher for windows. A full-featured launcher, access programs and web contents as you type. Be more productive ever since. Wox is free for use and open-sourced at Github, Try it now! Downloadย .

BTT Remote - A remote control for you Mac, using your iPhone or iPad