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NightOwl VS Rectangle

Compare NightOwl VS Rectangle and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

NightOwl logo NightOwl

Easily toggle your Macs Dark Mode with this menubar app.

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.
  • NightOwl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-10
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20

NightOwl features and specs

  • Free to Use
    NightOwl is available for free, allowing users to utilize its features without any financial commitment.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application is designed with a simple and intuitive interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.
  • Customizable Settings
    NightOwl offers various customization options that allow users to tailor the dark mode settings according to their preferences.
  • System-wide Dark Mode
    NightOwl enables dark mode across all applications and the macOS interface, providing a consistent visual experience.

Possible disadvantages of NightOwl

  • Limited to macOS
    The application is only available for macOS users, restricting accessibility for Windows or Linux users.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    Some users may experience compatibility issues with certain third-party applications that do not fully support dark mode.
  • Resource Usage
    Running NightOwl as a background process may lead to additional resource consumption, potentially impacting system performance on older devices.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    While NightOwl provides basic dark mode functionalities, it may lack more advanced features that some users might expect, such as automation based on the time of day.

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.

NightOwl videos

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Rectangle videos

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SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NightOwl and Rectangle)

NightOwl

Rectangle

Communication
100 100%
Communication
0% 0
Mac Tools
0 0%
Mac Tools
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
Productivity
0% 0
Window Manager
0 0%
Window Manager
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 NightOwl and Rectangle

NightOwl Reviews

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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.
Source: www.maketecheasier.com
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.
Source: www.makeuseof.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be a lot more popular than NightOwl. While we know about 479 links to Rectangle, we've tracked only 8 mentions of NightOwl. 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.

NightOwl mentions (8)

  • New To Mac
    I use dark mode, but there are some apps which are (IMO) just plain ugly in dark, like the calendar and mail. You could use an app like NightOwl. But there is a command for that. It's got two steps, firstly find the app's bundle id, using osascript -e 'id of app "App_Name"'. Then pass this result into: defaults write NSRequiresAquaSystemAppearance -bool Yes. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Mac won't switch to dark mode
    I had this issue a lot - instead of relying on the auto mode I went ahead and installed NightOwl. Now the theme changes correctly at the appropriate time. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Automatic Dark/Light Mode based on sunset/sunrise?
    Sadly, this functionality isn't built-in to Windows and (unlike macOS) there doesn't appear to be any decent third-party utilities to sort this out for you. To date, I've been using an Open-Source offering named Luna. Source: over 4 years ago
  • No "Night Shift" in preferences for my Mac Mini M1?
    For changes at exact times, use a third party util like NightOwl. Source: about 5 years ago
  • [macOS 11.4, MBP M1] Been dark for a while outside, but the auto appearance still goes to light mode, but it works correctly on iOS.
    I just gave up with the default Mac settings downloaded NightOwl. Night Shift works as normal but NightOwl ensures that dark mode turns on at sundown. Source: about 5 years ago
View more

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
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Dark Mode List - A list of apps that support ๐ŸŒƒ dark mode

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

ShadowFox - This project aims at creating a universal dark theme for Firefox while adhering to the modern...

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

Darkmode Widget - Add a dark-mode to your website in a few seconds ๐ŸŒ“

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

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