Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Rectangle VS Baobab

Compare Rectangle VS Baobab and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

Baobab logo Baobab

Distributor of workload automation, financial statement reporting, data access, IT Asset Management and Service Desk software solutions.
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20
  • Baobab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

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.

Baobab features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Baobab provides an easy-to-navigate graphical interface that allows users to visually analyze disk usage, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Comprehensive Disk Usage Analysis
    It offers a detailed overview of disk usage, showing the size and percentage of each directory and file, which helps users identify space-hogging files or directories.
  • Integration with GNOME Desktop
    Baobab is part of the GNOME project and integrates well with GNOME desktop environments, providing a consistent user experience for GNOME users.
  • Ability to Scan Remote Filesystems
    It can scan not only local partitions but also remote filesystems, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of all available storage.
  • Regular Updates and Maintenance
    Being part of GNOME, Baobab receives regular updates and maintenance, ensuring compatibility with the latest technologies and continuous improvements.

Possible disadvantages of Baobab

  • GNOME Dependency
    As part of the GNOME project, Baobab might require GNOME libraries, which could be a drawback for users of other desktop environments.
  • Limited to Linux
    Baobab is designed for use on Linux systems, which makes it inaccessible to users on other operating systems like Windows or macOS.
  • Resource Consumption
    Although generally efficient, scanning very large filesystems may consume significant system resources, impacting performance on less powerful hardware.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Compared to some other disk usage tools, Baobab might lack advanced features such as automated cleanup tools or integration with cloud storage services.
  • Graphical Interface Only
    Baobab mainly offers a graphical interface, which means command-line enthusiasts might not find it as useful compared to CLI-based disk usage 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.

Rectangle videos

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

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

Baobab videos

Baobab Review

More videos:

  • Review - BAOBAB FRUIT : The Sad Truth Behind Madagascar's Iconic Tree - Weird Fruit Explorer 388
  • Review - Baobab Candle Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rectangle and Baobab)
Mac Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Disk Analyzer
0 0%
100% 100
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Hard Disk Usage
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 Rectangle and Baobab

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.

Baobab Reviews

We have no reviews of Baobab yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 479 times since March 2021. 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.

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 / 2 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 / 3 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 / 3 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 / 3 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 / 3 months ago
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Baobab mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Baobab yet. Tracking of Baobab recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

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

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

SpaceSniffer - SpaceSniffer is a freeWare (donations are welcome) and portable tool application that lets you understand how folders and files are structured on your disks.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

WinDirStat - WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool, inspired by KDirStat.

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

WizTree - WizTree quickly finds the files and folders using the most space on your hard drive. It scans the MFT (Master File Table) instead of crawling the entire disk which makes it very fast.