Software Alternatives & Reviews

Rectangle VS Contexts

Compare Rectangle VS Contexts and see what are their differences

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

Contexts logo Contexts

Switch between application windows effortlessly — with Fast Search, a better Command-Tab, a Sidebar or even a quick gesture. Free trial available.
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20
  • Contexts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21

Rectangle videos

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

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

Contexts videos

The Art of Discovering Bounded Contexts by Nick Tune

More videos:

  • Review - A Fresh Take on Contexts
  • Review - Contexts and Methods: Literature Review - Intro and Assessment Criteria

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rectangle and Contexts)
Mac Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Mac
0 0%
100% 100
Window Manager
80 80%
20% 20
OSX Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Rectangle and Contexts. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

Rectangle Reviews

Best 6 Mac Window Managers
Rectangle shows that you don’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 – such as BetterSnapTool, Magnet, and Rectangle – 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.

Contexts Reviews

We have no reviews of Contexts yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle should be more popular than Contexts. It has been mentiond 447 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 (447)

  • Updating My Mac Window Shortcuts Strategy for Optimal Workflow
    Rectangle’s installation is incredibly straightforward. Its immediate out-of-the-box functionality was a pleasant surprise. For anyone seeking to reduce the friction of window management on their Mac, Rectangle is a solution I wholeheartedly recommend. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • How I stay (more) focused with ADHD
    Tip: I use Rectangle app to set up keyboard shortcuts to resize windows (I only have three shortcuts there: left/right half of the screen and full screen). - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best Hacks for a Ultrawide Monitor?
    If you are using MacOS, I recommend these 2 apps 1. "Rectangle" for window management https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Working in the Vision Pro [video]
    Use tiling window manager + one large or ultrawidescreen monitor. If you have Mac, rectangle is good free software (https://rectangleapp.com/). - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers
    But Raycast also has some functionality in that direction. [1] - https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
View more

Contexts mentions (59)

  • Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher
    I like using Contexts on the Mac as replacement: https://contexts.co. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • My MacBook setup (the 2024 version)
    I use the Contexts [1] app, couldn't live without it (not affiliated...) It shows me all open Windows and in which Desktop, in its Sidebar (I've disabled the macOS dock.) Also the Cmd-Tab functionalities are nice, and I can use "Fn + [a single key] " shortcut to focus an app. Would recommend. [1] https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Arc 1.0 – a freeware web browser developed by The Browser Company
    Thanks for your feedback, I'll have to give TST in the Firefox sidebar another try... > "I make use of ctrl-uparrow to switch between browser and VSCode" I use the Contexts app (Fast Search) for that - https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Is there a program that can show my open apps as tabs across a bar like open tabs in a web browser?
    Https://contexts.co has a sidebar option. In their landing page its there under the sidebar heading. Source: 11 months ago
  • Witch – macOS window switcher replacement
    You should try contexts! It also has a bunch of other features and is highly configurable. I'm not one to normally pay for software, but this is probably up there with some of the best $10 I ever spent. https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

Witch - Welcome to the world of W. i. t. c. h.

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

Compiz - Project information. Maintainer: PS Project Management Team. Driver: Compiz Maintainers. Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2. 1, MIT / X / Expat Licence.

Moom - Move your mouse over the green zoom button in any window, and Moom's mouse control overlay will appear (as seen in the above animation).

Hyperswitch - HyperSwitch provides a compelling alternative to HyperDock for keyboard junkies. What's New