Software Alternatives & Startups

Rectangle VS Graphite

Compare Rectangle VS Graphite and see what are their differences

Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Graphite

Graphite is a highly scalable real-time graphing system.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be a lot more popular than Graphite. While we know about 480 links to Rectangle, we've tracked only 16 mentions of Graphite.

social mentions
480 vs 16
Mac Tools popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Rectangle
Graphite
Website rectangleapp.com graphiteapp.org
Pricing
Open source
—
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Rectangle 5 features
Graphite 5 features
  • 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

  • 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.
  • Scalability
    Graphite is designed for high performance and can handle large volumes of time-series data, making it suitable for scaling up as data grows.
  • Flexibility
    Graphite offers a flexible schema, allowing users to define their own metrics and naming conventions that best suit their monitoring needs.
  • Integration
    Graphite integrates easily with a variety of data sources and visualization tools such as Grafana, making it a versatile option for many monitoring setups.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, Graphite has a strong community for support and contributions, and it is also free to use without licensing costs.
  • Customizability
    Graphite allows for extensive customization of dashboards and visualization options, providing users with many ways to view and interpret their data.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup and configuration of Graphite can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring in-depth knowledge of the system.
  • Performance Issues
    While Graphite is designed for high performance, it can sometimes struggle with write-heavy loads and may require additional setup to maintain efficiency.
  • High Resource Consumption
    Graphite can consume significant system resources, especially disk I/O and CPU, which might be a concern for environments with limited resources.
  • Limited Built-in Visualization
    The native Graphite-web UI is considered less feature-rich compared to more modern tools like Grafana, which may necessitate additional tools for better visualization.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Due to its complexity and resource needs, maintaining Graphite can involve a significant overhead, particularly in larger or more dynamic environments.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Rectangle
Graphite

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.

Overall verdict

  • Graphite (graphiteapp.org) is generally considered a good tool for real-time graphing of time-series data.

Why this product is good

  • Graphite is appreciated for its powerful and flexible graphing capabilities, scalability, and open-source nature. It's widely used for monitoring and visualization due to its robust ecosystem and the ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently.

Recommended for

    Graphite is recommended for developers, system administrators, and IT professionals who need to monitor and visualize time-series data, particularly those working in environments with large-scale data monitoring needs.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Rectangle 3 videos + Add
Graphite 3 videos + Add

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos

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

Review: Samson Graphite 49 & Graphite 25 | Audio Mentor

More videos

  • - Faber-Castell 9000 graphite pencil review and tiger demo - w/ Lachri
  • - Graphite pencil brand review

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Rectangle
Graphite
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
AI
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Rectangle and Graphite. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Rectangle no reviews yet
Graphite no reviews yet
  • Best 6 Mac Window Managers
    mackeeper.com · Sep 2023

    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...

  • 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...

  • The 6 Best Mac Window Management Tools
    www.makeuseof.com · Apr 2023

    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...

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Rectangle 480 mentions
Graphite 16 mentions
  • Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra for a big leap in performance and AI compute
    Rectangle solved my macos window management annoyances. https://rectangleapp.com/ Not involved in dev of this, just a happy user. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • 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... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    Every macOS user uses Rectangle.app — https://rectangleapp.com The ones who don't use it is because they don’t know it exists. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago

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Alternatives to Rectangle and Graphite

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