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Rectangle VS Twinkle Tray

Compare Rectangle VS Twinkle Tray and see what are their differences

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

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

Twinkle Tray logo Twinkle Tray

Easily manage the brightness of your monitors in Windows from the system tray.
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20
  • Twinkle Tray Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-19

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.

Twinkle Tray features and specs

  • User Interface
    Twinkle Tray offers a clean, intuitive user interface, making it easy for users to adjust their screen brightness with minimal effort.
  • Multiple Monitor Support
    It allows for individual control of brightness levels across multiple monitors, which is especially beneficial for multi-monitor setups.
  • Customizable Hotkeys
    Users can set up custom keyboard shortcuts to quickly adjust brightness, enhancing accessibility and convenience.
  • Open Source
    Being open source means the software can be audited and improved by the community, fostering transparency and potentially more rapid feature development.
  • Resource Efficient
    The application runs with minimal system resource usage, ensuring that it doesn't slow down your computer while running in the background.

Possible disadvantages of Twinkle Tray

  • Limited Compatibility
    The software might not work perfectly with all monitor models, as compatibility can vary depending on the monitor's capabilities and drivers.
  • Windows Only
    Twinkle Tray is primarily developed for Windows, so users on other operating systems cannot benefit from its features.
  • Manual Adjustment
    Unlike some systems that offer adaptive brightness based on ambient light, Twinkle Tray requires manual adjustment, which might be less convenient for some users.
  • Potential Bugs
    As with many open-source projects, users might encounter bugs or inconsistencies, especially with new updates or less common hardware configurations.
  • Limited Feature Set
    While it excels at adjusting brightness, Twinkle Tray lacks more advanced display calibration features that some users might expect.

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

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Twinkle Tray videos

No Twinkle Tray videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rectangle and Twinkle Tray)

Rectangle

Twinkle Tray

Mac Tools
100 100%
Mac Tools
0% 0
Work Management
0 0%
Work Management
100% 100
Window Manager
100 100%
Window Manager
0% 0
Utilities
0 0%
Utilities
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 Twinkle Tray

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

Twinkle Tray Reviews

We have no reviews of Twinkle Tray yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be a lot more popular than Twinkle Tray. While we know about 479 links to Rectangle, we've tracked only 22 mentions of Twinkle Tray. 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 / 3 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
View more

Twinkle Tray mentions (22)

  • How to Change Brightness on Windows 11?
    Firstly, you need to download the application from the official website. https://twinkletray.com/. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Brightness control
    Also, there are 3rd party apps that do the deed, an increasingly popular option is TwinkleTray but you can find more in a search engine. Source: about 3 years ago
  • About connecting a 3rd monitor...
    I don't think you can, since it automatically detects whether or not the screen is connected. Https://twinkletray.com/ tho this app can shut off the screen, maybe it can be better. Source: about 3 years ago
  • 2023 G14 4060 cannot change display brightness
    Use this maybe? https://twinkletray.com/ I don't know if it will help. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Why do you hate us, Microsoft? Biggest mistake was "upgrading" to Windows 11 in the first place
    TwinkleTray, to control display brightness on desktop displays like you can on laptops. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

f.lux - f. lux is a piece of software for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android that provides a blue light filter over your screen. Research suggests limiting our exposure to blue light in the hours before bedtime can help us fall asleep faster.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

DisplayBuddy - Control the real brightness of your monitors directly from your Mac - no need to touch the buttons on your Monitor.

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

Dimmer - A very small and free utility for Windows to reduce brightness on LCD/TFT screens.

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