Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tana VS Rectangle

Compare Tana VS Rectangle 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.

Tana logo Tana

Welcome to the future of work. Build anything. Use it for everything. Kill your SaaS subscriptions.

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.
  • Tana Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20

Tana features and specs

  • Flexibility
    Tana provides a highly flexible structure for organizing information, allowing users to customize their workspace according to their unique needs and preferences.
  • Interconnectivity
    The platform enables seamless interconnection of data, making it easier to link related pieces of information and navigate through them efficiently.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Tana offers a clean and intuitive interface that enhances user experience and makes it simple for both beginners and advanced users to organize and manage data.
  • Collaborative Features
    It supports collaboration among multiple users, allowing teams to work together efficiently by sharing information and resources in real-time.
  • Advanced Search Capabilities
    Tana includes advanced search features that help users quickly find the information they need, even in large datasets.

Possible disadvantages of Tana

  • Learning Curve
    New users may find the initial setup and understanding of the platform's full capabilities challenging, due to its flexibility and range of features.
  • Pricing
    Tana may be considered expensive for individuals or small teams, particularly if they do not fully utilize all the available features.
  • Limited Integrations
    Compared to some other tools, Tana has fewer integrations with third-party applications, which might limit its functionality for some users.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, such as lag or slow response times, especially when handling large amounts of data.
  • Initial Customization Time
    Setting up and customizing the platform to suit specific needs can be time-consuming initially, especially for users who have extensive requirements.

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.

Tana videos

Why is EVERYONE Using This Note App?? | Tana Review

More videos:

  • Review - Tana: The Most Hyped Note-Taking App
  • Review - Will this new app replace Notion?! The most hyped productivity app right now II Tana Review

Rectangle videos

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Tana and Rectangle)
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Task Management
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
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 Tana and Rectangle

Tana Reviews

Supercharge Your Productivity: Three Recommended Tools for Thought
Side note: Those who follow me may be surprised Iโ€™d choose Tana over Roam Research. I have extraordinary love for Roam โ€” it was my introduction to this amazing TfT world! โ€” but Tana is a more powerful environment.
Source: medium.com

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.

Social recommendations and mentions

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

Tana mentions (22)

  • Show HN: Firm, a text-based work management system
    This looks very similar to a FoSS version of Tana: https://tana.inc/ Which is well timed because I've been increasingly leaning more into Tana but also being like "it would really suck if this tool goes away". Having something that has the same ergonomics of Tana but is more open is really interesting. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Show HN: Org-Supertag
    Looks great! Would be interested to hear how people are getting on with Tana (https://tana.inc/), the tool from which this idea was borrowed. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Sidebar-like view - am I missing something?
    On the https://tana.inc/ page in the use case videos the app looks slightly different. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Integrating Val Town with tana
    I have been using tana for knowledge management and as a Kanban board for tracking work. From past experience, I've learned that I am motivated by productivity metrics. Therefore, I implemented two tana commands in order to track the work that I complete and receive notifications on my productivity stats. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Competitor to Roam Research with better app?
    Be sure to check out Tana (https://tana.inc/). The new kid on the block and best described as if Notion and Roam had a baby. They have a (beta) quick capture app, the Android version of which currently needs to be downloaded as an APK. Source: about 3 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 / 4 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 / 4 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

Logseq - Logseq is a local-first, non-linear, outliner notebook for organizing and sharing your personal knowledge base.

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

Capacities - A powerful note-taking tool. All your ideas โ€“ typed and connected.

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