Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tridactyl VS Rectangle

Compare Tridactyl VS Rectangle and see what are their differences

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Tridactyl logo Tridactyl

Replace Firefox's default control mechanism with one modelled on the one true editor, Vim.

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.
  • Tridactyl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20

Tridactyl features and specs

  • Vim-like Experience
    Tridactyl provides a Vim-like browsing experience, allowing users familiar with Vim commands to navigate and manage their browser efficiently using keyboard shortcuts.
  • Highly Customizable
    Users can extensively customize and script their browser interactions, tailoring Tridactyl to their specific browsing habits and preferences.
  • Productivity Boost
    By minimizing the need for mouse interactions, Tridactyl can significantly increase productivity and speed up browsing tasks for users who prefer keyboard-only navigation.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Tridactyl encourages community contributions, transparency, and collaboration, leading to potentially faster bug fixes and feature improvements.

Possible disadvantages of Tridactyl

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users, particularly those unfamiliar with Vim, may find Tridactyl challenging to learn and adapt to due to its extensive command set and reliance on keyboard shortcuts.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Tridactyl may face compatibility challenges with certain web pages or browser updates, potentially requiring users to frequently manage or troubleshoot extensions.
  • Limited to Firefox
    Tridactyl is primarily designed for Firefox, limiting its accessibility to users who prefer or are required to use other web browsers like Chrome or Safari.
  • Resource Intensive
    For some users, Tridactyl might be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance or increased memory usage, particularly when dealing with a large number of commands or custom scripts.

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.

Tridactyl videos

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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 Tridactyl and Rectangle)
Web Browsers
100 100%
0% 0
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Text Editors
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 Tridactyl and Rectangle

Tridactyl Reviews

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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 Tridactyl. While we know about 479 links to Rectangle, we've tracked only 33 mentions of Tridactyl. 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.

Tridactyl mentions (33)

  • Recover lost text by coredumping Firefox
    You can achieve this with native messaging [0] in tridactyl [1]: https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl/blob/850acdf2ca11018ed3c2fc7a8ae157d77f50bc17/src/excmds.ts#L321. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Firefox has surpassed Chrome on Speedometer
    As a pentadactly widow, I would recommend to anyone that is coming back to firefox tridactyl https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl is it the same? no. But is it close? Hell yeah. It really helps me with productivity! - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Firefox Address Bar Tips
    Wait until you find out about Tridactyl [0], which, among a plethora of other features, can activate a command line where you can perform all these searches (for example, `:tabopen` will list and activate fuzzy search of all opened tabs). [0] https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Mice come in all shapes and sizes, making it difficult to decide which is right for you ๐Ÿ–ฑ๏ธ
    You might be interested in using a browser plugin like Tridactyl instead, Iโ€™ve been using it for months now absolutely no complaints, no need to โ€œsimulateโ€ the mouse anymore just use page hints to click exactly the html element you want to https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How to mock builtin function?
    Nearly everything on reddit uses reddit-flavored markdown. Backticks for Inline code, as you discovered, but indent code blocks with four spaces. I Use a browser extension so that I can edit all my comments in Vim, so manipulating this markup, especially Code blocks, is easy. Source: about 3 years ago
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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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What are some alternatives?

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

Vimium - The Hacker's Browser.

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

Vieb - Browse the web with Vim-bindings

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

hunt-n-peck - Simple vimium/vimperator style navigation for Windows applications based on the UI Automation...

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