DockApp vs Rectangle (2026)

The best free window snapper, or an enhanced Dock with previews, switching, and saved layouts? An honest head-to-head. Updated August 2026.

Rectangle is the window manager most Mac users reach for first, and for good reason: it's free, open-source, and superb at one thing — snapping windows into place with keyboard shortcuts. DockApp isn't trying to be a leaner Rectangle. It's an enhanced Dock and window manager: live previews, a real switcher, widgets, and snapping with saved layouts. Full disclosure: I make DockApp, so I'll be straight about where Rectangle is the better pick.

At a glance

What Rectangle is best at

Rectangle (free, open-source, macOS 10.15+) is the standard-bearer for window snapping on the Mac. Snap a window to halves, thirds, and quarters with keyboard shortcuts or by dragging to a screen edge, throw windows between displays, and split the screen into precise panes. It's lightweight, actively maintained, needs no account, and costs nothing. If keyboard-driven snapping is all you want, Rectangle is the one to get, and this page won't talk you out of it. Want to go further while staying in that keyboard-first world? Rectangle Pro (about $10) adds custom snap zones, app-specific rules, and saved workspace layouts.

What DockApp does differently

DockApp is a Dock enhancement first, and a window manager second. Hover a Dock icon for live window previews. Use a real ⌘Tab switcher that flips through every window, not just apps, and hands ⌘Tab back to macOS when you quit. Snap windows, then save a whole arrangement as a layout and drop every open window back into place in one click. On top of that the Dock itself is reshapeable: transparent or tinted, bordered, custom icons, groups, badges, a shelf, and live widgets, plus focus-follows-mouse and multi-display support. Rectangle doesn't do any of the Dock, preview, or switcher parts — it isn't trying to.

It's built entirely on public Apple APIs and notarized, with no SIP disabling and no code injection, and nothing leaves your Mac — no accounts, no tracking. It's a one-time $9.99 (launch price), up to three Macs, 14-day refund, on macOS 26+.

The saved-layouts question

This is where the two overlap, so it's worth being precise. Saved workspace layouts are a paid Rectangle Pro feature (about $10) — the free Rectangle doesn't include them. DockApp includes snapping with saved layouts in its $9.99. For layouts alone, the two cost about the same; the real difference is scope. If saved layouts are the only thing you're after and you love keyboard snapping, Rectangle Pro is a great, focused buy. (See the full guide to saving window layouts on Mac, including a free option.) If you want layouts as part of a fuller kit — previews, a real switcher, and a customizable Dock — that's DockApp.

Price

Rectangle is free (Rectangle Pro is about $10); DockApp is $9.99 once, for up to three Macs. If you only want keyboard-driven snapping, Rectangle free is unbeatable on price and I won't pretend otherwise. DockApp costs $9.99 because it does more than snap windows — previews, switching, layouts, and the Dock, in one app. Pay for the one that matches what you actually want.

Which should you pick?

• You just want fast, free, keyboard-driven window snapping → Rectangle (free).
• You want custom snap zones and saved layouts, still keyboard-first → Rectangle Pro (~$10).
• You want window previews, a real ⌘Tab switcher, snapping with saved layouts, and a better Dock in one app → DockApp.

Comparing the wider field? See the full roundup of Mac window managers (Rectangle, Magnet, Moom, and more), the best Mac Dock apps, or the DockApp vs Magnet, DockApp vs Moom, DockApp vs uBar, and DockApp vs DockDoor head-to-heads.