Rectangle alternative for Mac: drag windows into zones you draw
By Guido Crego · Last updated:
Rectangle is free, open source and excellent from the keyboard. If that's how you work, keep it. Shoji is for people who move windows with the mouse or trackpad and want zones of their own on each monitor.
Pick Rectangle if…
- You move windows with the keyboard. Rectangle’s shortcuts cover halves, thirds, quarters and more.
- You want something free and open source.
- The standard sizes are enough for you.
Pick Shoji if…
- You move windows with the mouse or trackpad and want to drop them into zones you can see.
- You want sizes of your own: a wide center, a narrow chat column, two windows stacked next to a big one.
- You use several monitors and want a different layout on each, back automatically when you reconnect one.
Side by side
As checked on the date at the top of this page.
| Rectangle | Rectangle Pro | Shoji | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source | US$9.99 once | US$4.99 once |
| Macs per license | Any | 3 | 1 |
| Trial | — | 10 days | No; 14-day refund |
| How you snap | Keyboard shortcuts, drag to a screen edge or corner | Same, plus snap targets and a snap panel | Hold fn (or another key) while dragging, drop on a zone |
| Your own sizes | No: fixed actions, you choose which one each edge does | Yes, entered as numbers (percent or pixels) | Yes, drawn on the screen |
| A layout per monitor | No | Layouts can apply when a display connects | Yes, each monitor keeps its own |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Yes, many | Yes, many | No |
| macOS | 14 or later (version 2) | 14 or later | 15 or later |
The difference in one sentence
Rectangle moves windows to sizes it knows, mostly from the keyboard. Shoji lets you draw the sizes, once per monitor, and you drag windows into them.
Switch from Rectangle to Shoji
- Open Shoji and allow Accessibility when macOS asks. Any app needs it to move other apps’ windows.
- From the Shoji menu in the menu bar, choose Edit Zones.
- Start from a quick start (Halves, Thirds, Center + sides) or drag on the screen to draw your own zones. With more than one monitor, draw a layout on each.
- Save. Hold fn while you drag a window, and let go over a zone.
If you’ll keep using another tool that also listens to the fn key, choose a different activation key for Shoji (Option, Control, Command or Shift) in Settings → General.
Questions
Does Shoji have keyboard shortcuts?
No. It’s built around dragging. If you want both, macOS 15 and later has shortcuts for halves and quarters (Fn + Control + arrow keys).
Is Shoji open source?
No. It’s a paid app: US$4.99 once, for one Mac, with a 14-day refund.
Does it work with every app?
With any window macOS lets other apps move and resize. A few windows have a fixed size, and full-screen apps live in their own space.
Rectangle and Rectangle Pro are made by Ryan Hanson. Shoji isn’t affiliated with them.
Shoji · window zones for Mac
Draw zones on each monitor, drag a window over one, and it snaps in. $4.99 once; if it isn't for you, your money back within 14 days.
$4.99 once · one Mac · macOS 15 or later