Magnet is a long-running, well-reviewed window manager from the Mac App Store: $4.99 once, and it snaps windows to halves, thirds and quarters by dragging them to the screen edges or with keyboard shortcuts. For snapping, it's simple and cheap. Toolnotch's window manager, Wyndow, snaps the same zones from the keyboard or by dragging a window to the notch, and adds an undo, windows that make room for each other, saved layouts across your Spaces, and automatic restore when you unplug and replug a display. It costs more because it isn't sold alone: the same licence includes a clipboard history, eye breaks and a keep-awake tool.
I make Toolnotch, so read with that in mind. Magnet's details come from magnet.crowdcafe.com and its Mac App Store listing, checked on 20 October 2026.
What each app does
| Magnet | Toolnotch (Wyndow) | |
|---|---|---|
| Halves, thirds, two-thirds, quarters, full screen | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Yes, customisable | Yes, customisable, all on ⌃⌥ |
| Drag a window to snap | Yes, to screen edges and corners | Yes, to the notch (a map of your displays), and to screen edges as a setting |
| Menu bar and green-button menu | Yes | Menu bar icon and the Wyndow panel (⌃⌥Space) |
| Custom commands and layout properties | Yes | No |
| Vertical displays | Yes | Yes |
| External displays | Yes, up to six | Yes |
| Undo the last window moves | Not mentioned | Yes, up to 20 steps (⌃⌥⌫) |
| The window already in a half moves aside | Not mentioned | Yes |
| Save a layout of many apps, apply it with one key | Not mentioned | Yes, desks (⌘S, ⌘1), across macOS Spaces |
| Restore windows after you unplug and replug a display | Not mentioned | Yes, automatic |
| Sync settings over iCloud | Yes, optional | No |
| Clipboard history, eye breaks, keep-awake | No | Yes (Pasteback, Bodybreak, Staywake) |
"Not mentioned" means Magnet's site and App Store description don't list it.
Price and licence
| Magnet | Toolnotch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 once (Mac App Store) | $19.99 ($4.99 for the first 10 buyers, then $9.99 for the next 100) |
| Subscription, in-app purchases | None | None |
| Macs | Those signed in with your Apple Account | 3 Macs |
| Free trial | None on the App Store | None; 14-day refund, no questions |
| Future tools | Magnet updates | Every future Toolnotch tool included |
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later | 15 Sequoia or later |
If you only want snapping, Magnet is the cheaper buy. Toolnotch makes sense when you'd use more than the window manager.
Snapping side by side
Magnet's strength is the drag: pull a window to a corner for a quarter, to a side for a half, to the top to fill the screen, to the bottom edge for thirds. It's easy to learn and works the same on a vertical display.
Wyndow is keyboard-first. ⌃⌥← puts the window on the left half; press again for two-thirds, then a third, then the display on that side. ⌃⌥D, F and G give the three thirds, ⌃⌥1 to ⌃⌥4 the quarters, ⌃⌥↩ fills the screen and a second press puts the window back. For the mouse, drag a window up to the notch: a map of your displays opens, with halves, thirds, quarters and your saved desks drawn to scale, and you drop the window on the zone you want.
Two behaviours are worth knowing. When you snap a window onto a half another window fills, that one slides to the other half instead of disappearing behind. And ⌃⌥⌫ undoes, both windows at once, up to 20 steps back. Every key is in snap windows with the keyboard.
When you unplug a display
macOS piles the external display's windows onto the laptop when you unplug, and leaves them there when you plug back in. Magnet's site doesn't describe any handling for that. Wyndow puts each window in the same zone on the laptop, then back on the big display when it returns, and keeps that memory through sleep, an update or a relaunch. Details in why windows move when you unplug a monitor.
Desks go further: ⌘S in the Wyndow panel saves where every window is, on every Space, and ⌘1 puts them back. A desk can also offer to quit the apps that aren't part of it, always asking first. See save and restore window layouts.
What Toolnotch adds
Pasteback: your clipboard history under the notch, with search inside screenshots, masked secrets and a Paste Stack. Bodybreak: 20-20-20 eye breaks that wait for calls and for your typing. Staywake: keeps the Mac awake while a terminal job runs. One licence covers three Macs and every tool added later.
What Magnet does better
It's $4.99. It's on the App Store, with Apple's install and refund process. It runs on macOS 13 Ventura. It has custom commands and many layout settings, iCloud sync of your settings, and support for up to six external displays. It has been around since 2012 and is an App Store Editors' Choice. The drag-to-corner gesture is quicker to learn than a set of shortcuts.
Can you run both?
Two window managers listening to the same keys will fight. Toolnotch tells you when Magnet is running. Clear the shortcuts you don't want in one of them, or turn Wyndow off and keep the rest of Toolnotch.
Which one to choose
Choose Magnet if you want cheap, simple snapping by drag and your displays don't change during the day.
Choose Toolnotch if you snap from the keyboard, want an undo, unplug a display often, and would use the clipboard history and eye breaks too.
Considering the free option? See Toolnotch vs Rectangle. Try the window demo on toolnotch.app, or see pricing.
FAQ
Is there a free Magnet alternative?
Yes: Rectangle is free and open source, and macOS Sequoia and later tile windows to halves and quarters on their own. Toolnotch is paid.
Does Magnet remember window positions per monitor?
Its site and App Store listing don't mention it. Wyndow restores windows when a display comes back, automatically.
Can I snap by dragging with Toolnotch?
Yes. Drag a window to the notch and drop it on a zone of the map, or turn on dragging to the screen edges in Settings.
Which macOS do I need?
Magnet needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. Toolnotch needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.