Free Mac window manager: the best no-cost options in 2026
You don't have to pay to arrange windows well on a Mac. Some of the best window managers are completely free and open source, and macOS itself now snaps windows out of the box. The catch is that "free" means different things across these tools — a few are free forever with every feature, while others are free to start and charge for the extras. This guide sorts the field so you can pick a free Mac window manager that actually fits how you work, not just one that happens to cost nothing today.
What "free" really means here
Three flavors show up when people search for a free window manager:
- Free and open source — no cost, no upsell, source on GitHub. Rectangle, Loop, AeroSpace, Amethyst, and yabai all live here.
- Built into macOS — you already own it. macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) tiles windows natively.
- Free tier of a paid app — a genuinely usable free mode, with a one-time upgrade for more. Let's Tile gives you thirds free with no time limit.
None of these ask for a subscription. The real question is which model matches your workflow — snapping, automatic tiling, or a keyboard-driven grid.
Free Mac window managers at a glance
| Tool | Type | What's actually free | License / cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS built-in | Snapping | Halves, quarters, corners — no thirds | Free with macOS |
| Rectangle | Snapping | Halves, quarters, thirds, sixths, remappable | Free, MIT (Pro ~$10 once) |
| Loop | Radial snapping | Full radial menu, customizable | Free, GPLv3 |
| AeroSpace | Auto-tiling | Everything | Free, open source |
| Amethyst | Auto-tiling | Everything | Free, MIT |
| yabai | Auto-tiling | Everything (SIP tweak for some) | Free, open source |
| Let's Tile | Keyboard grid | Thirds, no time limit | Free tier + one-time Pro |
macOS built-in tiling — free, already installed
Start here before downloading anything. On macOS Tahoe you can drag a window to a screen edge to fill a half, drag to a corner for a quarter, or hover the green button for a tiling menu — and there are keyboard shortcuts (Fn-Control-arrows for halves, Fn-Control-F to fill). It's genuinely useful for the occasional split.
Where it stops: there are no thirds, the shortcuts are awkward to reach, and there's no visible grid or precise multi-region control. If you tile a few times a day, it's plenty. If you tile all day, you'll outgrow it fast — which is why free third-party tools are still among the first apps many people install.
Rectangle — the most complete free snapper
Rectangle is the default recommendation for free-and-open-source, and deservedly so. Under the MIT license, the free version is complete: halves, quarters, thirds, sixths, maximize, center, and fully remappable keyboard shortcuts. There's no teaser and no nag screen. An optional Rectangle Pro (about $10 one-time, covering up to three Macs, with a 10-day trial) adds custom snap zones and saved layouts, but you can happily never touch it.
The one trade-off is inherent to snapping tools: you pick a layout by remembering a shortcut for each region. If you like that model, Rectangle is the free king. If memorizing a shortcut per layout wears on you, keep reading.
Loop — the free radial snapper
Loop is free and open source under GPLv3, built around a radial menu: hold a trigger key, flick toward a zone, release. It looks great on Tahoe's glassy interface and costs nothing. If you prefer a gesture-style motion over memorizing named shortcuts, Loop is a delightful zero-cost pick. It needs macOS 13 or later.
AeroSpace, Amethyst, and yabai — free automatic tiling
If you want windows that arrange themselves and never overlap — the Linux i3 / xmonad model — three free tools deliver it:
- AeroSpace — i3-like, configured with a single TOML file, and notably does not require disabling SIP. It uses its own emulated workspaces. The friendliest on-ramp to automatic tiling.
- Amethyst — free under the MIT license, xmonad-style layouts (tall, wide, fullscreen, BSP), built on native macOS Spaces, configured by keyboard shortcuts and a plist.
- yabai — the most powerful and scriptable, but unlocking its full feature set means partially disabling System Integrity Protection, and it has no GUI (pair it with skhd for hotkeys).
All three are free and open source. All three reward people who enjoy editing config files; if that's not you, an automatic tiler may be more machinery than you want.
Let's Tile — free thirds, keyboard-first
Let's Tile sits between snapping and full auto-tiling, and it's honest about the split: thirds are free with no time limit, so you can find out whether keyboard tiling suits you before paying anything. Instead of memorizing a shortcut per layout, you press one shortcut to summon a visible grid, steer a highlighted preview with the arrow keys (extend it with Shift), and press Enter to drop the window into place. Nothing to memorize — you see the grid and drive it.
To be upfront: the full grid, tiling across monitors, and per-monitor defaults are the one-time Pro upgrade — so if you need every feature at zero cost forever, Rectangle or Loop is the better match, and if open source is a hard requirement, Tile isn't open source. But if "free" for you means "let me try the workflow before I decide," the free thirds are a real, unlimited tier, and Pro is pay-once (no account, no subscription, up to 20 devices per key) rather than a recurring bill.
Which free window manager should you pick?
- Just need occasional splits? Use the built-in macOS tiling — you already have it.
- Want the most complete free snapper? Rectangle — free, open source, and genuinely full-featured.
- Prefer a gesture over shortcuts? Loop — free radial snapping.
- Want windows to auto-arrange? AeroSpace (no SIP), Amethyst, or yabai — free automatic tiling for config-lovers.
- Would rather not memorize shortcuts? Let's Tile — see the grid, steer it with the keyboard, free thirds to try.
They're all free or free-to-try, so there's no risk in trying two and keeping whichever disappears into your muscle memory. Pair whichever you choose with a keyboard window switcher and you've got a mouse-free window workflow for exactly $0 to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Mac window manager?
For a completely free, open-source, full-featured tool, Rectangle is the standard pick. If you'd rather see a grid than memorize shortcuts, Let's Tile gives you thirds free with no time limit. For automatic tiling, AeroSpace is the easiest free option.
Does macOS have a built-in window manager?
Yes. macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) tiles windows natively — drag to an edge for a half, a corner for a quarter, or use the green-button menu. It covers halves and quarters but not thirds, and it's less precise than a dedicated tool.
Are open-source window managers safe to use?
Rectangle, Loop, AeroSpace, Amethyst, and yabai are all open source, so their code is public and auditable. yabai is the one exception worth noting: some of its features require partially disabling System Integrity Protection, which is a security trade-off you should understand before enabling it.
Is Let's Tile free?
Let's Tile is free for thirds with no time limit — a real tier, not a trial. The full grid and extras are a one-time Pro purchase (no subscription, no account, up to 20 devices per key). See the Let's Tile page for the full breakdown.