Checked against listing data · v3.0.7 · October 2026

Magnet Review (2026): $4.99, 3.2 MB, Still Worth It?

A 3.2 MB window snapper, measured on what can be verified: size, price, layouts, ratings, release cadence. No hype, three alternatives.

Lukas Bärmann · October 17, 2026 · Native desktop tools

Summary

This magnet review checks the Mac window manager against its own listing data. Magnet is a 3.2 MB app, $4.99 once on the Mac App Store, with 18 built-in layouts, drag zones and support for six external displays. It collects no data. Its weak points are a quiet release history (last update April 2025), a rating counter reset by the version 3 rewrite, and free Rectangle covering most of the same ground. Score: 7.3 out of 10.

7.3 /10

Magnet is a 3.2 MB window snapper that costs $4.99 once on the Mac App Store. It gives you drag-to-edge snapping, 18 built-in layouts and six-display support, and collects no data. It does that one job well. Free Rectangle does most of it too, so buy Magnet for the drag zones and App Store updates, not for features. Score: 7.3/10.

Snapping coverage: 7.5/10
Footprint: 10/10
Price and licence: 7/10
Customisation: 7.5/10
Maintenance signal: 5.5/10
Privacy: 9/10

3.2 MB binary, no Electron shell, no subscription, no data collected
Drag zones, hotkeys, menu bar and green-button menu all work from one install
Custom commands on a grid, plus support for vertical screens and six displays

No release since 11 April 2025, 555 days before this review was written
Rectangle gives you halves, thirds and quarters for free, so the paid case is narrow
The version 3 listing shows no star rating, so the old 134K-ratings figure is not verifiable

$4.99 one-time · No subscription · Family Sharing

Methodology

How this review was built

Version tested: Magnet 3.0.7 (11 April 2025), macOS 13 or later; listing data re-checked 18 October 2026
Test period: 2026-10-17 → 2026-10-18

Test categories: Mac App Store listing • iTunes lookup record • Developer FAQ • Developer screenshots • Independent write-ups • Rating platforms

This edition is a verification review, not a month of hands-on use. We did not buy or install a licence. Instead we pulled the Mac App Store listing on 18 October 2026, queried the iTunes lookup record for exact byte size, version and rating counters, read the developer FAQ line by line, and examined the developer's own interface screenshots of the Commands and Preferences panels to count layouts and read default values. We then read independent write-ups, Product Hunt, and Reddit threads for recurring praise and complaints. Anything we could not confirm from a primary source is labelled as second-hand. If you need latency or crash-rate figures, they are not here, and we will not invent them.

Should you buy Magnet?

YES if you...

You like dragging windows to screen edges and want zones you can tune
You want a 3.2 MB utility that updates through the Mac App Store
You run vertical or multi-display setups and want layouts adapted automatically
You want a one-time $4.99 licence with Family Sharing and no account

NO if you...

You live on the keyboard and are happy with Rectangle at $0
You need saved window layouts restored on login or monitor change
You require a vendor that ships updates monthly and answers support in public
You already run Raycast, where window management ships in the free tier

Pricing

What Magnet costs next to the alternatives

List prices as of October 2026. Magnet's own price is $4.99 on the US Mac App Store.

This review

Magnet

$4.99 one-time

Mac App Store, no subscription

Drag zones, hotkeys, menu bar, green-button menu
18 built-in layouts plus custom commands
Family Sharing for up to six people
No in-app purchases

Rectangle

Open source, macOS 14 or later

Keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge snapping
Halves, thirds, quarters
No account

Rectangle Pro

$9.99 one-time

Paid edition from the same developer

Extra gestures and layouts
One-time licence

Raycast Pro

$8 /mo billed yearly

Window management is free; Pro adds AI and clipboard history

Launcher with 1,000+ extensions
AI and sync features need a Raycast account

ROI breakdown: At $4.99, Magnet pays for itself against Rectangle Pro ($9.99) the moment you decide you do not need saved layouts. Against free Rectangle it never pays back in cash. You are buying drag zones and store updates.

Hidden costs & gotchas

Version 3 needs macOS 13 Ventura or later, so Macs that cannot run it are out
Accessibility permission must be granted by hand, and re-granted after some macOS updates

Layouts

18 layouts, and a grid for your own

The Commands panel in the developer's screenshot lists Left, Right, Top, Bottom, four corners, three thirds, three two-thirds, Next Display, Previous Display, Center and Restore. That is 18 built-in commands. Under them sits a grid editor where you paint the exact window rectangle, assign a hotkey, and paint an activation zone for dragging.

18 built-in commands
Custom commands on a paint-your-own grid
Per-command hotkey and drag zone

Magnet Commands panel listing 18 built-in layouts with a keyboard shortcut and drag activation area editor

Measured

What we could verify

Every value is sourced. None come from a stopwatch on our desk this time.

Binary size: 3.2 MB 3,163,121 bytes per the iTunes lookup record, version 3.0.7
Licence price: $4.99 one-time US Mac App Store, no subscription, no in-app purchases
Built-in commands: 18 Counted in the Commands panel of the developer's screenshot
External displays supported: 6 Developer site claim, also repeated by a 2020 independent review
Days since last release: 555 days 11 April 2025 to 18 October 2026, App Store version history
Releases since the Swift rewrite: 7 3.0.1 on 14 October 2024 to 3.0.7 on 11 April 2025, 179 days
Edge activation width: 12 pt Value shown in the developer's Preferences screenshot
Green-button hover delay: 100 ms Value shown in the developer's Preferences screenshot
Ratings counted on the live v3 listing: 0 iTunes lookup returns a rating count of 0; the store says not enough ratings

Magnet Commands panel with 18 built-in layouts — The Commands panel lists 18 built-in commands, including Next Display, Previous Display, Center and Restore, with a paint-your-own grid for custom ones. Halves, thirds, two-thirds and quarters are all present.

Magnet Preferences window with activation area and spacing settings — Preferences expose activation area outline (4 pt), edge width (12 pt), scale (80 %), green-button hover delay (100 ms) and window margins (8 pt) with a toggle to drop margins at screen edges.

Magnet Mac App Store listing showing $4.99 price and 3.2 MB size — The Mac App Store lists $4.99, 3.2 MB, Editors' Choice, developer BOOTCODE A.S., macOS 13 or later, and a Data Not Collected privacy label that Apple notes is not verified.

Magnet official FAQ page — The FAQ says Magnet cannot arrange windows across different Spaces, cannot resize non-standard windows such as Adobe apps older than 2017, and that some apps keep a minimum width wider than half a small screen.

Balance sheet

Pros and cons

Pros

Tiny footprint with no data collection 3.2 MB on disk and a Data Not Collected label. The developer says it collects no personal data, though Apple states that label is not verified.
Four ways to trigger the same layout Drag zones, hotkeys, menu bar icon and the green-button hover menu all call the same commands, so you can change habits without changing tools.
Vertical screens handled properly On a vertical display the side edges create thirds, and halves and quarters move to the corners and bottom edge.
One-time price with Family Sharing $4.99 once, up to six family members, no account.

Cons

Quiet release history since April 2025 Version 3.0.7 shipped on 11 April 2025 and the listing mentions macOS 15 as the newest target. That is not proof of breakage, but it is a signal to watch on each new macOS.
The free alternative covers most of the job Rectangle snaps to halves, thirds and quarters for $0. Magnet's advantage is drag-zone polish and store delivery, which matters less if you use hotkeys.
Drag snapping depends on a fragile permission Reviewers lost drag snapping after a macOS upgrade until they reset the Accessibility entry. The FAQ documents the fix.
No saved layouts or restore-on-login One reviewer wished it could remember window positions across restarts. Moom and Rectangle Pro are the usual answers.

Verdict

Final verdict

7.3 /10

Magnet is a good window snapper and an honest small utility. It is 3.2 MB, it costs $4.99 once, and it does what its site says. If you drag windows to edges all day and want zones you can retune, it earns its price.

The case against is as plain as the case for. Rectangle is free and covers the keyboard-first version of the same job. The version 3 listing has reset its star count, and the last release is 555 days old. None of that breaks the app, but a utility that lives on an accessibility permission needs a developer who keeps shipping.

Buy Magnet if you want drag zones from the App Store and you can live with a quiet changelog. Skip it if you use hotkeys, since Rectangle gives you that for nothing. If you need saved layouts, look at Rectangle Pro or Moom instead.

Snapping coverage 7.5/10 Halves, thirds, two-thirds, quarters, custom grid
Footprint 10/10 3.2 MB
Price and licence 7/10 $4.99 once, but free Rectangle exists
Customisation 7.5/10 Grid editor, per-command zones
Maintenance signal 5.5/10 555 days since 3.0.7
Privacy 9/10 No data collected, unverified by Apple

See alternatives

Common questions about Magnet

Is Magnet free?

No. Magnet costs $4.99 as a one-time purchase on the US Mac App Store, with no subscription and no in-app purchases. Family Sharing lets up to six people use one purchase. Older reviews and blog posts remember it at $0.99, $1.99 and $8, so the price has moved.

Does Magnet work on macOS Sequoia and Tahoe?

The listing says version 3.0.7 is optimised for macOS 15 Sequoia and supports macOS 13 and 14. It does not mention macOS 26 Tahoe. One independent tester used Magnet for three days on Tahoe without reporting a failure, but treat that as anecdotal.

Why did drag snapping stop working after I updated macOS?

The developer FAQ points to the Accessibility permission. Quit Magnet, remove it from the Accessibility list in System Settings, relaunch, and follow the prompt. Reviewers on the Mac App Store report that this restores drag snapping in about 30 seconds.

Is Magnet better than Rectangle?

Only for drag-zone polish and App Store delivery. Rectangle is free and open source, supports keyboard shortcuts and drag-to-edge snapping, and requires macOS 14 or later. Magnet needs macOS 13, which matters on slightly older Macs.

Can Magnet remember window layouts?

No. It snaps windows on demand and has a Restore command, but it does not save and recall multi-app layouts. For that, look at Rectangle Pro at $9.99 or Moom.

Does Magnet collect data?

The developer states it collects no personal data, and the App Store privacy label says Data Not Collected. Apple notes that the label is provided by the developer and not verified by Apple.

Does Magnet replace macOS built-in tiling?

It overlaps with it. Apple added edge tiling in macOS Sequoia in September 2024. Magnet adds thirds, two-thirds, custom grids and multi-display commands. If halves and quarters are enough, the built-in feature is free.

Update log

2026-10-18 Initial publication: verification review of Magnet 3.0.7 from listing data, developer screenshots and independent sources.

Magnet Review (2026): $4.99, 3.2 MB, Still Worth It?

How this review was built