Gestures beyond snapping
Swish covers more than placement: pinch in to close a window, swipe down to minimise it, pinch out for full screen, and drag the divider between windows to resize several at once.
Swish alternative for Mac: Tangrid vs Swish
Swish is a Mac app that manages windows with gestures, including snapping one by swiping its title bar instead of dragging it to a screen edge. Tangrid is a macOS window manager that places windows as well, and also keeps a layout arranged and helps you find a window again. Swish is the better fit when gestures are how you want to work.
In short
- Best at
- Swish is best at gestures. It publishes around 30 window, Dock, and menu bar gestures for the Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, and its snapping works on a 2x2, 3x2, or 3x3 grid.
- Tangrid adds
- Tangrid adds Auto Flow automatic layouts, Tab Grouping, Window Switcher with vertical search, Dock Preview, Workspaces, and a Space Indicator.
- The deciding question
- Do you want gestures to drive everything, or do you want a window manager that also keeps the desktop arranged and searchable?
Module by module
Both products place windows and move them between screens, so the table compares those two modules.
| Module | Swish | Tangrid |
|---|---|---|
| Window snapping | Yes Swipe a window's title bar to snap it, or use the arrow keys, WASD, or a trackpad gesture on a 2x2, 3x2, or 3x3 grid. | Yes Snap Assistant places a window in any of 18 positions on a 3x6 grid, fills the screen, and supports modifier-based moving and resizing. |
| Desktops and displays | Yes A swipe moves a window to another screen based on where that screen sits physically, and Swish also provides gestures for working with Spaces. | Yes Tangrid moves a window between desktops and displays, and the Space Indicator shows which desktop is currently active. |
Where Tangrid goes further
Tangrid covers these modules too.
Layout that maintains itself
Auto Flow arranges managed windows into layouts with split or tab priority, and Tab Grouping keeps related windows in one tabbed slot inside that layout.
Finding a window by name
Window Switcher lists every window or only those of the current app, with previews and vertical search by window title or app name. Dock Preview shows an app's windows when you hover its Dock icon.
Which one to choose
Choose Swish if
- You want window management to run on trackpad and mouse gestures rather than on screen edges.
- You want gestures for closing, minimising, and going full screen as well as for snapping.
- You prefer a tool that the vendor says needs no configuration, with a tutorial built in.
Choose Tangrid if
- You want a layout that keeps holding as windows open and close.
- You want to place windows from the keyboard, or on a Mac without a trackpad.
- You want tab grouping, window search, Dock previews, and saved layouts as well.
Frequently asked questions
What hardware does Swish need?
Swish supports the Magic Trackpad and the Magic Mouse, and it also offers keyboard shortcuts. The vendor describes the Magic Trackpad as its primary target, so the gesture-driven parts of the app are designed around that hardware.
How is Swish different from Magnet or Rectangle?
The difference is the input. Swish snaps a window by swiping its title bar or using a gesture instead of dragging it to a screen edge, and it also covers minimising, closing, going full screen, and moving a window to another screen.
Does Swish tile windows automatically?
No. Every Swish action happens when you perform a gesture or press a shortcut. Keeping managed windows arranged as the desktop changes is the job of Tangrid's Auto Flow mode.
What does Tangrid do that Swish does not?
Tangrid adds Auto Flow automatic layouts, Tab Grouping, Window Switcher with vertical search, Dock Preview, Workspaces, and a Space Indicator. Swish covers gesture-driven snapping, window actions, and moving windows between screens.