Rectangle vs Ikuna: What’s the Difference Between Window Management and Context Management?
Rectangle is one of the best window managers on Mac, but window management and context management are not the same thing. If you're using Rectangle and still feeling scattered when switching between projects, that's the gap: Rectangle arranges your windows, but it doesn't know what those windows are for.
A context manager like Ikuna saves your complete project environment: the specific apps, browser tabs, window positions, and Focus Mode settings for each project. It restores everything in a single action when you switch. Rectangle snaps a window to the left half of your screen. Ikuna remembers that Project A needs Figma, Chrome with three specific tabs, and Slack in a side panel, and brings all of it back exactly as you left it.
The scattered feeling isn't a window layout problem. It's a context-switching problem.
What Does Rectangle Actually Do?
Rectangle is a keyboard-driven window manager. It's fast, free, and genuinely excellent at its job: snap, resize, and tile windows using shortcuts or drag gestures.
But there's a hard boundary to what it does.
Rectangle has no concept of a project. It doesn't remember which apps belong to which client. It doesn't track your browser tabs. It doesn't know that when you switch from writing mode to client review mode, you need a completely different set of tools open.
Every time you switch projects, you start from scratch: opening apps, hunting for browser tabs, repositioning windows. That overhead isn't incidental. It's the source of the scattered feeling.
What Does Context Switching Actually Cost?
Research from Gloria Mark at UC Irvine found it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain focus after an interruption. Manual workspace reconstruction is a slower version of this: you're not disrupted by a notification, but you're still spending cognitive budget rebuilding your environment before the actual work begins.
For knowledge workers managing 3–5 projects simultaneously, this compounds quickly. Spend 10–15 minutes rebuilding your workspace four times a day and that's close to an hour of setup disguised as productivity.
What Is a Context Manager?
A context manager is a macOS tool that saves and restores your complete work environment, including open applications, browser tabs, window positions, and system settings, per project.
Unlike window managers, context managers understand the concept of a project context. You save a snapshot once. From that point forward, switching between projects is a single action, not a 10-minute manual rebuild.
Ikuna is a context manager built specifically for this problem. It works alongside macOS to save full project states and restore them on demand.
Rectangle vs. Ikuna: What Does Each One Actually Solve?
| Capability | Rectangle | Ikuna Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Snap and tile windows via shortcuts | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Remember apps per project | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Restore browser tabs per project | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Activate Focus Mode per project | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rebuild workspace after switching | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Works across Spaces | Partial | Yes |
| Preserve full state when switching | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
Rectangle wins on in-session window control. Ikuna wins on project-level context switching.
How Does Ikuna Work?
The setup takes a few minutes and pays off every time you switch projects.
Create a context. Name it for the project or client ("Client A," "Deep Writing," "Admin").
Open your tools. Apps, browser tabs, window positions, Focus Mode. Set everything up exactly how you work.
Save the context. Ikuna takes a full snapshot of the environment.
Switch. When you move to another project, Ikuna closes what doesn't belong and restores exactly what does. Your previous context is saved and waiting.
The distinction from Rectangle: you're not rearranging windows. You're moving between complete, pre-configured work states.
Do You Have to Choose Between Rectangle and Ikuna?
No. They operate at different layers and don't conflict.
Rectangle handles in-session window control: quick snapping and resizing within a project. Ikuna handles the bigger move, switching between completely different project environments. Many users run both. Rectangle for rapid window positioning inside a context. Ikuna for moving between contexts.
Think of Rectangle as the tool that arranges your furniture. Ikuna is the system that decides which room you're working in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I still feel scattered when using Rectangle?
Because Rectangle arranges your windows but has no concept of what they're for. Every project switch starts from scratch. A context manager like Ikuna saves the full state (apps, tabs, layout, Focus Mode) and restores it in one action.
Does Ikuna restore browser tabs?
Yes. Ikuna saves and restores browser tabs as part of each project context. This is the main gap in window-management-only tools: they handle position, not content.
Can I use Rectangle and Ikuna at the same time?
Yes. They solve different problems and operate at different levels. Rectangle for in-session window positioning, Ikuna for switching between complete project environments. They don't conflict.
What happens to my current workspace when I switch contexts in Ikuna?
Ikuna saves your current state before switching. Nothing is lost. Your current project is preserved and can be restored when you come back.
Is Ikuna free?
Ikuna offers a free tier. Paid plans start at approximately $9.99/month and unlock additional context slots and full workspace restore features.
