dockpicks

Keyboard and mouse

Remap keys, fix mouse scrolling and add buttons and gestures.

7 apps, listed best first · prices checked October 2026

  1. Mac Mouse Fix

    $2.99

    Smooth scrolling and trackpad-style gestures for any mouse

    Adds smooth scrolling, independent scroll direction and trackpad-like gestures to third-party mice. Hold a button and move to trigger Mission Control, switch desktops, go back and forward, or zoom.

    Our take The first thing to install if you plug a regular mouse into a Mac: cheap, simple and well maintained. Full gesture support needs a mouse with at least five buttons, and the Apple Magic Mouse is not supported.

    $2.99 one-time as of Oct 2026by Noah Nuebling

    Website

  2. Karabiner-Elements

    FreeOpen source

    Powerful free keyboard remapper for macOS

    A keyboard customizer that handles simple key-to-key remaps in a GUI and complex rules, such as Vi or Emacs bindings and mouse keys, through JSON. Community rules can be imported from the web.

    Our take The standard tool for serious keyboard remapping, such as a Hyper key or app-specific shortcuts. Complex rules mean editing JSON or importing someone else's, so it is overkill if you only want to swap Caps Lock, which System Settings can already do.

    FreeUnlicense licence

    Website Source

  3. BetterTouchTool

    $15

    Custom gestures, mouse buttons and shortcuts for everything

    Lets you map trackpad and Magic Mouse gestures, mouse button combinations, key sequences and a Hyper key to actions, and chain actions into automations. It also includes window snapping and menu bar customization.

    Our take The most flexible option if you want to control nearly everything with gestures or shortcuts, and it works with Apple's own trackpad and Magic Mouse. The sheer number of options takes time to set up.

    $15 (2 years of updates) or $25 lifetime as of Oct 2026by folivora.AI

    Website

  4. LinearMouse

    FreeOpen source

    Free per-device mouse and trackpad tuning

    Sets scroll direction, pointer speed and acceleration separately for each device, app or display, and maps mouse buttons to shortcuts, media keys or Mission Control.

    Our take A great free choice if you want natural scrolling on the trackpad but not on the mouse, or want to turn off pointer acceleration. It has fewer gesture features than Mac Mouse Fix.

    FreeMIT licence

    Website Source

  5. SteerMouse

    $19.99

    Deep button, wheel and cursor customization for USB and Bluetooth mice

    Assigns up to 24 functions per mouse button, including chords, keyboard shortcuts and app switching, with per-app settings and fine control of cursor speed and scroll acceleration.

    Our take A long-running replacement for mouse vendors' own driver software, good for multi-button gaming or productivity mice. It does not support the Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.

    US$19.99 one-time as of Oct 2026

    Website

  6. Scroll Reverser

    FreeOpen source

    Separate scroll direction for mouse and trackpad

    Sets vertical and horizontal scroll direction independently for each trackpad and mouse, and can replace wheel acceleration with a fixed step per click.

    Our take Does one job well and needs only Accessibility permission. Pick it if scroll direction is your only complaint; otherwise LinearMouse or Mac Mouse Fix cover this and more.

    FreeApache-2.0 licence

    Website Source

  7. Mos

    Free

    Free menu bar app for smooth mouse wheel scrolling

    Makes mouse wheel scrolling smooth with tunable curves, per-app profiles, separate X and Y axis settings and reverse options. It can also bind mouse buttons to quick actions.

    Our take A lightweight free fix if wheel scrolling on your mouse feels jerky. Its source licence forbids commercial use, so it is source-available rather than open source.

    Freeby Caldis

    Website
Compare all 7 side by side
AppPriceModelOpen sourceApp Store
Mac Mouse Fix $2.99 Paid – –
Karabiner-Elements Free Free Unlicense –
BetterTouchTool $15 Paid – –
LinearMouse Free Free MIT –
SteerMouse $19.99 Paid – –
Scroll Reverser Free Free Apache-2.0 –
Mos Free Free – –

Not sure which keyboard or mouse tool to pick?

Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI assistant that can open links. It reads the list, asks about your Mac and budget, and suggests a short list.

Help me choose the right keyboard or mouse tool for my Mac. Read https://dockpicks.com/keyboard-mouse/ and its plain-text version, https://dockpicks.com/keyboard-mouse.md. Ask me which Mac I have, what I use it for and my budget, then recommend a short list from that page with the free and paid trade-offs, and say if the tool built into macOS is enough.

Or open it in ChatGPTPerplexity