The short answer. Start from the symptom, not the tool. If the Magic Mouse scrolls when you click it, CalmMouse. If scrolling direction is wrong per device but right on the trackpad, Mos. If you want buttons and gestures on a third-party mouse, BetterMouse or SteerMouse. If you want one tool for trackpad, mouse and keyboard together, BetterTouchTool. If the pointer itself accelerates badly, CursorSense. Everything here changes one behaviour, so pick the behaviour you have.

This guide covers 12 mouse and trackpad utilities for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.

Quick comparison

App What it is Pricing Licence Version
BetterMouse input device utility not published not published 1.7
BetterTouchTool input device utility not published not published 6.885
CalmMouse input device utility Open source MIT 1.0.0
CapsLockNoDelay input device utility Open source MIT 1.0.8
CursorSense input device utility not published not published 2.5
Linear Mouse Mac utility Open source MIT 0.12.0
Mac Mouse Fix Mac utility Open source free 3.1.0
MiddleDrag system tool Open source MIT 1.4.3
Mos Mac utility Open source not published 4.2.1
SensibleSideButtons Mac utility Open source GPL-2.0 1.0.7
SteerMouse system tool not published not published 5.8
StrokeMouse Mac utility Open source AGPL-3.0 0.0.30

What actually decides this

  • What the tool actually overrides. Some replace a macOS driver, some sit beside it. That difference decides whether the change survives a reboot, whether it applies to every app, and what happens when it crashes.
  • Per-device or global. The most common complaint is that a fix for a mouse breaks the trackpad. Tools that scope a setting per device avoid this; tools that set it globally do not.
  • Buttons versus gestures. Button remapping is a lookup table and is reliable. Gesture recognition is inference and will occasionally fire when you did not mean it. Prefer the boring one unless you need the gesture.
  • What it costs when it stops working. An input tool that fails takes your pointer with it. Anything that replaces a driver deserves more suspicion than anything that only reads events.

Our picks

  • CalmMouse — That is the single specific fault it addresses, and it is common enough that a whole utility exists for it. Choose it when the Magic Mouse scrolls the page every time you click it.
  • Mos — Its record covers smooth scrolling and per-device direction, which is the split macOS does not offer. Choose it when you want smooth scrolling and separate direction settings for the mouse and the trackpad.
  • BetterMouse — It targets exactly the devices macOS handles worst, which is why a dedicated tool exists for them. Choose it when you have a third-party mouse and want its scrolling, acceleration, buttons and gestures under control.
  • BetterTouchTool — Its scope spans all three input types, so a gesture bound here works whichever device you happen to be using. Choose it when you want one configuration surface for trackpad, mouse and keyboard rather than three tools.
  • CursorSense — It is a driver-level tool for the acceleration curve, which is a different layer from the rest of this group. Choose it when the complaint is about pointer acceleration rather than buttons.

The apps

BetterMouse

BetterMouse is an input device utility for macOS. Customize scrolling, acceleration, buttons, and gestures for third-party mice. Its pricing is not published.

What it does. Comprehensive mouse utility for macOS.

BetterMouse is listed with current version 1.7.

Full profile and verified facts for BetterMouse →

BetterTouchTool

BetterTouchTool is an input device utility for macOS. Customize gestures, shortcuts, and input actions across trackpads, mice, and keyboards. Its pricing is not published.

What it does. BetterTouchTool — customize trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, the menu bar and more on your Mac.

BetterTouchTool is listed with current version 6.885.

Full profile and verified facts for BetterTouchTool →

CalmMouse

CalmMouse is an input device utility for macOS. Stop the Magic Mouse scrolling the page every time you click. It is released under MIT.

What it does. Magic Mouse fixes for macOS. Free and open source.

CalmMouse is listed with current version 1.0.0.

Full profile and verified facts for CalmMouse →

CapsLockNoDelay

CapsLockNoDelay is an input device utility for macOS. Removes caps-lock key activation delay for fast typers. It is released under MIT.

What it does. Eliminates delay when activating caps lock on macOS OSX.

CapsLockNoDelay is listed with current version 1.0.8.

Full profile and verified facts for CapsLockNoDelay →

CursorSense

CursorSense is an input device utility for macOS. Mouse & trackpad driver that lets you tweak the acceleration curve and more. Its pricing is not published.

CursorSense is listed with current version 2.5.

Full profile and verified facts for CursorSense →

Linear Mouse

Linear Mouse is a Mac utility for macOS. Full control of mouse. Change the speed, scrolling direction, pointer type and much more. It is released under MIT.

What it does. Customize scrolling direction, pointer acceleration, pointer speed, and more for your mouse and trackpad.

Linear Mouse is listed with current version 0.12.0.

Full profile and verified facts for Linear Mouse →

Mac Mouse Fix

Mac Mouse Fix is a Mac utility for macOS. A simple way to make your mouse better. It is released under free.

What it does. Make Your $10 Mouse Better Than an Apple Trackpad.

Mac Mouse Fix is listed with current version 3.1.0.

Full profile and verified facts for Mac Mouse Fix →

MiddleDrag

MiddleDrag is a system tool for macOS. Three-finger trackpad gestures for middle-click and middle-drag on macOS. It is released under MIT.

What it does. Three-finger tap → Middle mouse click. Three-finger drag → Middle mouse drag (pan/orbit in 3D apps). Works with system gestures — Mission Control, Exposé, and other macOS gestures remain functional. Native macOS app — Menu bar interface, no terminal configuration required.

MiddleDrag is listed with current version 1.4.3.

Full profile and verified facts for MiddleDrag →

Mos

Mos is a Mac utility for macOS. Simple tool can offer the smooth scrolling and reverse the mouse scrolling direction on your Mac. It is open source.

What it does. Mos is a free macOS utility that makes mouse wheel scrolling smooth, with per-app settings, independent axis tuning, and button/shortcut bindings.

Mos is listed with current version 4.2.1.

Full profile and verified facts for Mos →

SensibleSideButtons

SensibleSideButtons is a Mac utility for macOS. Make mouse side buttons work for back and forward in more apps. It is released under GPL-2.0.

What it does. Fix the side buttons on your third-party mice in macOS.

SensibleSideButtons is listed with current version 1.0.7.

Full profile and verified facts for SensibleSideButtons →

SteerMouse

SteerMouse is a system tool for macOS. Customize mouse buttons, wheel behavior, and cursor speed. Its pricing is not published.

SteerMouse is listed with current version 5.8.

Full profile and verified facts for SteerMouse →

StrokeMouse

StrokeMouse is a Mac utility for macOS. Custom mouse gestures that can trigger keyboard shortcuts, open apps, perform window actions, run shell commands, or execute AppleScript after drawing a stroke. It is released under AGPL-3.0.

What it does. Mouse drawing: each gesture can independently use the right, middle, or a side button; only buttons referenced by enabled profiles are monitored. App scope: global, or pick apps by icon from installed applications (search / browse .app).

StrokeMouse is listed with current version 0.0.30.

Full profile and verified facts for StrokeMouse →

How to choose

Open source: CalmMouse, CapsLockNoDelay, Linear Mouse, Mac Mouse Fix, MiddleDrag, Mos, SensibleSideButtons and StrokeMouse (8 of 12).

Common mistakes

  • Installing three input tools at once. They fight over the same events and the symptom gets worse, not better.
  • Fixing a hardware fault in software. A mouse that double-clicks because the switch is worn will not be helped by any of this.
  • Setting a global scroll direction and then blaming the tool when the trackpad feels wrong.
  • Expecting a gesture tool to work in every app. Apps that implement their own gesture handling can bypass it entirely.

How this guide was put together

Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.

A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.

The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose between these mouse and trackpad utilities?

There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 12 mouse and trackpad utilities: BetterMouse, BetterTouchTool, CalmMouse, CapsLockNoDelay, CursorSense, Linear Mouse, Mac Mouse Fix, MiddleDrag, Mos, SensibleSideButtons, SteerMouse and StrokeMouse. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.

Are these mouse and trackpad utilities free?

Pricing across this group: not published (BetterMouse, BetterTouchTool, CursorSense and SteerMouse) and open source (CalmMouse, CapsLockNoDelay, Linear Mouse, Mac Mouse Fix, MiddleDrag, Mos, SensibleSideButtons and StrokeMouse). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.

Which of these mouse and trackpad utilities are open source?

CalmMouse (MIT), CapsLockNoDelay (MIT), Linear Mouse (MIT), Mac Mouse Fix (free), MiddleDrag (MIT), Mos (not published), SensibleSideButtons (GPL-2.0) and StrokeMouse (AGPL-3.0) are open source.

Do these mouse and trackpad utilities support Apple Silicon?

Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.

How do I choose between them?

Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.