Software Alternatives & Reviews

ckb-next VS Polychromatic

Compare ckb-next VS Polychromatic and see what are their differences

ckb-next logo ckb-next

ckb-next is an open-source driver for Corsair keyboards and mice.

Polychromatic logo Polychromatic

Graphical front end and tray applet for configuring Razer peripherals on GNU/Linux.
  • ckb-next Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-02
  • Polychromatic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14

ckb-next videos

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Polychromatic videos

Polychromatic Review | Show and Tell | Polychromatic Gameplay

More videos:

  • Review - Polychromatic Review
  • Review - Polychromatic Xbox One Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ckb-next and Polychromatic)
Gaming
69 69%
31% 31
Note Taking
69 69%
31% 31
Monitoring Tools
68 68%
32% 32
Automation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ckb-next should be more popular than Polychromatic. It has been mentiond 36 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ckb-next mentions (36)

  • Corsair requires the installation of iCue (1.1GB) in order to keep their keyboards running correctly.
    EDIT: Realized that one is unmaintainted, so here’s a maintained one: https://github.com/ckb-next/ckb-next. Source: 8 months ago
  • I haven't been fully indoctrinated yet, as my room still receives sunlight
    There is unofficial software written for Linux to interact with the corsair keyboards, like the k95. https://github.com/ckb-next/ckb-next. Source: 11 months ago
  • Why Use Linux?
    You can control corsair keyboard rgb with https://github.com/ckb-next/ckb-next. Works fine on my ancient strafe keyboard and the assorted corsair mice I've used. Source: about 1 year ago
  • My RAM light permanently not working now after running OpenRGB for 3 days on new PC Build
    Not sure. I use ckb-next which is for linux and only supports corsair devices as I have corsair ram and peripherals. I never really had any luck with openrgb tbh. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Gaming mouse software in kubuntu?
    Ckb-next is for Corsair devices, and mostly is for RGB, but does offer mouse button configuration. I use this one with my M65 Elite as it also configures DPI level settings and other items, as well as per-led lighting. Source: about 1 year ago
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Polychromatic mentions (4)

  • Hardware Brand
    I've tried multiple different brands of keyboards and mice and all of them worked well with Linux, often even if Linux wasn't advertised on the box (I wouldn't bet on that though). More well known brands have better support e.g. Razer has OpenRazer and Polychromatic. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Razer blackwidow keyboard backlights
    I re-installed open-razer on Ubuntu and also installed Polychromatic. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Work towards a standard appindicator protocol has started (with support from GNOME and KDE)
    Some apps are still using appindicator like Polychromatic (https://github.com/polychromatic/polychromatic) and it's a buggy mess. I hope this time they make something good and not something totally crap that is going to be a problem for the next few years that a new crew will have to fix. Source: over 2 years ago
  • DeathAdder Essential mouse: how to program buttons on Linux?
    I installed OpenRazer driver and Polychromatic. Also I see this maybe related issue. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ckb-next and Polychromatic, you can also consider the following products

OpenRGB - OpenRGB is an all-in-one network-based software development kit that allows you to use third-party software to control all of your RGB.

OpenRazer - An entirely open source driver and user-space daemon that allows you to manage your Razer peripherals on GNU/Linux.

Artemis RGB - An overview of the guides that'll teach you how to use Artemis

Razer Synapse - Razer Synapse is unified configuration software that allows users to rebind controls or assign...

iCUE - CORSAIR iCUE software connects all your CORSAIR iCUE compatible products together in a single...

Razer device configuration tool - Next generation Razer device configuration tool bringing the Razer gaming experience to the free...