Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Karabiner VS altdrag

Compare Karabiner VS altdrag and see what are their differences

Karabiner logo Karabiner

Karabiner, previously called KeyRemap4MacBook, is a very powerful keyboard remapper for Mac OS X.

altdrag logo altdrag

AltDrag allows you to move and resize windows much easier.
  • Karabiner Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06
  • altdrag Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02

Karabiner features and specs

  • Customizability
    Karabiner-Elements allows users to remap keys and create complex keyboard configurations that can greatly enhance productivity and convenience.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, Karabiner-Elements is free to use and comes with the potential for community contributions and transparency in development.
  • Flexibility
    The tool supports a wide range of devices and configurations, making it adaptable to various user needs and setups.
  • Ease of Use
    The user interface is designed to be intuitive, allowing both novice and experienced users to easily configure and remap their keyboards.
  • Regular Updates
    The tool is actively maintained with regular updates, ensuring compatibility with the latest macOS versions and adding new features.

Possible disadvantages of Karabiner

  • Compatibility Issues
    Some users may experience compatibility issues with certain applications or hardware, potentially causing unexpected behavior.
  • Learning Curve
    Although the interface is intuitive, mastering its full range of features, especially for complex configurations, can require a steep learning curve.
  • System Performance
    On occasion, Karabiner-Elements may consume significant system resources, which could impact overall system performance.
  • Limited Platform Support
    As of now, Karabiner-Elements only supports macOS, limiting its utility for users on other operating systems such as Windows or Linux.
  • Potential for Errors
    Incorrect configuration or updates may lead to errors in key mappings, which can disrupt the user experience until resolved.

altdrag features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    AltDrag allows users to move and resize windows simply by holding down the Alt key and clicking, which can significantly streamline window management.
  • Customization
    The software offers various customization options, allowing users to adjust the behavior and appearance of the application to fit their personal preferences.
  • Lightweight
    AltDrag is a lightweight tool that doesn't consume significant system resources, ensuring that it doesn't slow down the computer.
  • Free and Open Source
    AltDrag is free to use and open-source, which means users can inspect the source code, contribute to its development, or modify it to suit their needs.
  • Compatibility
    The application is compatible with various versions of Windows, making it accessible to a broad user base.

Possible disadvantages of altdrag

  • Limited Platform Support
    AltDrag is only available for Windows, which means users on macOS or Linux will not be able to use it.
  • Learning Curve
    Some users might experience a learning curve initially as they get accustomed to the new window management shortcuts.
  • Potential Conflicts
    There could be conflicts with other applications or system shortcuts that also use the Alt key, requiring users to adjust settings to avoid clashes.
  • Limited Updates
    As an open-source project, the frequency of updates and new features may be slower compared to commercial software.
  • Basic Functionality
    AltDrag focuses mainly on window management and might not offer additional productivity features that more comprehensive software solutions provide.

Analysis of Karabiner

Overall verdict

  • Karabiner-Elements is considered a good tool for macOS users seeking to customize their keyboard. Its reliability, versatility, and active community support make it a valuable addition to any power user's toolkit.

Why this product is good

  • Karabiner-Elements is highly regarded for its ability to customize and remap keyboard keys on macOS. It offers a powerful and flexible suite of features that allow users to tailor their keyboard setup to their specific needs, enhancing productivity and ergonomics. With an intuitive interface and extensive documentation, both novice and advanced users can benefit from its functionality.

Recommended for

  • Developers who need custom keyboard shortcuts.
  • Mac users experiencing discomfort with standard keyboard layouts.
  • Professionals requiring specific keybindings for software applications.
  • Users transitioning from Windows or Linux who want to emulate key behaviors from those systems.

Analysis of altdrag

Overall verdict

  • AltDrag is generally well-regarded by its users for its simplicity and effectiveness in improving window management. It is considered a good tool for users who prefer keyboard and mouse shortcuts over the default Windows methods. The open-source nature of the tool is an added advantage for those who appreciate transparency and customizability.

Why this product is good

  • AltDrag is a useful utility for Windows that enhances window management. It allows users to easily move and resize windows using the Alt key and mouse, which can significantly improve workflow efficiency. The application is lightweight, customizable, and runs in the background without consuming significant system resources.

Recommended for

    AltDrag is recommended for users who work extensively with multiple windows and seek a more fluid way to manage them. It's particularly useful for power users, developers, designers, and anyone who values productivity-enhancing tools on their Windows system.

Karabiner videos

REVIEW: Should you play the Vetterli 71 Karabiner? [Hunt Gun Review #1]

More videos:

  • Review - Vim screencast #59: Karabiner Elements
  • Review - Evolution of the Karabiner 98k, From Prewar to Kriegsmodell

altdrag videos

Alt + Drag Anywhere Inside a Window to Move or Resize (Windows)-AltDrag

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Karabiner and altdrag)
Automation
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
61 61%
39% 39
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
OSX Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Karabiner and altdrag. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Karabiner seems to be a lot more popular than altdrag. While we know about 273 links to Karabiner, we've tracked only 20 mentions of altdrag. 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.

Karabiner mentions (273)

  • Ergonomic Mac Keyboard Setup
    I use Karabiner as the driver for keyboard customizations. Karabiner intercepts hardware keystrokes and sends keystrokes to the computer allowing me to configure Karabiner to have a flexible setup and map key(s) presses to other keys(s) or commands. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Recommended Software for Mac that You cannot Miss
    This software is free and can be downloaded from the official website; it’s also open-source, so you can find it on GitHub Releases. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: What macOS apps/programs do you use daily and recommend?
    Besides the usual Firefox/Chrome, Spotify, etc I use the following: - Karabiner-Elements for key remapping, specifically, for making caps lock into ctrl/esc. I don't know of anything else that does this job. Everyone who remaps keys seems to use this. - Kitty as my terminal of choice. I spend most of my time logged in remotely to a server via ssh where I attach to a tmux session. Kitty was easy enough to... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Ask HN: What macOS apps/programs do you use daily and recommend?
    If I had to recommend 1 app/script that I use daily: https://github.com/banga/git-split-diffs) to disable things like "Apple + Q" -> nothing worse than going to close a single tab and then your whole app quits. Also able to re-map caps-lock into escape, ect `iterm2` for terminal (colored tabs are great; albeit I disable the hell out of many of the options like "clickable urls" ect) for cli, I try to gnu... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Ask HN: What if we wrote HTML with [brackets][/brackets]?
    I have been using Karabiner elements (https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org), they allow keyboard customization, I have switched the colon and semicolon key, by default without pressing shift, the key will output colon (:) , I find this useful as I type lot of colon daily. Maybe you can use this software to set "<" and ">" to be the default text output without using Shift. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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altdrag mentions (20)

  • How do i toggle full screen
    Not the best solution, but this handy utility worked for me for clicking unreachable buttons. https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • My company forces me to use Cringedows, what can I do to suffer less?
    • If you like the win+mouse way to move/resize windows, you can also install alt drag. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What do you guys use for tiling?
    I actually stopped using tiling since I discovered altdrag. For me its usually faster to move/resize my windows to current prefered size/location than to find a perfect tiling setup that works for every situation. https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Alternative Launcher Beginner Questions
    My preferred solution to point two is using AltDrag, which lets you quickly and easily reposition windows by holding Alt. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Edge – Closing a 30 pixel gap between native and web
    Yep, I find it pretty funny that my #1 favorite desktop UI feature is from Linux. One of the first things I'll put on a fresh install of Windows or MacOS is a utility that re-creates the behavior. I use AltDrag on Windows (requires a quick tweak for HiDPI): https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/ And Easy Move + Resize on MacOS: https://github.com/dmarcotte/easy-move-resize. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Karabiner and altdrag, you can also consider the following products

BTT Remote - A remote control for you Mac, using your iPhone or iPad

AquaSnap - Too many windows on your screen? Stop wasting your productivity.

Rectangle - Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.

SteerMouse - Advanced driver for USB and Bluetooth mouses.

WindowGrid - Quickly and easily layout windows on a dynamic grid using just the mouse.

SharpKeys - SharpKeys is a utility that manages a Registry key that allows Windows to remap one key to any...