Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Karabiner VS SteerMouse

Compare Karabiner VS SteerMouse and see what are their differences

Karabiner logo Karabiner

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

SteerMouse logo SteerMouse

Advanced driver for USB and Bluetooth mouses.
  • Karabiner Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06
  • SteerMouse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-10

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.

SteerMouse features and specs

  • Customizability
    SteerMouse allows users to customize the functions of each button on a wide range of mice, offering versatile control options.
  • Precision
    It enables users to fine-tune the cursorโ€™s sensitivity and acceleration, allowing for better control over cursor movement.
  • Multi-device Support
    SteerMouse supports a variety of mouse models from different brands, making it a highly versatile tool for users with different types of mice.
  • Macros
    The software allows users to create and assign macros to mouse buttons, enabling complex actions with a single click.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly, making it easy to set up and configure, even for those who might not be tech-savvy.

Possible disadvantages of SteerMouse

  • Price
    SteerMouse is a paid application, and some users might find it expensive compared to free alternatives.
  • Limited to Mac
    The software is only available for macOS, limiting its user base to those who use Apple computers.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Although it supports a wide range of mice, not all models might be compatible, potentially causing issues for certain users.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, the depth of customization might be overwhelming for new users, leading to a moderate learning curve.
  • System Resources
    Running SteerMouse in the background can consume system resources, potentially affecting performance on less powerful machines.

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 SteerMouse

Overall verdict

  • SteerMouse is considered a good choice for users who want enhanced control over their mouse settings on macOS. Its robust set of features and regular updates make it a reliable and valuable tool for improving productivity and user experience.

Why this product is good

  • SteerMouse is highly regarded for its powerful customization features that allow users to tailor their mouse settings beyond the limitations of standard drivers. It is particularly praised for its ability to assign different functions to mouse buttons, create custom acceleration curves, and support a wide range of mice, catering to both casual and professional users who require precise control and functionality.

Recommended for

  • Graphic designers and digital artists who need precise control over their mouse movements.
  • Gamers looking for customizable button assignments and sensitivity settings for an improved gaming experience.
  • Users who have multiple or non-standard mice that need specialized settings not offered by default macOS drivers.

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

SteerMouse videos

SteerMouse - Mouse Chording on Mac

More videos:

  • Review - Bind Mouse Button to Key Sequence Based on Active App (Mac) - SteerMouse
  • Review - Bind Mouse Buttons to Keyboard Shortcut Based on Active App (Mac) - SteerMouse

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Karabiner and SteerMouse)
Automation
64 64%
36% 36
Note Taking
44 44%
56% 56
Window Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Game Reviews
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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

Based on our record, Karabiner should be more popular than SteerMouse. It has been mentiond 274 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.

Karabiner mentions (274)

  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (July 2025)
    Hey! These kinds of keyboard related things are well solved by Karabiner elements: https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/ There you can map (whatever key) to (whatever other key). E.g. I have right command mapped to F20, available to all other apps . - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • 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 / 5 months ago
  • Recommended Software for Mac that You cannot Miss
    This software is free and can be downloaded from the official website; itโ€™s also open-source, so you can find it on GitHub Releases. - Source: dev.to / 12 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 / over 1 year 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 / over 1 year ago
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SteerMouse mentions (54)

  • Building the Mouse Logitech Won't Make
    Shout out for SteerMouse! https://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/ It's a kind of magical mouse driver that supports nearly every USB mouse made, including _all_ the quirky little buttons and extra functions. As the author said, it's ultra-light-weight, native Mac UI (none of that weird chrome slop that companies like Razer insist upon using). I use mine with a funky Razer "MMO" mouse that has a funny numeric keypad on... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Solaar is a Linux manager for many Logitech keyboards, mice, and other devices
    Just switched from logi options to Steer Mouse myself. You can map the buttons and add chords. The only thing it might lack is being able to use mouse movement as a trigger (eg hold the back button and move left to change spaces). Still looking for it https://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • An Open Source Mouse and Trackpad Utility for Mac
    Iโ€™m eager to try this out, but you might also want to check out Steermouse[1], which is a utility it took me years longer to discover than it should have. Iโ€™m not sure how it stacks up to this open source project, but itโ€™s definitely been worth the license cost to me over the years. [1] https://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • [Rant] My Search for the One Mouse to rule them all - on Mac
    There are 3rd party apps like Steer Mouse that let you re-assign buttons/shortcuts on a Mac, but I havenโ€™t used them in a long while, so canโ€™t really speak to compatibility. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Tip for mx mouse side buttons
    Will I use steermouse to configure the mouse. But didnโ€™t put any specific configuration for arc. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Mac Mouse Fix - A simple way to make your 3rd party mouse better.

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

X-Mouse Button Control - XMouse Button Control (XMBC) allows you to create application and window specific profiles.

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

Caldis MOS - A little job for your mouse.