Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Synergy VS bug.n

Compare Synergy VS bug.n and see what are their differences

Synergy logo Synergy

Cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers

bug.n logo bug.n

Provide views (i. e. virtual desktops) for showing only those windows, which you need to do your work..
  • Synergy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-05

Synergy is a software application developed by Symless. It is used for sharing a keyboard and mouse between multiple computers, and is useful in situations where several PCs are used together, with a monitor connected to each, but are to be controlled by one user. The user needs only one keyboard and mouse on the desk — similar to a KVM switch without the video.

Partly open source and partly closed source, the open source components are released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, which is free software. The first version of Synergy was created on May 13, 2001, by Chris Schoeneman and worked with the X Window System only. Synergy now supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like operating systems.

Once the program is installed, users can move the mouse "off" the side of their desktop on one computer, and the mouse pointer will appear on the desktop of another computer. Key presses will be delivered to whichever computer the mouse-pointer is located in. This makes it possible to control several machines as easily as if they were a single multi-monitor computer. The clipboard and even screensavers can be synchronized.

The program is implemented as a server which defines which screen-edges lead to which machines, and one or more clients, which connect to the server to offer the use of their desktops. The keyboard and mouse are connected to the server machine.

  • bug.n Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-04

Synergy videos

Review - Synergy by Symless - Multi Machine Network Control Software

More videos:

  • Review - Symless Synergy Review - Mac (Keyboard & Mouse Sharing)

bug.n videos

Bug.n: Dynamic Tiling Window Manager for Windows 10

More videos:

  • Review - Bug.n : Install, configuration, status bar, settings :☜(゚ヮ゚☜)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Synergy and bug.n)
Mouse Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Image Optimisation
0 0%
100% 100
Remote PC Access
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Synergy and bug.n

Synergy Reviews

Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
Synergy is yet another software that lets you work on separate computers with the same input devices. It helps you save all the clutter caused by the cables of a traditional KVM. What’s more, it works even when the computers are working on separate operating systems. This feature makes it stand out from Spacedesk. For Synergy to function, you’ll need the systems to run on...

bug.n Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Synergy seems to be a lot more popular than bug.n. While we know about 281 links to Synergy, we've tracked only 9 mentions of bug.n. 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.

Synergy mentions (281)

  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    I use a software called Synergy. https://symless.com/synergy I have one keyboard and mouse connected to one "host" machine, and two machines connected as clients. Sometimes if the host machine bogs a bit (like running a build or something) then the clients will have some latency but I've used this setup for gaming and work for two years and it's been pretty good. My only complaint (about my personal setup, not the... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    I’ve been using a software solution for this for over a decade. It’s called Synergy (https://symless.com/synergy) and it is fast - switches instantly over wifi and also works across Windows/Mac/Linux. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    Synergy works well for this purely in software. Unfortunately it's not free or open source, but it's relatively inexpensive. https://symless.com/synergy. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Help me create a seamless LAN with a WAP on the end of a switch
    I want to be able to do things like Synergy, Steam Link, Unified Remote, and Media Servers between any of these devices, with as little added latency as possible (especially important for steam link). Source: 6 months ago
  • Linux VNC viewer not displaying MacOS with multiple desktops (single monitor)
    i've got several fedora linux machines running and sharing their monitors via synergy (https://symless.com/synergy) , all controlled by the keyboard/mouse on the primary synergy server. Source: 7 months ago
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bug.n mentions (9)

  • Somehow AutoHotKey is kinda good now
    There is even a dwm-style extremely comprehensive tiling window manager called bug.n [1], which I downloaded it way back in windows 8 days. Made a lot of changes myself and plan to open source it as a fork. Its too good. And combined with the rest of my AHK scripts, my windows setup turns out to be even more customised than many Linux systems I use. See my post of my windows setup fooling r/unixporn [2] for how it... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • [Windows] Bester gekachelter Fenstermanager für Windows?
    Bug.n — Amongst other flavours is a dynamic, tiling window manager, which tries to clone the functionality of dwm. Source: about 1 year ago
  • is there any software that lets me open a scpecific number of programs in specific places on my screen?
    Another comment mentioned what you're looking for is a window manager: another for windows is bug.n. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How do you manage your git commits?
    So when I said "window manager based Linux" I was mostly referring to the stereotypes of the Linux window manager; which 1 person not even having a mouse; staring apps; moving windows doing everything with their keyboard. If you wanna look a bit more into window managers for windows the only "okay" one that I've personally used is bug.n and for Linux there's tons; but my personal fav is I3. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: AutoHotkey for Linux
    You can implement the wm manager of your dreams in ahk ... In like 500 lines. it's amazing stuff. You can also go all out: https://github.com/fuhsjr00/bug.n. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Synergy and bug.n, you can also consider the following products

Barrier - Barrier is a cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers...

VirtuaWin - VirtuaWin is a virtual desktop manager for the Windows operating system (Win9x/ME/NT/Win2K/XP/Win2003/Vista/Win7/Win10). A virtual desktop manager lets you organize applications over several virtual desktops (also called 'workspaces').

Input Director - Control multiple windows systems with one keyboard/mouse. Share a keyboard and mouse across multiple windows system.

Cairo Shell - Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows.

ShareMouse - With its easy setup and high level of versatility, ShareMouse is a great tool if you're looking to use a single mouse and keyboard across multiple computers.

Dexpot - If you don't have Dexpot yet, the new update makes it a must-have tool for Windows, adding a ton of features to your desktop that you never knew you wanted.