Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Synergy VS John's Background Switcher

Compare Synergy VS John's Background Switcher and see what are their differences

Synergy logo Synergy

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

John's Background Switcher logo John's Background Switcher

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  • 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.

  • John's Background Switcher Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-01

Synergy videos

Review - Synergy by Symless - Multi Machine Network Control Software

More videos:

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

John's Background Switcher videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Synergy and John's Background Switcher)
Mouse Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Wallpapers
0 0%
100% 100
Remote PC Access
100 100%
0% 0
Personalization
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 John's Background Switcher

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...

John's Background Switcher Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Synergy seems to be a lot more popular than John's Background Switcher. While we know about 281 links to Synergy, we've tracked only 6 mentions of John's Background Switcher. 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 / 5 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 / 5 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 / 5 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: 6 months ago
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John's Background Switcher mentions (6)

  • Microsoft should make it easier to people use other Shells/window managers
    Now it's just a wallpaper changer pointed to a folder of my kids pics This one : Https://johnsad.ventures/software/backgroundswitcher/. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Where you get wallpapers for your Mac?
    I used to use https://johnsad.ventures/software/backgroundswitcher/ and it's cool. But latest years I just stick to Snow Leopard. A bit of nostalgia. :). Source: about 1 year ago
  • Do you use your photos as wallpapers?
    I use https://johnsad.ventures/software/backgroundswitcher/ on my desktop PC. Find it a great way to see our travel photos that would otherwise just sit in a folder and not been seen for ages. Just set it to choose a random image from a defined folder every 10 minutes. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • looking for random assorted wallpapers for my dual monitor setup (1 : 2560x1080) (1: 1920x1080)
    I use John's background switcher https://johnsad.ventures/software/backgroundswitcher/. It's very customizable for every kind of setup. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • why can i not have separate background images?
    You need a third party wallpaper manager to do that. Many of them have this feature. I use John’s Background Switcher. It can set a different wallpaper on each monitor, randomized from your collection. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Synergy and John's Background Switcher, you can also consider the following products

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

Variety Wallpaper Changer - Variety is a wallpaper changer for Ubuntu which is featureful, yet slim and very easy to use.

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

Wallpaper Cycler - NuonSoft WallpaperCycler is a powerfull utility to manage all your wallpapers and to automatically cycle between your wallpapers.

DisplayFusion - DisplayFusion will make your multi-monitor life much easier.

Muzei - Muzei is a live wallpaper that gently refreshes your home screen each day with famous works of art.