Homerow vs Karabiner-Elements
We give Homerow a 2.6 GPA and Karabiner-Elements a 3.2, out of 4.0. Karabiner-Elements grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Homerow
Keyboard labels for clicking any button or link on macOS
Free trial · from $49.99 one-time
Karabiner-Elements
Free, open-source keyboard customizer for macOS
Free
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHomerowGood | 3.2GPAKarabiner-ElementsVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$49.99 once covers all your own Macs, with future updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee. That's a little over a year of a typical paid utility here, for an app that does one thing. Students get 30% off. | AFree and open source, and you can use it without buying anything. If you want to give back there's GitHub Sponsors or a $10 PayPal payment, which the author describes as effectively a donation. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free plan. The trial is the full app with no time limit, though, which is generous. The price of not paying is a purchase reminder every 50 activations. | AThe complete app is free on Intel and Apple silicon Macs. There's no paid tier and no trial clock. |
| Features | AIt does one thing and does it fully. Labels on buttons, links and controls, search by an element's text, right, double and Command clicks, and a scroll mode on H, J, K and L. Version 1.5.0 added Mission Control. Apps with limited accessibility support may not work fully. | AKey-to-key swaps, a key that sends something different when pressed alone, keys pressed together, and changes limited to one keyboard. Profiles switch from the menu bar icon, and it keeps working at password prompts. It can't change the fn key on non-Apple keyboards, though. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Press Command-Shift-Space, type a label, hit Return. It needs the Accessibility permission, and every shortcut can be changed if the defaults clash with yours. | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. One-to-one swaps are set in the settings window with no rules to write. Beyond that it's JSON, though you can import ready-made rules like Vi and Emacs key bindings and skip writing your own. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 13 or later. Inside the Mac it works across Chrome, Firefox, Arc, VS Code, Slack, Notion and Figma, and pairs with Karabiner-Elements. Nothing for Windows or Linux. | DMac only. The current release supports macOS 13 Ventura and later, and earlier systems need older versions. It handles PC and JIS keyboards plugged into a Mac, but no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | clicking around a Mac without the mouse | remapping a Mac keyboard for free |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Homerow and Karabiner-Elements. How we grade
Where they differ
- Homerow starts at $49.99 one-time purchase. Karabiner-Elements is free.
- Karabiner-Elements has a free plan. Homerow does not, though it has a free trial.
- Homerow can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Karabiner-Elements is open source, according to its own site.
- Karabiner-Elements also covers menu bar app and keyboard and mouse remapping.
In commonmacOSKeyboard-first
At a glance
| Homerow | Karabiner-Elements | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $49.99 one-time purchase | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free to use without any purchase. Funding is optional, through GitHub Sponsors or a $10 PayPal payment that the author describes as effectively a donation. |
| Free trial | Free trial with full functionality and no time limit; a reminder appears every 50 activations | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Homerow | pqrs.org (Takayama Fumihiko) |
| Price read from | homerow.app | karabiner-elements.pqrs.org |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Homerow
- Keyboard-focused Mac users who want to stop reaching for the mouse
- People used to Vimium-style link hints in the browser
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license covering several personal Macs
Karabiner-Elements
- Mac users who want to remap keys or modifiers at no cost
- People using PC, JIS or other non-Apple keyboards on a Mac
- Vi and Emacs users who want their key bindings everywhere on macOS
Worth knowing
Homerow
- macOS only; the download button on the website says macOS 13 or later is required.
- The license is for personal use on your own Macs, and each license has a maximum number of device activations.
- It depends on the macOS Accessibility permission, and the terms say apps with limited accessibility support may not work fully.
- The unlicensed app shows a purchase reminder every 50 activations; the student discount of 30% needs a verified student email.
Karabiner-Elements
- macOS only. The current release supports macOS 13 Ventura and later; earlier systems need older versions from the download menu.
- Rules beyond simple key swaps are defined as JSON, either imported from the community gallery or written by hand.
- It cannot modify the fn key on non-Apple keyboards, or the eject key on some keyboards such as the Apple Wired Keyboard.
Key features
Homerow
- Labels on clickable elements
- An activation shortcut, Command-Shift-Space by default, shows a label beside each button, link and control. Typing the label moves focus to it and Return clicks it.
- Search by element name
- Typing part of an element's text narrows the labels to matches. A labels-only mode turns search off so labels can be typed without holding Shift.
- Right, double and Command clicks
- Shift-Return right-clicks, Return pressed twice double-clicks, and Command-Return performs a Command-click, which opens a link in a new tab.
- Scroll mode
- A second shortcut starts scrolling the active area with H, J, K and L, with faster dashes on Shift, half-screen jumps on D and U, and keys for top and bottom.
- Mission Control navigation
- Version 1.5.0, released in March 2026, added keyboard navigation of Mission Control, along with sound effects for clicks and a redesigned settings window.
- Custom shortcuts and Hyper key
- Every shortcut can be changed in preferences, modifier-only shortcuts are allowed, and Caps Lock can be remapped to a Hyper key for activation.
Karabiner-Elements
- Simple modifications
- Change one key to another key from the settings window, with no rules to write.
- Complex modifications
- Rule-based changes: turn a key into a combination of modifiers, map a modifier plus key to another key, send a different event when a key is pressed alone, or act on keys pressed simultaneously.
- Community rule gallery
- Predefined rules such as Vi and Emacs key bindings, diamond cursor and mouse keys can be imported from the project's rule site, then edited or replaced with your own.
- Per-device settings and profiles
- Apply modifications only to chosen keyboards, keep multiple profiles, and switch between profiles from the menu bar icon.
- Function and extra keys
- Map f1 to f12 to media controls, and enable extra keys on PC keyboards that macOS does not recognize by default, such as international and language keys.
- Works at secure prompts
- Modifications keep working in Secure Keyboard Entry environments, such as password prompts and terminals with that option turned on.
Plans
Homerow
Homerow$49.99
one-time purchase
A personal license for all of your own Macs, with all future updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Karabiner-Elements
Karabiner-Elements$0
The complete app, open source and usable without any purchase. Supports Intel-based and Apple silicon Macs.
Ways to pay less
Homerow
- Education
30% off for students
Homerow's FAQ says students get 30% off: entering a valid student email address on the pricing section sends a discount code.
Karabiner-Elements
No public discounts listed.
