LinearMouse vs Mac Mouse Fix

LinearMouse

• Mac users who want mouse scrolling reversed without changing the trackpad
• People who want pointer acceleration turned off for a specific mouse
• Anyone who prefers a free, MIT-licensed mouse utility

Mac Mouse Fix

• Mac users with a five-button mouse who miss trackpad gestures
• People who find wheel scrolling on macOS jerky
• Buyers who want a low one-time price instead of a subscription

LinearMouse

• macOS only. It needs Accessibility permission at first launch, and a further permission before it can simulate key presses.
• The documentation says some advanced features are reached by editing the JSON configuration file, which does not accept comments.
• Gesture timings are fixed for the whole app, at 500 ms for a long press and 50 points for a swipe, and cannot be set per mapping.
• The current release is numbered 0.12.0, and the sponsors page lists one main developer.

Mac Mouse Fix

• macOS only. The latest version is made for macOS 11 Big Sur or later; macOS 10.13 to 10.15 need Mac Mouse Fix 2, which the developer says stays free.
• The trackpad gestures as described need a mouse with at least 5 buttons, and the Apple Magic Mouse is not supported.
• On some mice built for proprietary drivers such as Logitech Options, the app cannot recognize every button.
• The source is under the developer's own MMF License, which restricts publishing compiled copies; it is not a standard open-source license.

LinearMouse

Profiles by device, app and display

A group of settings can apply to all mice or all trackpads, to one device by vendor and product ID, to one app or process, or to a named display, and matching groups are merged.

Scroll direction and smoothing

Reverse vertical or horizontal scrolling on a mouse while the trackpad keeps natural scrolling, and add smoothed scrolling from presets with adjustable response, speed, acceleration and inertia.

Pointer speed and acceleration

Adjust pointer acceleration and speed per device, switch acceleration off entirely, or return either value to the system default.

Button mappings

Bind mouse buttons and wheel movements, with optional modifier keys, to Mission Control, Launchpad, media and brightness controls, keyboard shortcuts or shell commands.

Long presses, chords and swipes

Version 0.12.0 added long-press, button-combination and swipe triggers, so one button can do different things on a short press, a long press and a swipe in each direction.

Click debouncing and hover focus

Click debouncing filters repeated signals from worn mouse switches, and an optional setting focuses a window when the pointer moves over it.

Mac Mouse Fix

Trackpad gestures from a side button

Hold button 4 and drag up for Mission Control, sideways to move between desktops or down for App Exposé. A single click triggers Look up and Quick Look.

Click and scroll

Holding a button while turning the wheel shows the desktop, opens Launchpad or zooms in and out in apps such as Safari and Preview.

Scroll and navigate by dragging

Hold button 5 and drag to scroll in any direction with inertia, or drag sideways to go back and forward, as a two-finger swipe does on a trackpad.

Smooth scrolling

Three smoothness settings: High adds trackpad-like momentum and a bounce at the end of a page, Regular uses short animations, and Off scrolls a set number of lines per step.

Scroll direction and modifiers

The mouse's scroll direction is set independently of the trackpad or Magic Mouse, and holding a keyboard modifier while scrolling gives precise scrolling or zoom.

Button actions and shortcuts

Assign an action to a click, double click or click and drag of any button, including any keyboard shortcut, such as copy and paste or volume control.

LinearMouse

• LinearMouse$0

  Every feature, with no paid tier or license key. The project says donations go only to developer fees, infrastructure and test devices.

Mac Mouse Fix

• Mac Mouse Fix 3$2.99

  one-time purchase, plus local taxes

  The full app with no subscription, bought through Gumroad after 30 free days of use. The license syncs to your other Macs through iCloud.