Mac Mouse Fix vs Smooze (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Mac Mouse Fix if

• Fits if you have a mouse with 5 or more buttons and want trackpad gestures on it
• Works for people whose wheel scrolling on a Mac feels jerky

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you use an Apple Magic Mouse, which isn't supported
• Not for you if your mouse has fewer than 5 buttons, since the trackpad gestures need them
• Watch out: on some mice built for drivers like Logitech Options, it can't recognize every button
• Not for you if you need a standard open-source license, as the source is under the developer's own MMF License
• Skip it if you're on Windows or Linux; Macs on macOS 10.13 to 10.15 are left on the older Mac Mouse Fix 2

Pick Smooze if

• Fits if you use a wheel mouse on a Mac and want animated scrolling plus button gestures
• Works for per-app and per-display scroll settings

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you use Windows or Linux, as it is Mac only
• Watch out: the vendor's own site gives no price, only the Paddle checkout does
• Watch out: one licence covers two Macs, and moving it to a new machine goes through support
• Tight if you want to decide quickly, since the trial is 7 days

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.

Smooze

• Mac only; the site lists macOS Catalina 10.15 and up.
• The price is shown only in the vendor's Paddle checkout, as US$19.99 before VAT; the vendor's own site gives no price.
• One license can be used on two Macs; moving it to a new machine goes through support.
• People who bought the earlier non-Pro version are pointed to a separate download.

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.

Smooze

Animated scrolling

Adds smooth, animated scrolling to a scroll wheel mouse in every app.

Button actions and gestures

Attach mouse buttons to actions, and assign gestures and rocker gestures to buttons, shortcuts or apps.

Auto scroll

Scrolls anywhere on the screen hands-free with animated movement.

Grab, drag and throw

Grab the screen to scroll; throwing it animates the scroll the way a trackpad does.

Free acceleration control

Turn off scroll acceleration and choose lines per tick. The vendor says these features are and will stay free.

Per-app and per-display settings

All settings can be set for each app on each display.

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.

Smooze

• Smooze Pro$19.99

  one-time, excluding VAT; one license covers two Macs

  Full app with animated scroll, button actions, gestures, auto scroll and per-display settings.