Mac Mouse Fix vs SteerMouse (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mac Mouse Fix and SteerMouse share a 2.4 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about ease of use, where Mac Mouse Fix grades higher, or platforms, where SteerMouse does.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mac Mouse Fix
Trackpad-style gestures and smooth scrolling for third-party mice
Free trial · from $2.99 one-time
SteerMouse
Mac utility for customizing mouse buttons, wheels and cursor speed
Free trial · from $19.99 one-time
Which one is for you
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 SteerMouse if
- Fits if you have a third-party USB or Bluetooth mouse with extra buttons on a Mac
- Works for per-app button setups
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use Apple's Magic Mouse or Trackpad, as neither is supported
- Skip it if you use Windows or Linux, since it is Mac only
- Pricey if you upgrade often: major upgrades like 5.x to 6.0 are charged
- Watch out: settings from version 4 are not carried over to version 5, and older Macs need older builds
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMac Mouse FixFair | 2.4GPASteerMouseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$2.99 once, plus local taxes, no subscription. Utilities here sit at $2.99 a month in the middle, so this is one month's money for keeps, and the licence syncs to your other Macs through iCloud. | A$19.99 one-time for version 5, a lifetime licence for that version, under a year of this category's typical subscription. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan for version 3. You get 30 free days with no card asked for, and a day only counts when you actually use the app. Macs on macOS 10.13 to 10.15 need Mac Mouse Fix 2, which the developer says stays free. | CA 30-day free trial, with no card mentioned. No free edition after it. |
| Features | CGiving a third-party mouse trackpad manners is its one job, and it covers it: side-button drags for Mission Control, desktops and App Exposé, drag-to-scroll with inertia, three smoothness settings, any button on any shortcut. On some mice built for Logitech Options it can't see every button. | CButton assignments, per-app settings, cursor speed, scroll tuning and snapping. It does not support the Magic Mouse or Trackpad, which the listing names as a gap. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it, pick what each button does and how smooth the scrolling should be. The mouse's scroll direction is set separately from the trackpad's. | CMany settings to work through per mouse and per app. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only. The latest version is made for macOS 11 Big Sur or later. No integrations are listed, and there's nothing for Windows or Linux. | CMac only, macOS 12 or later for version 5.8.2. No other platform. |
| Best for | trackpad gestures on an ordinary mouse | remapping mouse buttons on a Mac |
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: Mac Mouse Fix and SteerMouse. How we grade
Where they differ
- Mac Mouse Fix is open source, according to its own site.
In commonmacOSOne-time purchaseKeyboard and mouse remapping
At a glance
| Mac Mouse Fix | SteerMouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $2.99 one-time purchase, plus local taxes | $19.99 one-time, lifetime license |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free for 30 days; a day is used up only when the app is actually used | 30-day free trial |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Noah Nuebling | PLENTYCOM SYSTEMS |
| Price read from | macmousefix.com | plentycom.jp |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SteerMouse
- Does not support the Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, and some special buttons may not work.
- Version 5.8.2 needs macOS 12 Monterey or later; older macOS versions use older builds.
- Major upgrades, such as 5.x to 6.0, are charged for.
- Settings from version 4 are not carried over when moving to version 5.
Key features
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.
SteerMouse
- Button assignments
- Up to 24 functions per button, with modifier keys or button combinations (chording). Functions include shortcuts, clicks, scrolling, zoom and Mission Control.
- Per-application settings
- The mouse can be configured separately for each application.
- Cursor speed and sensitivity
- Adjusts sensitivity on top of the tracking speed in System Settings, and shows a ranking of settings other users chose.
- Scroll tuning
- Adjusts scroll acceleration and sensitivity, and has an auto-scroll option for hands-free scrolling.
- Cursor snapping
- Moves the cursor to a default or close button automatically, with an option to return it afterwards.
Plans
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.
SteerMouse
New license$19.99
one-time, lifetime license for version 5
Minor upgrades such as 5.0 to 5.1 are free; a major upgrade such as 5.0 to 6.0 is charged.
Upgrade from version 4$12.99
one-time upgrade license
For existing SteerMouse 4 users moving to version 5.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mac Mouse Fix or SteerMouse?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mac Mouse Fix starts at $2.99 one-time purchase, plus local taxes, and SteerMouse starts at $19.99 one-time, lifetime license.
Which has a free plan, Mac Mouse Fix or SteerMouse?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Mac Mouse Fix nor SteerMouse has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.