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Universal Control is free and built in. ShareMouse, Synergy and Barrier have been around for years. Here is where BezelMouse stands next to each, plainly.
Three apps in one
Each of the three things BezelMouse does is usually its own app, and each of those lives on one Mac. Here they are side by side.
| The job | What people use today | In BezelMouse |
|---|---|---|
| A mouse and keyboard shared between Macs | A KVM app: Universal Control, ShareMouse, Synergy or Barrier. The pointer crosses; most of the rest stays put. | The pointer crosses, and the clipboard, files, browser tabs, trackpad gestures and media keys cross with it. |
| A Dock you can change | A Dock replacement such as uBar: one Mac, that Mac's apps, its own app switcher. | One Dock on each Mac holding every Mac's apps, and Command-Tab across all of them. Click an app and it opens over there. |
| Mouse button remapping | A remapper such as SteerMouse or USB Overdrive: one Mac, and only the mouse plugged into it. | Every button set once, acting on whichever Mac the pointer is on. Even buttons a mouse hides from macOS. |
The apps named are their owners' trademarks and are described by category, from their own documentation. Tell us on the support page if one of them does more than we say.
| BezelMouse | Universal Control | ShareMouse | Synergy | Barrier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macs on different Apple Accounts | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of Macs | Any | Up to 3 devices | 2, or up to 9 with Pro | 3, 5 or 15 by edition | Any |
| Any Mac controls any other | Yes | Not documented | Yes | No | No |
| Windows and Linux | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shared clipboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drag files between computers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Some editions | No |
| Drag browser tabs, links and text | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | No |
| Trackpad gestures reach the other Mac | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Media keys follow the music | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Copied files move only when pasted | Yes | Not documented | No | No | No |
| Keeps idle Macs awake while you work | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Jump to a Mac with a shortcut | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypted connections | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Plus edition and above | Optional |
| No account or sign-in | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| One Dock holding every Mac's apps, and one app switcher | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Mouse button remapping, on every Mac | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Price | US$99.99 once | Free with macOS | Free for 2 Macs; $99.95 or $149.95 once | $15, $19 or $29 once | Free, open source |
Based on each product's public documentation and shop as of September 2026, in US dollars. Prices and editions change; a question mark means the product's documentation doesn't say.
Built into macOS and iPadOS, and free. Every device must be signed in to the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication, and it links one Mac with up to two other devices. It's the right choice if all your Macs are yours and you only need two of them. BezelMouse pairs with a code instead, so a managed work laptop can sit beside a personal Mac, and any number of Macs can join.
A long-standing Windows and Mac tool. Its free edition covers two computers without clipboard or file sharing; Standard ($99.95) adds both for two computers, and Pro ($149.95) goes up to nine. BezelMouse is Mac only, and puts that focus into things ShareMouse doesn't document: browser tabs, trackpad gestures, media keys and files that move when pasted.
Cross-platform, with a server computer that the others connect to as clients, and an account for licensing. Synergy 3 costs $15, $19 or $29 once, for 3, 5 or 15 computers; encryption starts at the $19 edition. Good if you mix Windows, Mac and Linux. BezelMouse has no server: every Mac is equal, and there's nothing to sign in to.
Free and open source, from the same lineage as Synergy, and cross-platform. It shares the keyboard, mouse and clipboard but not files, and the project sees little maintenance. BezelMouse is a maintained Mac app with file, tab and gesture sharing, for a one-time price.
The remapper Mac people reach for, and deep on one Mac: buttons per app, cursor speed and acceleration curves, chords, for $19.99 once. It sees the mouse plugged into the Mac it runs on, and only that Mac. BezelMouse's remapping is one setup per mouse that works on every Mac the pointer reaches, and it comes with the crossing and the Dock rather than instead of them.
The Dock replacement for one Mac, and the one to beat: a taskbar layout, window previews, years of options, for $30 once. It knows nothing about other Macs. BezelDock is the newer take on the same job, and in BezelMouse the Dock holds every Mac's apps, badges and all, and Command-Tab crosses with it.
Mixing Windows or Linux into the desk? BezelMouse isn't for you yet. All Macs? See what US$99.99 gets you.
