GestureCraft vs BetterTouchTool (2026)

BetterTouchTool and GestureCraft both turn a gesture, a key, or a mouse click into an action, but they're built for different people. BetterTouchTool is the deep, do-everything platform for input customization. GestureCraft is one focused native app for the three things most people actually want: trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and mouse buttons. Full disclosure: I make GestureCraft, so I'll be straight about where BetterTouchTool is the better choice.

At a glance

	GestureCraft	BetterTouchTool
Price	$7.99 once	$12 (2 yrs of updates) / $24 (lifetime)
Updates	Free updates	2 years, then keep that version (or $24 for lifetime)
Macs per license	Up to 3	Your Macs + 1 family Mac
Focus	Gestures + shortcuts + mouse, unified	Every input surface, deeply
Trackpad gestures	Yes	Yes
Magic Mouse gestures	2-finger tap & swipe	Yes
Mouse buttons	Yes	Yes
Keyboard shortcuts	Yes	Yes, deeper remapping
Touch Bar & Stream Deck	No	Yes
Window snapping	Yes (as an action)	Yes
Scripting & automation	Run scripts & Shortcuts	Yes, extensive
Footprint	Lightweight, ~0% idle CPU	Full-featured, larger app
Learning curve	Minimal	Steep — it does a lot
Subscription	No	No
Try before you buy	14-day refund	45-day trial
macOS	26+	12+

What BetterTouchTool is best at

Best for: power users who want to customize and script every input surface.

BetterTouchTool has been the reference tool for Mac input customization for years, and nothing else covers as much ground. It remaps trackpad gestures, mouse buttons, and keys, drives the Touch Bar and Stream Deck, snaps windows, and runs elaborate scripted automations, with a large community sharing presets. It's a one-time purchase — $12 for the Standard license (two years of updates, after which you keep the last version) or $24 for a Lifetime license that updates forever — and the personal license is generous: every Mac where you're the main user, plus one family Mac. It runs on macOS 12 and later, so it covers older Macs too, and there's a 45-day trial. If you want the deepest control of everything and you'll invest the time to learn it, BetterTouchTool is the one to get, and this page won't talk you out of it.

What GestureCraft does differently

Best for: gestures, shortcuts, and mouse buttons in one clean app, without depth you won't use.

GestureCraft does less on purpose. It maps three input surfaces — trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and mouse buttons (including 2-finger taps and swipes on the Magic Mouse) — to the actions people reach for most: run a Shortcut, launch an app, snap a window, type a keystroke or sequence, or run a script. A rule reads like a sentence: when I do a two-finger swipe, run Paste, in every app or just one. There's no Touch Bar scripting, no Stream Deck, and no automation graph to learn — you open it, write a rule, and it works. It's native and notarized for macOS 26, keeps no account, does its work on your Mac, and is event-driven, so it sits at near-zero idle CPU. It's a one-time $7.99 with free updates on up to three Macs and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Price

Both are one-time purchases with no subscription, so this is a clean comparison: GestureCraft is $7.99 once; BetterTouchTool is $12 for two years of updates or $24 for lifetime. GestureCraft is the cheaper option, and it's less than even BetterTouchTool's entry price. But price isn't the real deciding factor here — the depth is. BetterTouchTool's license is also more flexible on the number of Macs. Pay for the tool that matches how much you actually want to customize.

Which should you pick?

• You want to customize and script every input surface, including the Touch Bar and Stream Deck → BetterTouchTool.
• You're on an older Mac (macOS 12 through 15) → BetterTouchTool; GestureCraft requires macOS 26.
• You want trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and mouse buttons in one simple native app → GestureCraft.
• You use only a small slice of what BetterTouchTool can do and want something lighter and lower-fuss → GestureCraft.

Comparing more than these two? See the full roundup of the best BetterTouchTool alternatives, including the free tools.