Alternatives to BetterTouchTool
macOS customization tool for trackpad gestures, shortcuts, and window snapping. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
BetterTouchTool
macOS customization tool for trackpad gestures, shortcuts, and window snapping.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as BetterTouchTool.
Hammerspoon
A bridge between macOS and Lua that lets a short script move windows, bind hotkeys and react to system events.
Hammerspoon is free and open source, handling window movement, hotkeys and system events through Lua scripts, but it does nothing until you write a config file.
Keyboard Maestro
Visual macro builder for automating apps, files, and workflows on macOS.
Keyboard Maestro focuses on visual macros triggered by almost any macOS event rather than trackpad gestures and window snapping, and uses a one-time paid license.
Keyboard Cowboy
Builds macOS keyboard shortcuts that launch apps, run scripts and react to app changes.
Keyboard Cowboy is free MIT-licensed software focused on keyboard shortcuts that launch apps and run scripts, with key sequences scoped to particular applications.
Karabiner-Elements
The keyboard remapper for macOS, with rules that can differ per keyboard and go far beyond swapping two keys.
Karabiner-Elements is free and open source and concentrates on keyboard remapping with per-device and per-application rules, rather than trackpad gestures or window snapping.
Phoenix
A lightweight macOS window and app manager that you configure and script with JavaScript.
Phoenix is a free, open-source macOS window and app manager scripted in JavaScript, requiring code before it does anything useful.
Also worth comparing
These listings name BetterTouchTool as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Automator
The macOS app for building workflows that automate repetitive tasks on a Mac.
BetterTouchTool is paid and centers on trackpad gestures, shortcuts and window snapping, with actions tied to input rather than file-focused workflows.
GestureSign
Trigger Windows actions by drawing touch or mouse gestures.
BetterTouchTool triggers actions from trackpad gestures and shortcuts, but it runs on macOS instead of Windows, is closed source and needs a paid license after the trial.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Apple Shortcuts
Apple's built-in drag-and-drop automation app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Alerter
A command-line tool for sending interactive macOS notifications from shell scripts and other programs.
PopClip
A macOS utility that shows a small menu of actions whenever you select text in any app.
Quicksilver
An open-source macOS launcher that opens apps and files and acts on them from the keyboard.
kanata
Create keyboard layers and advanced key behavior across desktop systems.
