Hammerspoon vs Karabiner-Elements: catalog facts
 Hammerspoon |  Karabiner-Elements |
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Free Free and open source under the MIT licence. |
Free Free and open source, released into the public domain under the Unlicense. Donations are… |
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macOS |
macOS |
- Extensions reach a large part of macOS: windows, spaces, hotkeys, wifi, battery, USB, menu bar and more
- Lua is small enough to learn in an afternoon
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- Per-device rules, so a laptop keyboard and an external one can be mapped differently
- Complex modifications handle tap-versus-hold, layers and per-application rules
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- Does nothing until you write a config file, so there is no point installing it casually
- macOS only
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- macOS only
- Installs a driver extension and needs input monitoring permission, which some managed Macs block
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Downloadable app |
Downloadable app |
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Open source |
Open source |
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License: MIT |
License: Unlicense |
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No account needed |
No account needed |
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Works offline |
Works offline |
Checked September 21, 2026 | Checked September 21, 2026 |
Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.
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