A simple BetterTouchTool alternative for trackpad gestures

BetterTouchTool is one of the best-known Mac apps for custom gestures, and it's excellent. But if you only want a few trackpad gestures, you might not need all of it.

What BetterTouchTool is great at

BetterTouchTool can customise almost any input on a Mac: trackpad, mouse, keyboard, Touch Bar and more, with window snapping, scripting and hundreds of actions. If you want that much control and like setting things up, it's a great choice. See its website for current pricing.

When something simpler fits better

Many people just want to change volume or brightness without reaching for the keys, take a screenshot quickly, or snap a window. For that, UtilityPad takes a different approach:

• Works the moment you open it. Right edge for volume, left for brightness, top for the keyboard light, bottom for music, corners for mute and screenshots.
• Edges and corners only. It uses the parts of the trackpad you rarely touch, so the middle stays a normal trackpad and you don't have to learn new multi-finger gestures.
• Set up by clicking a map of your trackpad, not by reading long lists of options.
• Free, including double- and triple-tap on all four corners and window snapping from a corner. Pro is $2 once for your own key combos, apps, websites, Shortcuts and flick-in gestures.
• Small: about 2 MB, macOS 13 or later.

Which one should you pick?

• Pick BetterTouchTool if you want to customise your mouse, keyboard and every gesture, and enjoy fine-tuning.
• Pick UtilityPad if you want useful trackpad edges in a minute and don't want to configure much.

They can be used together too: UtilityPad only reacts at the trackpad's edges and corners.