Steer If you're choosing, choose with the facts.
Both turn a game controller into a way to run your Mac: pointer, typing, shortcuts, windows. Both do the basics well. ControllerKeys works with more controllers. Steer does more with the ones it knows. Here is where each one is ahead.
| Capability | Steer | ControllerKeys |
|---|---|---|
| Off-brand and older controllers | 300+, in beta | 300+ via a mapping database |
| On-screen keyboard | Stick-driven | Swipe typing |
| Adaptive triggers you can feel | Yes | — |
| Sets of mappings you can switch between | 6 | 3 |
| Automation | Shortcuts, URLs, AppleScript, shell | JavaScript, webhooks, shell |
| Walled off by macOS (sandboxed) | Yes | No |
| No usage analytics | Yes | — |
| Languages | 35 | 5 |
| Pinch and rotate as real gestures (on by default, some apps) | Yes | — |
| Native rumble on PlayStation and Switch Pro pads | Yes | — |
| Snap windows by aiming the stick (needs Rectangle installed) | Yes | — |
| Use one Mac's controller on another | — | Yes |
| Apple TV Siri Remote as an input | — | Yes |
| Xbox Elite rear paddles | Beta | Yes |
Both apps are notarized direct downloads. ControllerKeys documents that it runs outside Apple's sandbox because system-wide remapping needs broad permissions; Steer keeps the sandbox anyway.
Off-brand controller support and Elite rear-paddle reading are both written and in beta. Steer bundles 300+ SDL controller mappings of its own, but none of them has been confirmed on real hardware yet, so it stays in beta rather than claiming parity. We're looking for testers.
Checked against ControllerKeys v2.6.0 on 19 July 2026. They ship often, so check their site too.