CursorSense is a macOS utility from Plentycom that gives you granular, per-device control over pointer speed and acceleration curves — something Apple's System Settings panel simply cannot do.
What is CursorSense?
CursorSense is a cursor-tuning application for Mac that lets you override macOS's built-in mouse and trackpad acceleration with your own custom curves. Instead of fighting the limited slider Apple buries in System Settings, you get a real graph you can drag into exactly the shape that feels right for your hand, your desk space, and your workflow. I've been running it daily for weeks, and the difference between "Apple default" and a finely tuned CursorSense profile is hard to overstate once you've felt it.
It works at the driver level — meaning the adjustments are system-wide, persist across reboots, and apply instantly the moment you plug in a new device. You can store separate profiles per connected input device, so your external Logitech mouse behaves differently from the Magic Trackpad sitting beside it.
What does CursorSense do best?
The headline feature is custom acceleration curves: a visual editor where you place and drag control points to shape exactly how the pointer reacts as you move the input faster or slower. This alone puts CursorSense in a different league from anything built into macOS.
- Per-device profiles — plug in any USB or Bluetooth mouse or trackpad and CursorSense remembers a distinct curve for each one.
- Acceleration off (or truly linear) — gamers and pixel-precise designers who want 1:1 constant tracking can flatten the curve entirely. macOS nominally offers this but its implementation is notoriously imperfect; CursorSense actually delivers it.
- Fine sensitivity scaling — a separate sensitivity multiplier sits on top of the curve, so you can keep your preferred acceleration shape while globally nudging speed up or down.
- Scroll wheel tuning — CursorSense also adjusts scroll speed and direction independently, which is a quiet but genuinely useful bonus for people who find macOS scroll feel either sluggish or frantic on third-party mice.
Where it shines most is with non-Apple mice. Apple's acceleration algorithm is tuned for Apple hardware. Plug in a Logitech MX Master or a gaming mouse with high-DPI optics and the default Mac behavior often feels jumpy and uneven. CursorSense lets you retune from scratch.
How much does CursorSense cost?
CursorSense is available as a free download directly from Plentycom's website. The developer offers the core functionality at no charge, which makes it an easy recommendation to anyone who's even mildly frustrated with macOS pointer feel. Always check the official site at plentycom.jp for the current licensing terms, as they can evolve between versions.
Who should use CursorSense?
CursorSense earns a place in your menu bar the moment you connect any non-Apple pointing device to your Mac. Power users who context-switch between a Magic Trackpad for casual browsing and a precision mouse for photo editing or design work will find the per-device profile system almost indispensable.
It's also the first app I'd recommend to anyone migrating from Windows who finds Mac pointer acceleration disorienting — Windows uses a different acceleration model and many users find macOS feels "wrong" until they've bent the curve back toward something familiar. Gamers running macOS natively (yes, both of you) will appreciate a true flat acceleration option that most other cursor tools only approximate.
If you only ever use a Magic Mouse or a Magic Trackpad and you're happy with how they feel, you can probably live without it. But that's a fairly narrow audience on a desk full of peripherals.
What are the best CursorSense alternatives?
The main competition in this narrow space is SteerMouse, a paid alternative that offers similarly deep per-device tuning and has a longer track record on macOS. SteerMouse adds button remapping on top of cursor tuning, which CursorSense doesn't tackle — so if you want to remap your mouse buttons and tune the curve in one app, SteerMouse is worth the price. Logi Options+ covers Logitech-specific users but is locked to that ecosystem and doesn't expose a curve editor. For scroll-only frustrations, Mos is a free and excellent lightweight alternative, but it touches only scrolling, not pointer acceleration. CursorSense sits in a sweet spot: free, curve-first, and device-agnostic.
Does CursorSense work on Apple Silicon?
CursorSense runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs and has been actively maintained through the transition. The developer has kept pace with major macOS releases, which matters for a tool that operates at a low system level where OS updates can easily break things.
