What happened to GamePad Companion for Mac?
It is no longer listed. When I checked on October 7, 2026, GamePad Companion's Mac App Store page answered that it could not be found, and Apple's own app lookup returned nothing for it in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany or Australia. Its last listing was a $7.99 app, version 3.3.1 from June 2014, that made a USB gaming device act as a keyboard or mouse.
I do not know why it left the store, and I have no connection to it. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that does the same job on current macOS: it turns a controller's buttons and sticks into keys, clicks and pointer movement, for games and apps that have no controller support.
Know what GamePad Companion was
| GamePad Companion, at its last listing | |
|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 |
| Last version | 3.3.1, June 2014 |
| macOS | 10.7 or later |
| What it did | Made any USB HID gaming device act as a keyboard or mouse, up to five devices at once |
| Where | Mac App Store |
It was a paid mapper last updated in 2014, and its store page is gone.
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
If you already bought it
Open the App Store, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, and look through your purchases. An app that has left the store sometimes can still be downloaded again from there, and sometimes cannot. If you have a copy, keep in mind its age: it was last updated in 2014, long before Apple silicon. If it is in your purchases and still runs, nothing forces you to switch.
Do the same job with a free app
- You: Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store, connect your controller, add a row, press Scan, and press a button.
- InputConfig: Records which button that is.
- Check: Choose what it sends: a key, a shortcut, a click, mouse movement, a macro.
Sticks become WASD, arrow keys, the pointer or scrolling, with a deadzone and speed for each. There is nothing to buy inside it. Both apps do the same thing, which is turn a controller into a keyboard and mouse, and one of them is free and still updated. Your first preset takes about five minutes.
Compare what each covers
| GamePad Companion | InputConfig | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 at its last listing | Free, with nothing sold inside |
| Last update | June 2014 | 2026 |
| Controllers | USB HID gaming devices | PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch and others macOS lists, plus plain USB gamepads it reads directly |
| More than one device | Up to five | Several controllers, each with its own rows |
| Ready layouts | Not stated in its listing | More than 450 games and apps |
| Other inputs | Gaming devices | Also MIDI, mouse buttons and keys |
The older app covered USB devices, and the newer one adds Bluetooth pads and ready layouts. I make InputConfig, so weigh that. Sixteen Mac mappers compared has the others.
Use an older USB gamepad or joystick
GamePad Companion was the usual answer for plain USB gamepads, flight sticks and arcade encoders, the devices macOS does not list as game controllers. InputConfig reads those directly too, with entries for hundreds of them and a generic reading for the rest. A USB device macOS does not list as a controller can still be read and mapped. Generic USB gamepads on a Mac and joysticks on a Mac cover them.
The short version
- GamePad Companion. It was not on the Mac App Store when I checked on October 7, 2026.
- If you own it. Check your purchases in the App Store.
- Instead. InputConfig, free, does the same job on current macOS.
The app people remember is gone from the store, but the job it did is easy to replace.
Questions
Is GamePad Companion still available for Mac?
Not when I checked on October 7, 2026. Its Mac App Store page could not be found, and Apple's app lookup returned nothing for it in five countries.
Was GamePad Companion free?
No. Its last Mac App Store listing gave a price of $7.99.
What is a free alternative to GamePad Companion?
InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store, turns a controller's buttons and sticks into keys, clicks and pointer movement, which is the job GamePad Companion did.
Does GamePad Companion work on Apple silicon?
I have not tested it. Its last version was from June 2014, years before Apple silicon Macs.
Can I use an old USB gamepad on a Mac without GamePad Companion?
Yes. InputConfig reads plain USB gamepads and joysticks directly and maps their buttons and axes to keys and the mouse.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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