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JoyMapper, Recontrol, Controlly and ConMapper, compared

These four are Mac App Store apps that turn a game controller into a keyboard and mouse. I make a fifth, InputConfig, so weigh what I say about it. Everything below about the other four comes from their own App Store listings and websites, and each gets a line on what it does well. For every Mac mapper at once, see the best controller mapper for Mac comparison.

At a glance

Checked on 22 September 2026 against each app's Mac App Store listing and the maker's own site.

JoyMapper

JoyMapper, by Diao Hongsheng, maps controller buttons to keys and shortcuts, moves and scrolls the pointer with a stick or the motion sensor, uses the DualSense touchpad as a mouse, and switches profiles by app. Its listing names Joy-Cons, the Switch Pro Controller, Xbox Wireless, Elite Series 2 and Adaptive controllers, the DualSense and DualSense Edge, the DualShock 4 and, since 1.22.0, the Stadia controller.

Good at: the widest macOS range of any current mapper, back to 10.14.4, and pointing with a Joy-Con or Switch Pro Controller's motion sensor. InputConfig does not do Nintendo motion; its gyro aim works on the DualSense, DualSense Edge and DualShock 4.

InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.

JoyMapper, JoyKeyMapper and JoyMapperSilicon are different apps

The names get mixed up in search. JoyMapper is the paid-after-trial App Store app above. JoyKeyMapper, by DarkHorse, is free and MIT licensed, supports Nintendo controllers only, and was last updated in August 2020. JoyMapperSilicon is an MIT-licensed GitHub project for Joy-Cons and the Pro Controller on Apple silicon, last changed in December 2020. For Joy-Cons in InputConfig, see Joy-Cons on a Mac.

Recontrol

Recontrol, by Dan Neumann, is free and focused: a gamepad to mouse and keyboard. Its listing offers a smooth or 8-direction stick mode, linear or exponential response curves, an adjustable deadzone, drift calibration, JSON import and export of mappings, switching configurations from the menu bar, and running at the display's refresh rate. It needs macOS 15.6 or later, and its site and listing do not link any source code.

Good at: a small, free app for driving the pointer and a few keys, if your Mac is on macOS 15.6 or later.

Controlly

Controlly, by Hugo Lispector, turns a wireless controller into a remote for the Mac. Its listing lists clicks, Look Up and Smart Zoom; play, pause and skip; mute, volume and brightness; Mission Control, Launchpad, Show Desktop, switching desktops and mirroring displays; pointer and scrolling on the sticks; and any key or shortcut on a button. The trial runs for 7 days with everything on; after that, the listing says, only pointer movement and click keep working until the one-time unlock.

Good at: a sofa remote with the Mac's own functions ready on the buttons. InputConfig's system functions cover volume, media keys, brightness, Mission Control, Launchpad and Spotlight, and the Media Controller preset is a ready starting point.

ConMapper

ConMapper, by Jianan Tian, maps buttons to keys, clicks and pointer actions, runs Shortcuts, launches apps, keeps separate profiles per app and switches them automatically, moves the pointer with motion controls, and has layers. Version 1.7.0 added radial menus, picked with a stick or the D-pad. It is free to download with an optional ConMapper Pro purchase, and needs macOS 14.

Good at: radial menus, which InputConfig does not have. For a second layer in InputConfig, a chord fires a row only while another button is held.

Where InputConfig fits

InputConfig is free with nothing locked, MIT licensed, and needs macOS 14, the same as ConMapper. What none of the four list: MIDI devices, the Mac's own keyboard, mouse and trackpad, screen regions, and a tap on a MacBook as inputs; MIDI notes and controls as outputs; macros and typed text; spoken feedback and one-stick driving for accessibility. It also has per-app auto-switch, inner and outer deadzones with a live plot, JSON import and export of presets, 42 built-in presets and the Smart Preset Maker with ready layouts for 450+ games and apps.

Switching from one of these

1. Quit the other mapper, so two apps are not sending keys for the same button.
2. Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access.
3. Start from the Mouse + Scroll or Desktop Navigation preset, or search the Smart Preset Maker for your game or app.
4. Press Scan on any row and touch the control you want to change. Mappings do not import between apps, but most setups are a handful of rows.
5. If you used per-app profiles, turn on automatic switching in Settings, Advanced, and add the apps to each preset.

Questions

Related

• The best controller, gamepad and joystick mapper for Mac
• Free controller, gamepad and joystick mappers for Mac
• Gamepad Mapper alternative for Mac
• Joystick Mapper alternative for Mac
• Joy-Cons on a Mac
• Per-app profiles that switch by themselves

Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.