Best mouse and trackpad for your Mac or MacBook

Dots per inch: 1300dpi

Like it or not, the Apple Magic Mouse is the mouse that all others have to square up to in the battle to find the best mouse for Mac users. Unchanged since 2015 (aside from an update to USB-C from Lightning in 2024) and in reality little changed since 2009, the Magic Mouse is what Apple ships with every iMac (in seven accented colors) and Mac Pro (black) and one of only two mice you can buy as a separate on the Apple Store (in black or white).

The Magic Mouse is sleek and elegant, the way an Apple product should be. There are no old-fashioned buttons or scroll-wheels to spoil the mouse’s streamlined design, as the entire top multi-touch surface panel acts like a small, touch-sensitive trackpad. It works really well and cleverly combines the fluidity of a trackpad with the physicality of a mouse.

Some mice have scroll wheels that can be noisy, but the Apple Magic Mouse’s trackpad top is silent in that regard.

The low-profile design won’t suit people with larger hands, but the touch controls do work very well, allowing you to scroll both horizontally and vertically simply by flicking your finger in the required direction.

You can set up a secondary button, rather than settle for the all-over click, on either side within the Mouse tab in your Mac’s System Settings.

Where the Magic Mouse stands out of the nest of Mac mice, is gestures. You can control gestures, such as zooming and switching between applications and pages, by using the Mouse Preferences panel on the Mac. Double-tap with two fingers to launch the Mac’s Mission Control. In Settings you can also turn on Pointer Acceleration for faster or more precise mouse movements.

The button-free design also means that the Magic Mouse is suitable for both left- and right-handed users—unlike the Logitech MX Master 3S mouse reviewed below.

The rechargeable battery lasts for only about a month at a time—which would be fine if it weren’t for one thing… Apple did finally get around to switching the Lightning connector to a USB-C connector for charging the internal battery, but it is still on the base of the mouse, which means that you can’t use the mouse while it’s charging, as you have to flip it over on to its side in order to insert the cable.

Apple also sells a black version of the Magic Mouse for an extra $20/£20, which is a bit cheeky as no other mouse manufacturer charges more for color choices.

Dots per inch: 200–8000dpi (adjustable in 50dpi increments)

Apple’s Magic Mouse is what iMac users get in the box with their new computer. It’s a fine mouse but is rather limited with just two buttons. Logitech’s MX Master 4 mouse has eight buttons. The latest 2025 version updates 2022’s MX Master 3S in subtle ways, with new haptic feedback technology (just for Adobe users right now), an Action Ring, and longer battery life.

Note that there is the “Logitech MX Master 4” and a version called the “MX Master 4 For Mac”. Either works just fine with the Mac. The Mac version is priced the same but doesn’t come with the USB-C Bolt receiver that is bundled with the plain version. Some prefer using the longer-range and more secure USB receiver—which is aimed at busy office environments where there may be lots of Bluetooth devices in use all together—so buy the standard rather than “For Mac” version if this fits your situation. The USB dongle is now thankfully USB-C rather than legacy USB-A but it will take up a Thunderbolt port on your Mac or docking station.

Its smoothly curved surface fits the palm of the (right) hand very well, along with a thumb-rest for extra comfort. It has the usual left/right buttons and a scroll wheel at the top. The scroll-wheel works in two different modes, with a feature called SmartShift that automatically switches the scroll wheel from line-by-line scrolling to super-fast scrolling when it senses you want to scroll much faster.

There’s also a second scroll wheel on the side, which allows you to scroll horizontally—which is great for photo-editing and graphics work plus very long spreadsheets—and three more buttons that can be programmed using the excellent Options+ app.

The MX Master 4 has the same 8,000dpi sensor and high-speed scrolling wheel as its predecessor, but includes a new processor and an antenna inside the mouse that provide a more reliable wireless connection. The outer casing of the mouse uses a more robust, stain-resistant coating, and the thumb rest is larger to accommodate the new haptic feedback features.

The “For Mac” version comes two differently named although startlingly similar colors—Space Black and White Silver—to the plain MX Master 4’s Graphite and Pale Gray.

While some people never get the hang of a MacBook’s trackpad and prefer to use a mouse, others want the wonders of a trackpad when controlling their desktop Mac. It’s pretty expensive, but Apple’s Magic Trackpad avoids the mistakes that it tends to make with its mice.

The design works well, with a large surface area that measures 160mm wide and 115mm deep, so you have plenty of room to comfortably control your on-screen cursor and to use the various ‘gestures’ that are the Magic Trackpad’s greatest strength.

As well as the usual left and right mouse clicks, the Magic Trackpad lets you use two fingers to scroll up/down or left/right, which is great for photo-editing and other types of graphics work.

You can also zoom in or out on images or web pages by ‘pinching’ in or out with two fingers, or move back/forwards through a series of web pages by flicking left/right with two fingers. And, as well as being touch-sensitive, the Magic Trackpad is also pressure-sensitive, so you can ‘force-click’ by pressing and holding on documents to activate the Mac’s Quick Look previews, or even to look up words in a dictionary.

The low-profile design may not suit everyone, but the versatility of the Magic Trackpad makes it a great alternative to a conventional mouse, especially for left-handed users.

The rechargeable battery lasts for about a month at a time–and, unlike Apple’s Magic Mouse, the charging port (now USB-C rather than Lightning) is on the back edge of the trackpad, which means that you can actually charge it up and continue to use it at the same time.

Just as it does with its Magic Mouse, Apple also sells a black version of the Magic Trackpad for an extra $20/£20.

Dots per inch: 1200dpi; 800-2400dpi for OnTheGo Mouse

Satechi has a range of three affordable wireless mice—one of which might suit you perfectly if you don’t need all the features available with more expensive mice. All are priced at $29.99 / £29.99.

All come with a good old-fashioned scroll wheel, which offers faster and more accurate scrolling and tracking than the Magic Mouse’s top trackpad. The cursor fairly flies around the screen—much faster than my Apple mouse, and almost disconcertingly at first. It feels like it floats across my desk, and allows for more accurate scrolling than Apple’s.

The M1 Bluetooth Wireless Mouse (pictured above) is the most basic but also the most fun mouse, available in five colors: Silver, Space Grey, Gold, and Rose Gold so can attractively match your Mac or MacBook. It’s included in our favorite accessories for MacBook Neo users.

Satechi

The most sensitive Satechi mouse is the OntheGo Bluetooth Mouse (above), which allows you to fine-tune sensitivity with an adjustable DPI (either the button underneath or via shortcut) to toggle between paired devices, offering four fixed DPI levels: 800, 1200, 1600, and 2400 for different speed and precision needs. The other Satechi mice have a fixed 1200dpi. This mouse allows you to toggle between up to three devices with Bluetooth 5.1 and dedicated channels for seamless multitasking with no need to re-pair.

Satechi

Hybrid users who want maximum flexibility, including the option of a wireless dongle connection, should look to the modern-look Satechi Slim EX Wireless Mouse that can connect via two Bluetooth 5.3 channels as well as alternatively using an included 2.4GHz USB-C receiver—allowing for up to three connections.

Buy any Satechi mouse direct or via Amazon.

Dots per inch: 200–8000dpi (adjustable in 50dpi increments)

Logitech’s portable MX Anywhere 3 was already on our list of best mice for the Mac, and the new MX Anywhere 3S actually manages to improve on that winning formula. Look out for the special “For Mac” model.

The design of the mouse has been fine-tuned a little, with a more streamlined shape, while the two side buttons seem to be a little further back and closer to my thumb, making it easier and more comfortable to use. This compact little mouse still manages to find room for four buttons, all of which can be programmed using Logitech’s Options app.

The scrolling wheel also works in two modes, with a high-speed mode that lets you quickly zoom through long documents, or a slower, more precise mode that works well for graphics and photo-editing.

It doesn’t have the second scroll wheel found on the larger MX Master 4, reviewed above, which allows you to scroll horizontally as well. But, if you press and hold one of the side buttons while scrolling, you’ll find that the main scrolling wheel temporarily switches to horizontal scrolling as well—although this approach is less intuitive than a separate horizontal scroll wheel and slightly uncomfortable.

Battery life is around 70 days–twice that of Apple’s Magic Mouse–and its quick-charge mode will give you three hours of use after just one minute of charging time, which is great when you’re travelling with your MacBook.

It is available in a choice of two colors, Space Gray (which is really black) and Pale Gray. The generic version includes both Bluetooth and a separate USB wireless transmitter, while the specific Mac version is Bluetooth only.

Dots per inch: 1000–4000dpi

Logitech’s POP Icon keyboard has a matching POP mouse that are available as a combo set or individually (we review the Logitech POP Icon Combo set here). The keyboard is attractive and colorful, the mouse, in contrast, is rather plain and small. It’s not for large hands or people who complain of wrist pain during prolonged use. 

From the other perspective though, the fact that the mouse is small could be a benefit if you need to carry it around, and although small, it’s round, flat shape is comfortable in the palm.

The SmartWheel wheel ensures precise navigation and allows fast scrolling, while the mouse sensor also reacts quickly and smoothly to movements.

The mouse has two action buttons that can be used to easily set specific commands. For example, you can open several applications by clicking on the mouse wheel, which can be particularly useful when starting work. Or you can define completely different Smart Actions that are frequently used in everyday life, for example, to minimize all applications.

It is compatible with multiple operating systems and devices, and can be connected to up to three devices simultaneously. This means you can switch between different laptops with a single click.

The mouse uses standard batteries rather than being recharged via USB and a battery should last up to 24 months.

It is available in eight fun colors: Cosmos, Daydream Mint, Graphite, Heartbreaker Rose, Lilac, Mist, Off White and (presumably less heartbreaking) Rose.

Dots per inch: Up to 8000dpi

Razer is known for its gaming gear, and the Pro Click V2 is festooned with the gratuitous glowing lights and high-precision sensor that you’d expect from a gaming mouse. Apart from the lighting effects, the Pro Click V2 actually looks fairly conventional, but it’s neatly designed and solidly built.

The top panel has a contoured surface that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand, and a smooth matte finish that lets you move your fingers easily around the various buttons and controls. There are plenty of options here too, with the standard Left and Right mouse buttons on the top, along with a scrolling wheel that can also tilt to the sides to allow both Up/Down and Left/Right scrolling when viewing documents or photos. There’s also a Scroll Mode button that allows you to switch the scroll wheel between high-speed, free-scrolling mode, and a more precise, tactile mode that clicks as you scroll from page to page. There are also two thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse, with a small thumb rest just below for extra comfort.

A new Mac version of Razer’s not very intuitive Synapse app can be used to reprogram the various mouse buttons and to adjust other settings, such as the glowing lighting effects and the sensitivity of the mouse sensor. Synapse does include more powerful features such as the ability to record ‘macro’ commands that can automate and speed up many repetitive tasks. It’s also possible to create profiles for use with specific apps, such as using the scroll wheel to control the Presenter View in a PowerPoint presentation.

There’s also an ergonomic version of the mouse called the Pro Click Vertical, which tilts the surface of the mouse to provide better support for your wrist and fore-arm, priced at $119.99/£119.99. Sadly, though, both models are only available for right-handed users.

Dots per inch: 1200dpi

When your Apple Magic Mouse’s battery runs out you have to charge it upside down, leaving you without any mouse while it powers back up. Having a wired mouse to hand might just save your day!

Picking a wired mouse doesn’t just ensure zero battery downtime, there’s far lower latency than wireless that is an important factor for competitive gaming.

DPI Update: The new SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 (2026) features a high-performance TrueMove 26K optical sensor with a maximum resolution of 26000dpi.

Strictly speaking, the Aerox 3 from SteelSeries is very much designed as a gaming mouse. However its sleek, lightweight design is so comfortable to use that we can recommend it as a good all-round mouse for other tasks too. It features a, wait for it, “Radiant 3-zone PrismSync RGB” that means the mouse can shine in 16.8 million configurable colors.

Aside from the crazy colored lighting, it wins as a gaming mouse as it is super accurate 8000dpi sensor that is even more precise than the Logitech MX Master 3S reviewed above. It also features PTFE Glide Skates to provide the smoothest swipes and enhanced control

Available in Onyx or Snow—aka black or white—the Aerox has a perforated shell that keeps its weight down to just 59g, compared to 99g for Apple’s Magic Mouse, so that gamers can respond quickly with just light movements of their fingers. I mostly play RPGs these days, which don’t really require lightning fast reflexes, but I still found the lightweight Aerox really comfortable to use, both for gaming and general office work too.

The mouse doesn’t compromise to achieve that low weight though, providing an IP54 rating for resistance to water, dust and any other nastiness that might gum up the works, and a sturdy, braided USB cable.

Like a conventional mouse, the Aerox includes standard Left and Right mouse buttons, along with a scrolling wheel, and there’s a third button on top of the mouse that can be used to adjust the speed of the mouse cursor as it moves around the screen. There are also two buttons on the side of the mouse that you can control with your thumb—although this is where things get a little complicated.

We were pleased to find that the SteelSeries GG app does run on Macs from Catalina onwards and allows you to record ‘macro’ commands for all the buttons on the mouse (although you need to check this FAQ for Mac-specific installation instructions). The app isn’t easy to use though, and is primarily aimed at hardcore gamers for high-speed action games, so SteelSeries could do a bit more to make this smartly designed mouse more accessible for the rest of us.

Dots per inch: 400–4000dpi (adjustable in 100dpi increments)

The top surface of Logitech’s Lift mouse tilts by 570 into an upright handshake position that helps to reduce strain on the wrist. Along with the standard left and right mouse buttons and scrolling wheel, the Lift has two additional buttons that sit just by your thumb. By default, these extra buttons are set up to work as Back/Forward buttons for your web browser, but you can use Logitech’s Options+ app to customize all the buttons if you need to. And, thankfully, the latest version of the Options+ app—for macOS 10.15 or later—is a lot more Mac-friendly than it used to be, so getting all those buttons set up the way you like is now very straightforward.

Both models cost $69.99/£69.99, but while the Mac and universal versions of the Lift look virtually identical, the universal version actually has a couple of additional features that make it better value for money. The Lift For Mac just uses Bluetooth, but the universal version also includes a Bolt USB adaptor that provides an alternate type of wireless connection that is more reliable and more secure than Bluetooth. The universal model is also available with a left-handed version, while the Mac version is just right-handed only. You can get the standard Lift from Amazon U.S. or Amazon U.K.

Our only complaint is that the Lift is designed for small to medium hands, so if—like me—you find it a little small, then you might need to look at the larger, and more expensive, MX Vertical ergonomic mouse instead.

Dots per inch: 600–2800dpi

More adjustable than the Logitech Lift but maybe too radical for some users, the Contour Design Unimouse features a highly adjustable design in an ergonomic shape that reduces the strain on your hands and wrists.

Its patented articulated hinge can be adjusted to any angled position from 35 to 70 degrees. In addition, the adjustable thumb support can be moved in all directions, tilted and rotated until you are happy with the position that best fits your hand and usage. Compared to traditional mice, this level of adjustability can reduce grip pain and pressure on the base joint of the thumb.

Although it feels a little odd at first use, it’s a lot more like a standard mouse than a trackball favored by some for even more ergonomic strain relief. It’s been a bestseller for several years for good reason.

There are 6 programmable buttons, including a neat up and down scroll wheel, although I would have preferred if the Unimouse also boasted a sideways scroll wheel like the Logitech MX Master 3S For Mac, reviewed above.

With a touch of the button near the front of the base, you can quickly change DPI settings—between 600 and 2800dpi. As you change the settings the green to red LEDs light up. These LEDs also show remaining battery life with another tap on the DPI button once.

For a little less and if you don’t like to charge your mouse, there’s a Unimouse Wired model that’s often a little cheaper.

Dots per inch: Up to 30000dpi

Keychron’s wireless mouse, the M3, is a high-performing alternative to Apple’s Magic Mouse. It was made with PC gaming in mind, but it can be used on a Mac without any major operational issues.

There’s an optional RGB light that shines through cutouts along the M3’s edges and the scroll wheel. This light can change colors while in use, or toggle between different lighting modes via a button underneath the scroll wheel. This is the kind of aesthetic that is popular in the gaming community, but it nicely complements the colorful iMacs.

There is a PAW3395DM optical sensor, which supports 30000dpi resolution–a huge boost over the Magic Mouse with its 1300dpi resolution. The higher the resolution, the more sensitive the mouse is to hand movement, this is another bonus for gamers. Tracking is also super fast, rated at 650 inches per second. If that is too fast, the M3’s tracking speed is adjustable. It also offers another gaming-focused feature–an adjustable polling rate.

We found the higher profile to be more comfortable in the hand than the Magic Mouse. The built-in battery is rated at 70 hours and charges through a USB-C slot on the top end of the mouse (adapter included).

Dots per inch: 600–2800dpi

Also from Contour Design is the even more radical ergonomic Rollermouse Red, a centered static mouse with its own wrist rest and a built-in slidable rollerbar that you maneuver the cursor with—hence the name Rollermouse. It’s not a mouse as we expect, but it does the same job without forcing your shoulder, arm and wrist into damaging repetitive movements.

The Rollermouse is designed to promote a more symmetrical, neutral position in front of the keyboard. Instead of being to the right or left of the keyboard the static mouse sits in front of it.

As with any smart mouse, there are reprogrammable buttons (six in total) with Copy and Paste being two of the preloaded actions. The smooth scroll wheel is clickable and the most like what you will be used to with a traditional mouse.

Cursor speed is up to 2800dpi, but movement precision is not enough for users such as designers who need pinpoint accuracy in their mouse movement.

The removable leatherette on memory foam wrist rest is comfortable, and comes in two sizes, with a Plus size for larger hands. There are two risers to raise your keyboard to a matching height if required.

If you need to protect your shoulders from unnecessary repetitive movements be prepared for a steep learning curve with the Rollermouse Red. Getting used to operating something that makes a lot of sense but which bucks decades of ingrained non-symmetrical, shoulder-busting usage is going to take time—but your upper body may thank you in the long term.

Dots per inch: 400dpi

Trackballs have really gone out of fashion in recent years, but they’re a good option for many people as you can control the trackball with just small movements of your fingers, which helps to reduce the strain on your wrists and forearms. That can be a lifesaver for people who suffer from RSI or tendonitis, or may have problems gripping a conventional mouse. Kensington is one of the few companies that still makes trackballs, and it actually has quite a wide range in different shapes and sizes, but I like the large buttons and trackball mechanism on its Expert Mouse, which can be useful for both adults and children who may find the tiny little buttons on some mice a little too fiddly.

The Expert Mouse can use Bluetooth for quick and easy pairing, but Kensington also includes a USB wireless receiver that provides greater range and reliability than Bluetooth (although the receiver has a USB-A interface, so some people may need an adaptor if their Mac has only USB-C).

The trackball is surrounded by four large buttons, two of which act like standard Left/Right mouse buttons, while the other two can be programmed with custom commands using the KensingtonWorks app. There’s also a scrolling ring that runs around the trackball itself, which acts like the scrolling wheel on a conventional mouse.

Our only complaint is that the Kensington app can be a bit fiddly to use, and it took us a little while to figure out how to assign the commands we wanted to the various buttons. The Expert Mouse doesn’t have a rechargeable battery either, although Kensington includes a pair of disposable AA batteries, which should last for a full year before being replaced. There’s also a wired version of the Expert mouse available as well, which is around $20/£20 cheaper.

Dots per inch: 800-4800dpi

Ever walk away from the meeting room or café without your mouse? With the ESR MagMouse that problem might be solved as you can simply clamp it to the front of your MacBook and carry it back to your desk or wherever you’re going without using up a hand to carry it.

That’s its big trick and it works well, although you need to stick a removable 0.48cm magnetic base to the laptop first. Unless you knock it pretty hard it will stick to that base while you move around. There are two little pins to back up the magnetic connection.

There are five non-cutomizable buttons in total, including the scroll wheel but the two side-mounted Forward and Back buttons unfortunately don’t work with a Mac. Still, three buttons are two more than Mac users are accustomed to if they have used only Apple’s Magic Mouse up till now.

There’s no USB port. Instead, the MagMouse has its own built-in short USB-C cable you can connect to a wall charger.

Dots per inch: 800-1600dpi

The low-cost Echelon Wireless Mouse from Alogic is super lightweight and makes for a great travel mouse. It’s quite a bare-bones mouse, as you might expect at this price. For example, there’s no software for changing the functionality of its keys.

While the mouse’s two buttons (left and right click) operate quietly, we found the scroll wheel noticeably noisier than others tested here.

It gives away its Windows origins with its 2.4Ghz USB-A dongle tucked away underneath. Such wireless adapters are preferred by some as more secure and responsive, but it connects to a computer via USB-A, and, well, Macs don’t have USB-A ports any more. This doesn’t matter as it connects just as well via Bluetooth like all the other mice reviewed here.

Users can switch between the sensivity setting at 800, 1200 and 1600dpi by holding down the right mouse button and clicking the scroll wheel.

It ships with the nicest braided USB-C charging cable we got in any of the Mac mice boxes.

It’s available only in white but there is a black version as part of a Windows-only Echelon Wireless Keyboard Mouse set, so maybe a darker version will one day be available separately.

Dots per inch: 1200dpi

As well as being Mac-compatible, the HP 715 Multi-Device Mouse is well designed, versatile and provides good value for money.

The HP 715 mouse is quite compact, so you can easily carry it around with a laptop. I found it a little small compared to the chunky Logitech mouse that I normally use, but that’s a matter of personal taste. And, despite the compact design, the HP 715 manages to find room for lots of useful features, including left/right mouse buttons, and two thumb buttons on the left-hand side of the mouse (which seem mostly suitable for right-handed people).

We reviewed this mouse alongside the HP 975 Keyboard here: HP 975 Keyboard and 715 Mouse review, both of which work with the HPAC app (HP Accessory Centre). It’s good to see HP extending its support for the Mac, including full Mac-compatibility for its HPAC app.

Like the HP 975 keyboard, the mouse can be paired with two devices using Bluetooth, and a third device using the USB-A dongle included with the mouse (you may need an adaptor). 

There’s a clickable scroll wheel that can scroll both horizontally and vertically. You can use the HPAC app to reprogram the buttons and scrolling wheel functions – although you’ll need to do a bit of experimenting to make the most of the mouse’s many features.

The mouse should last for around three months when fully charged, and HP says that a quick one-minute charge will give you up to three hours of battery life.