Mos vs LinearMouse vs Mac Mouse Fix vs LinguaX
There are several good macOS mouse utilities, and they overlap in confusing ways. Mos is the classic free smooth-scroller. LinearMouse focuses on pointer acceleration and per-device settings. Mac Mouse Fix adds gestures and remapping. The catch is that many people end up running two or three of these at once — one for scrolling, one for acceleration, one for gestures — which is exactly the kind of stack that causes conflicts. This page compares all four honestly and shows where LinguaX fits as a single app.
The tools at a glance
- Mos — free, open source. The classic smooth-scroller; recent 4.x releases (2026) added mouse-button binding and Logitech HID++ button handling. Still no gestures, DPI control, or input-source switching.
- LinearMouse — free, open source, focused on pointer speed/acceleration and per-device tuning, with some button remapping. Less about scroll smoothing and gestures.
- Mac Mouse Fix — affordable, strong on gestures and button remapping with good smooth scrolling. A capable all-rounder.
- LinguaX — native, ~10MB. Two core capabilities in one app: mouse enhancement (smooth scrolling, button/gesture mapping, pointer speed, per-app overrides) and automatic input-source switching.
Comparison table
| Mos | LinearMouse | Mac Mouse Fix | LinguaX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth scrolling | Yes (core) | Limited | Yes | Yes — Min Step / Speed Gain / Duration |
| Reverse scroll | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes — per-axis |
| Pointer speed / acceleration | No | Yes (core) | Limited | Yes — per-device, persisted |
| Button / side-button mapping | Yes (4.x) | Some | Yes | Yes |
| Logitech HID++ buttons | Yes (4.x) | No | No | Yes |
| Gestures (swipe, long-press) | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| DPI adjustment (hardware) | No | No | No | Yes — Logitech HID++ |
| Battery display | No | No | No | Yes — BLE / Logitech HID++ |
| Per-app overrides | Limited | Some | Yes | Yes |
| Model recognition | Logi only (HID++) | Some | Some | Broad (MX Master, G502 X, M720, M585…) |
| Sleep/wake auto-recovery | Varies | Varies | Yes | Yes |
| Input-source automation | No | No | No | Yes (core capability) |
| Replaces a multi-tool stack | No | No | Mostly | Yes — one app |
| Price | Free | Free | Low one-time | $9.9 one-time (3 devices) |
Pick-your-tool decision tree
The real decision: one tool or three
If you only need smooth scrolling, Mos is a fine free choice. If you only need acceleration tuning, LinearMouse is excellent and free. The trouble starts when you need all of it — smoothing and acceleration and gestures and per-app behavior — because stacking Mos + LinearMouse + a remapper means three event taps fighting over the same input, which is a common source of jitter and dropped clicks.
LinguaX is built to be the single app in that slot:
- One event pipeline for scrolling, speed, buttons, and gestures — no inter-tool conflicts.
- Broad model recognition for accurate per-device setup.
- Per-app and per-axis control where the free tools are global-only.
- And a second core capability the others do not have at all: automatic input-source switching by app and by website.
Honest summary: keep Mos or LinearMouse if free scrolling plus basic button mapping is all you need. Choose LinguaX when you want gestures, hardware DPI, battery display, and broad per-device control in one native app — plus automatic input-source switching as a second core capability the others do not have at all.
Frequently asked questions
Mos is free and its smooth scrolling is great — why would I switch to LinguaX?
If you only need scrolling, don't switch — Mos is fine. Choose LinguaX when you also want gestures, hardware DPI, battery display, per-app behavior, or push-to-talk / IME switching from a mouse side button. Mos does not cover those.
If I install Mos + LinearMouse + Mac Mouse Fix together, will they conflict?
Probably yes. All three intercept mouse events; the same scroll tick may be handled three times or dropped mid-way, showing up as dropped frames, jitter, or occasional missed clicks. Keep one mouse enhancer, or replace them all with LinguaX.
Does LinguaX support Logitech MX Master 3S / 4 without Logi Options+?
Yes. Full gesture and button mapping over BLE HID++, no Logi Options+ needed. See per-model setup for MX Master 4, MX Master 3S, MX Anywhere 3S.
Can non-Logitech mice use it?
Yes. Any USB or Bluetooth mouse works with no driver. Common Logitech models (MX Master, G502 X, M720, M585, etc.) additionally get optimized default mappings; other brands go through generic recognition.
What does LinguaX's input-source auto-switching actually do?
It automatically switches to a chosen input source / keyboard layout by app or by website domain — e.g., English in Xcode, Chinese in WeChat/Slack chats, a specific layout on a given Google Docs page. Rules are set in the app's Input Source settings and persist across sessions.
Get started
LinguaX is a free download with a 30-day trial — no account, no telemetry. If it fits, it is a $9.9 one-time purchase covering 3 devices (no subscription).
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