Haptiker vs BetterTouchTool
BetterTouchTool is a powerful app for customising gestures, shortcuts and input devices on a Mac. Haptiker does one job: it turns the edges of your trackpad into sliders for volume, display brightness and keyboard backlight. They solve different problems.
BetterTouchTool details are from folivora.ai, checked October 2026. Check their site for current details.
| Haptiker | BetterTouchTool | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Trackpad edge sliders, ready to use | General-purpose gesture and input customisation |
| Setup | Install, allow Accessibility, slide an edge | You choose gestures and assign actions yourself |
| Volume and brightness | Slide along the right and left edges | Assign gestures you configure, for example a rotate gesture |
| Keyboard backlight | Slide along the top edge | Depends on how you configure it |
| Price | $4.99 one-time (launch price) | $15 (2 years of updates) or $25 lifetime; also on Setapp |
| Trial | 7 days, every feature | 45 days |
Choose BetterTouchTool if
- You want to remap many gestures, keys or mouse buttons, not just sliders.
- You enjoy building your own setup and don't mind the time it takes.
Choose Haptiker if
- You only want volume, brightness and keyboard backlight on the trackpad, working right away.
- You want sliders that feel native: an on-screen level, haptic ticks, fine control and a cursor that stays put while you adjust.
- You want brightness to follow the screen your cursor is on, including external monitors on Apple Silicon Macs.
Using both
If you keep BetterTouchTool for other gestures, avoid giving it gestures on the trackpad edges Haptiker uses, so one slide isn't handled twice. You can also narrow Haptiker's edge zones or limit the side zones to the bottom quarter in its settings.
New to trackpad volume control? Read how to control volume and brightness with your Mac trackpad, or see all alternatives.