Ditch Your Apple Magic Mouse for These 5 Superior Alternatives

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The Magic Mouse’s sleek, minimalist design makes it easy to recognize as an Apple product. It integrates seamlessly with desktop Macs as well as the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. For many users, it’s simply the mouse that belongs on a Mac, as it offers touch gestures and pairs easily with almost any mouse-compatible Apple device.

Apple has refined the Magic Mouse several times over the years, recently replacing its Lightning port with a USB-C charging port. But while it’s a natural fit for Apple hardware users, the Magic Mouse leaves many other users unsatisfied in many ways. The location of its USB-C port makes the mouse unusable when charging, for example, and its entry-level nature might not live up to the expectations of those who spend a lot of time in front of their computer.

We think that for many people, the Magic Mouse is an Apple product worth ignoring because the market is full of competitive alternatives. There are mice that work well with Mac desktops and laptops in a wide price range. We’ve sorted through them all and selected what we consider to be strong alternatives for a number of user types. Among them, you’ll find mice that offer more attractive ergonomics, lower prices, and feature sets that go well beyond what the Magic Mouse has to offer. As a bonus, we’ve also included the Apple Magic Trackpad for those who like Magic Mouse gesture controls.

Logitech is one of the most recognized brands when it comes to computer peripherals, and the Logitech MX Master 4 is its flagship wireless mouse. The MX Master has long been a must-have for those looking for one of the best mice on the market, and in our Logitech MX Master 4 review, we explain why this latest version is one of the model’s biggest updates. It works with Mac computers and other Apple devices, as well as Windows computers.

Where the Magic Mouse offers a flat, minimal profile that uses touchscreen features for interaction, the MX Master 4 is designed to fit the hand and features a dedicated scroll wheel and a horizontal scroll wheel for documents and wide timelines. It also has several programmable buttons that can be configured for specific applications. The MX Master 4 is a mouse that can handle much more than casual navigation, giving users a better sense of the digital interface they’re working with.

Of course, being one of the best mice on the market, the MX Master 4 comes at a significantly higher price than the Magic Mouse. It costs $120, which may be hard to justify for light users. But it can be used while charging and offers a feature upgrade for Mac users who may have outgrown what the Magic Mouse brings to the table.

If the price of the MX Master 4 gives you pause, another mouse in the Logitech lineup that compares favorably to the Magic Mouse is the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S. It is priced at $90, which is significantly lower than the MX Master 4 and in the same range as the Apple Magic Mouse. It’s designed with portability in mind, making it a good pairing with laptops in the MacBook and MacBook Pro series. Its battery can reach up to 70 days of use on a full charge.

Although it’s almost similar in price and size to the Magic Mouse, the MX Anywhere 3S comes with physical buttons, which should appeal to users who don’t like the idea of ​​the Magic Mouse’s touch controls. It has a scroll wheel, quiet click buttons and six programmable buttons, with the scroll wheel capable of switching between different scrolling modes. Additionally, the MX Anywhere 3S’s sensor is capable of tracking virtually any surface, including glass.

This mouse probably won’t have the same premium feel as the MX Master 4, and its compact size means it might not be suitable for users with larger hands. But it’s designed to have a more physical feel than the Magic Mouse offers, and Mac users who prefer to use a mouse with their laptop can rely on its portability to do some work on the go.

Not all Magic Mouse users will want to completely abandon their touch gestures. For those who prefer the gesture-based experience offered by the Magic Mouse but want a larger working surface, the Apple Magic Trackpad is worth looking into. It’s a wireless, rechargeable trackpad that uses Apple’s Force Touch technology to give desktop Mac users a laptop-like cursor experience. It even has more surface area than most laptop trackpads, making it a viable option for MacBook and MacBook Pro users.

The Magic Trackpad includes a full range of Multi-Touch gestures, with Force Touch adding a layer of functionality that the Magic Mouse doesn’t have. Sensors built into the trackpad are capable of detecting different amounts of pressure, which opens up a range of actions depending on the app being used. Scrolling, dragging between windows, pinching to zoom, and accessing your Mac’s Mission Control all feel more natural than even the smallest surface area of ​​the Magic Mouse can offer.

At $129, the Magic Trackpad checks in at a significantly higher price than the Magic Mouse. Its form factor may also require some mental adjustment for new users, and those who need precise cursor control, such as illustrators and photo editors, might not appreciate the transition to touch clicks. But anyone who prefers the touch controls of the Magic Mouse will find a deeper version of that experience with the Magic Trackpad.

Asus offers a wide range of peripherals for gamers, with the ASUS ROG Harp Ace Mini among its ultralight gaming mouse options. This $100 mouse is a solid option to turn to if you’re building a gaming setup, but its precision and minimal design also make it a superior alternative to the Magic Mouse. It’s very light at only 49 grams, but ASUS still managed to pack it with features.

The Ace Mini has a 42,000 DPI optical sensor and durable switches that should last a while. The precision and durability of this gaming mouse also transfers well to a number of different usage scenarios. Creative work like video editing, graphic design, and digital art all rely on precise cursor control, and even everyday users will benefit from not having to deal with a mouse that doesn’t respond as efficiently as one would like. ASUS even designed this mouse to work with both right- and left-handed users, just like Apple did with the Magic Mouse.

However, the Ace Mini’s symmetrical design could also be considered a flaw, as it isn’t as ergonomic or conforms to the shape of a hand like some other mice on the market. But since it’s a gaming mouse, it’s packed with features and connects to a Mac wirelessly or via USB. Five programmable buttons and some customizable settings also make the Ace Mini a quality alternative to the Magic Mouse, even for everyday users.

In the same way that the Magic Mouse is Apple’s all-around mouse offering, the Lenovo Go is a mouse designed for the masses. It’s simple, affordable, and capable of doing just about anything a daily computer user could ask for. This includes precise cursor control and the ability to adjust DPI sensitivity, as well as the ability to connect universally via 2.4GHz wireless.

The Lenovo Go is similar to the Magic Mouse in terms of who it serves, but it offers a wide range of basic features at a much lower price. It is regularly priced at $30, although it is frequently discounted throughout the year and is down to $25. It also has a physical scroll wheel and five buttons, including a programmable utility button, making it another quality alternative for those who aren’t interested in the Magic Mouse’s touch controls.

Its budget-conscious nature is also a flaw of the Lenovo Go, as it lacks the premium build quality of more expensive mice. Users who want something that feels more substantial in the hand may want to consider something with better build quality. But for those looking for a mouse strictly based on budget, the Lenovo Go can step in as an everyday mouse and save you a few bucks as well.

The Magic Mouse works well enough for some users, but its limitations frustrate others. Drawing on our own hands-on Magic Mouse experience, we’ve studied the mouse market looking for mice that improve on these limitations in some way. It wasn’t just about finding mice that work with a Mac. With so many options on the market, we relied heavily on our experience with certain mouse models, as well as our general technical expertise to understand the functionality of several others. Variety was also a priority, as the right alternative looks different depending on the user. What we’ve featured here reflects that range, with something worth considering for almost any type of Mac user looking to ditch the Magic Mouse.