Karabiner Elements vs xmodmap

Struggling to choose between Karabiner Elements and xmodmap? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Karabiner Elements is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like keyboard, customization, remapping, macros, shortcuts.

It boasts features such as Remap keys and buttons, Create complex custom keyboard shortcuts, Change key behaviors like key repeat rate, Simple rules editor to create modifications, Supports common keyboards and pointing devices and pros including Powerful customization options, Intuitive interface, Active development and updates, Free and open source.

On the other hand, xmodmap is a Os & Utilities product tagged with keyboard, key-mapping, xorg, utility.

Its standout features include Remaps keys and mouse buttons, Does not require editing configuration files directly, Applies changes temporarily for current X session, Supports keyboard layout switching, Can assign macros to keys, and it shines with pros like Simple and easy to use, Does not require restarting X server, Allows customizing keyboard and mouse without permanent changes, Helpful for non-US keyboards and accessibility.

Feature	Karabiner Elements	xmodmap
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Os & Utilities

Product Overview

Karabiner Elements

Description: Karabiner Elements is a powerful keyboard customization tool for macOS that allows you to customize and remap keys, modify key behaviors, and create complex macros and shortcuts.

xmodmap

Description: xmodmap is a utility for modifying keyboard mappings and pointer button mappings in Xorg. It allows users to remap keys and buttons and assign different functions without having to edit configuration files directly.

Key Features Comparison

Karabiner Elements Features

• Remap keys and buttons
• Create complex custom keyboard shortcuts
• Change key behaviors like key repeat rate
• Simple rules editor to create modifications
• Supports common keyboards and pointing devices

xmodmap Features

• Remaps keys and mouse buttons
• Does not require editing configuration files directly
• Applies changes temporarily for current X session
• Supports keyboard layout switching
• Can assign macros to keys

Pros & Cons Analysis

Karabiner Elements

Pros

• Powerful customization options
• Intuitive interface
• Active development and updates
• Free and open source

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Manual editing of JSON files required for advanced features
• Limited to macOS platform only

xmodmap

Pros

• Simple and easy to use
• Does not require restarting X server
• Allows customizing keyboard and mouse without permanent changes
• Helpful for non-US keyboards and accessibility

Cons

• Mappings do not persist across sessions
• Limited to Xorg only, not compatible with Wayland
• Can conflict with other mapping tools
• Requires manually running on each login

Pricing Comparison

Karabiner Elements

• Open Source

xmodmap

• Free
• Open Source