The best keyboard remappers, according to hackers
5 keyboard remappers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 3 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended keyboard remappers with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Remaps any key or shortcut
Free Mac app that remaps keys and shortcuts system-wide or per application, with exportable settings. Caveat: setup takes time, and config changes have broken some setups.
Indispensable and worth paying for
Recommended for powerful trackpad, mouse and keyboard customization on macOS; people call it indispensable and worth the price. Caveat: cumbersome UI and missing single-modifier mapping.
Easy to configure and get going
Recommended as an easy-to-configure Linux key remapper that works on the virtual terminal, for Caps Lock tricks and macOS-style layouts. Caveat: a broad device mask can grab the touchpad too.
All 5 keyboard remappers, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karabiner-Elements | 55 | 4 | 93% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | BetterTouchTool | 25 | 1 | 96% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 3 | keyd | 19 | 2 | 90% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 4 | Toshy | 6 | 2 | 75% | 7 | — | — |
| 5 | Kanata | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same keyboard remapper in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to keyboard remappers that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.