BetterTouchTool vs Keyboard Maestro vs Curflow: Which Mac Automation Tool Fits Your Workflow?

Mac automation tools solve different problems. Keyboard shortcuts handle in-app speed. BetterTouchTool gives total input control. Keyboard Maestro orchestrates complex multi-step workflows. Curflow eliminates friction from frequent actions with cursor gestures. The right tool depends on the specific problem you are trying to solve — not on which one has the most features.

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When someone discovers Curflow, the first question is usually the same: “Doesn’t BetterTouchTool do that?” The short answer is no. The long answer is about what problem you are actually trying to solve.

There is a mature ecosystem of automation tools for Mac. Keyboard Maestro has twenty years of history. BetterTouchTool has a community of hundreds of thousands of users. The operating system’s keyboard shortcuts have been there for decades. All of them work. None of them solves the same problem as Curflow.

The criterion that matters: cognitive friction

Most comparisons between productivity tools measure features: how many actions it supports, how many apps it integrates with, how flexible the configuration is. Those metrics matter, but they sidestep the central question: how much do you have to think to use it?

Cognitive friction is the mental cost of operating a tool. A shortcut you remember without thinking has zero friction. A shortcut you have to search for in your memory has high friction. A tool that requires configuring 47 options before doing something has an entry barrier that most people never cross. This is the same reason keyboard shortcuts eventually break your flow — the cognitive load grows with every new app and every new combination.

The ideal tool has no visible learning curve. It simply works the way your brain already expects it to work.

Native system keyboard shortcuts

macOS native shortcuts and per-app shortcuts are the starting point for any power user. They are fast, integrated, and require no installation. Their limitation is structural: each app speaks a different key language.

Cmd+Shift+D closes a tab in Arc, searches in Figma, and does nothing in VS Code. That fragmented mapping means your brain does not store a vocabulary — it stores dozens of local dialects. The more apps you use, the more conflicts and exceptions you have to manage.

• Speed: maximum when the shortcut is memorized
• Consistency: low across different apps
• Cognitive load: grows with every new tool
• Configurability: limited to what each app exposes

BetterTouchTool

BetterTouchTool is the most powerful input customization tool in the Mac ecosystem — we did a full head-to-head comparison here. For this analysis, the key point is: BTT is a configuration powerhouse. It supports trackpad gestures, function keys, mouse buttons, the Touch Bar, and dozens of other devices. Its cursor gesture support requires defining exact paths, speed thresholds, and activation zones manually.

The trade-off is that total control comes with total complexity. For someone who wants to reduce friction in their daily workflow, the initial configuration is itself a significant source of friction. If that trade-off interests you, the full BTT vs Curflow breakdown covers setup time, gesture tolerance, pricing, and when each tool is the right choice.

Keyboard Maestro

Keyboard Maestro is a macro engine. Its mental model is different from every other tool in this list: you define sequences of actions that trigger under specific conditions — time of day, clipboard contents, application state, USB device connection, window position, and dozens more.

Where Keyboard Maestro shines is in workflows that cross multiple applications and require conditional logic. A practical example: you receive a PDF invoice by email. Keyboard Maestro can detect the new file in your Downloads folder, extract the amount and date using regex, rename the file with that information, move it to the correct project folder in Finder, append a line to a tracking spreadsheet, and send you a notification — all triggered automatically, with zero manual steps.

That level of automation has no equal in the Mac ecosystem. But it comes with a real learning curve. Mastering Keyboard Maestro is itself a skill that takes weeks of practice. For the user who builds elaborate automation flows — moving files, transforming text, interacting with APIs, managing windows across monitors — that investment pays for itself many times over. For the user who simply wants to execute an app action without lifting their fingers from the mouse, it is overkill.

• Power: no practical limit
• Learning curve: the steepest of the group
• Best for: multi-step workflows with conditions, variables, and cross-app logic
• Philosophy: build once, automate forever

What makes Curflow different

Curflow does not compete in the “do more things” space. It competes in the “do one thing without noticing you did it” space.

Curflow’s gesture engine works on cursor movement while holding the mouse button. No menu layers. You do not define exact paths — the engine interprets intent, not coordinates. Per-app configuration exists but is optional: global gestures work from the moment you assign them.

• Time to first working gesture: less than 2 minutes
• Type of memory required: procedural (movement), not declarative (key combination)
• Latency: native Swift, no runtime layers between gesture and action
• Configuration: minimal by design, not by technical limitation
• Per-app context: the same gesture can do different things in Figma and VS Code

Curflow does not do everything BetterTouchTool does. It does not have multi-step macros. It does not support thirty types of input device. It does not have a scripting API. Those limitations are deliberate — every feature not in Curflow is a decision not to add complexity that would dilute the main use case. As we explored in automating Mac tasks without Shortcuts, the most effective automation is often the simplest one that actually gets used daily.

The decision framework

The practical way to choose between these tools is to identify the specific problem first, then match the tool:

If your problem is: “I need to automate a multi-step process across several apps” → Keyboard Maestro. Define the sequence once, trigger it with a hotkey or automatically. Nothing else on Mac handles conditional, multi-step workflows this well.

If your problem is: “I want my trackpad or mouse buttons to behave differently in different apps” → BetterTouchTool. Granular control over every input device, every trigger, every app-specific rule. See our full BTT comparison for details.

If your problem is: “I have keyboard shortcuts I use constantly but they break my flow” → Curflow. Replace the shortcuts you reach for most often with cursor gestures that require no conscious recall. The same movement adapts per app automatically.

If your problem is: “I want to try automation for the first time” → Start with macOS Shortcuts (free, installed, visual). When you hit its ceiling, the problem you couldn’t solve will tell you which tool is next. Our overview of the best Mac automation tools in 2026 maps each tool to its use case.

If your problem is: “I want total control over everything” → Keyboard Maestro for workflows + BetterTouchTool for input devices + Curflow for daily gestures. They coexist. The question is not “which is best?” — it is “which solves this specific problem?”

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The honest trade-off

When something solves a specific problem exceptionally well, adding adjacent functionality turns it into something that solves many problems mediocrely. That is why Curflow does not try to be Keyboard Maestro or BetterTouchTool. It tries to be invisible — a tool you configure once and that then disappears while you work.

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Which should you use?

If you need complex multi-step automation, Keyboard Maestro is the right tool. If you want total customization of every input device with fine control over every parameter, BetterTouchTool is the answer. If you want native keyboard shortcuts of your favorite app to work better, you already have them.

If what you are looking for is a way to execute frequent actions without interrupting your train of thought — without remembering combinations, without looking at the keyboard, without leaving the context you are working in — Curflow is built exactly for that.

One final note

Many Curflow users also use BetterTouchTool for other things. They are not mutually exclusive. The question is not “which is better?” — it is “which is the right tool for this specific problem?” For the problem of cognitive friction in the daily workflow, Curflow is the answer we built.