shareclick / vs ShareMouse
ShareClick vs ShareMouse
Want a free, open-source ShareMouse alternative? ShareClick shares one mouse, keyboard, clipboard and files across your Mac and Windows PC with no license key, encryption on every channel and source code available under MIT or Apache-2.0.
Compared against the official ShareMouse feature and licensing pages on .
| Feature | ShareClick | ShareMouse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source | Restricted freeware; paid editions available |
| Open source | Yes (MIT/Apache) | No |
| Mac & Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Easy auto-setup | mDNS discovery | Yes (auto-detect) |
| Clipboard (text + images) | Yes | Yes |
| File transfer | Yes | Yes (drag & drop) |
| Encryption | X25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305 | AES |
| Input latency focus | ~6 µs transport (UDP) | Good |
| Commercial use | Free | Requires paid license |
freeware and paid editions
ShareClick has no paid tier and no distinction between personal and professional use under its open-source licenses. ShareMouse offers a restricted freeware mode for qualifying personal setups. Its official policy excludes professional use and larger or more advanced display arrangements; paid editions unlock commercial use and additional features.
Because licensing terms and product editions can change, verify the current ShareMouse shop and freeware policy for the exact number of computers and displays in your setup. ShareClick's trade-off is different: no license cost, but a younger pre-release project without commercial support.
file transfer and daily workflow
ShareMouse's file drag and drop is a mature part of its product experience: users can move a file between supported computers through the same desktop workflow. ShareClick transfers files over an encrypted reliable channel but does not claim the same level of drag-and-drop polish. If file movement is the dominant task, test both with the applications and file sizes you use every day.
Both products also synchronize clipboard content and allow control from either Mac or Windows. ShareClick adds an open protocol implementation and keeps input traffic separate from reliable clipboard and file traffic.
security and network model
Both products work across a local network and support encrypted connections. ShareClick authenticates pairing with a shared secret, derives ephemeral keys with X25519 and encrypts both channels using ChaCha20-Poly1305. ShareMouse documents password protection and AES encryption. In either case, pair only computers you trust because software KVM tools handle keyboard input and clipboard contents.
what the latency number means
ShareClick's approximately 6 µs value is local loopback transport overhead, not a full end-to-end comparison with ShareMouse. Capture, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, operating-system scheduling, input injection and monitor refresh all affect perceived latency. ShareClick's architectural claim is narrower: mouse and keyboard packets use a dedicated UDP channel so clipboard or file traffic cannot block input.
which should you pick?
Choose ShareClick if you want open-source licensing for personal or professional use, encryption by default and a low-latency Mac-to-Windows design.
Choose ShareMouse if you want its very polished drag-and-drop and don't mind a paid license for more than two computers or commercial use.
ShareMouse is the more established commercial product and has a polished file drag-and-drop workflow. ShareClick covers input, clipboard text and images, and encrypted files while staying free and open source. ShareClick is still pre-release, so test it with your exact Mac, Windows version and monitor arrangement before replacing a production setup.
moving from ShareMouse to ShareClick
Install ShareClick on both computers, pair them and reproduce the physical display layout. Approve Accessibility and Input Monitoring on macOS and the firewall prompt on Windows. There is no configuration import. Keep ShareMouse available until mouse crossing, keyboard layouts, clipboard images and file transfer have all been tested.
See the setup guide or compare more keyboard-and-mouse sharing tools.