No Mouse Mode vs Homerow vs Shortcat: Keyboard Clicking on Mac
Short answer: for most people, No Mouse Mode is the one to get. Like Homerow and Shortcat it labels what you can click, finds buttons by name and scrolls from the keyboard. It also steers the pointer with W A S D, drags, has a jump grid for places that aren’t buttons, and can read on-screen text in apps that hide their buttons. It’s $19.99 once for one Mac.
Homerow is the better buy if you use four or more Macs (one $49.99 license covers all your personal Macs), if you’re still on macOS 13 Ventura, or if you want to move around Mission Control from the keyboard. Shortcat suits people who mostly want a command palette that also searches window titles and menus; its site lists no price and its changelog calls it a beta.
Vimac, the open-source app many Vim users started with, now points to Homerow and hasn’t been updated since 2022, so it isn’t in the table.
 No Mouse Mode | Homerow | Shortcat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 one-time (1 Mac) | $49.99 one-time (all your personal Macs) | No price listed |
| Labels on everything clickable, type the letters to click | ✓ | ✓ | Yes, 1–2 letter hints |
| Type a button’s name to click it | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Right-click, double-click and ⌘-click from the keyboard | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keep clicking without reopening the labels | Yes (Tab) | Click chain feature | Continuous mode, in alpha |
| Scroll a chosen pane from the keyboard | Yes, numbered scroll areas | Yes, scroll mode with H J K L | In alpha (Space+⌘ with H J K L) |
| Move the pointer freely with keys | Yes, W A S D | Not stated | Only onto a found element (tap ⌃) |
| Drag and drop from the keyboard | Yes, hold Space | Not stated | Not stated |
| Grid to reach spots that aren’t buttons | Yes, 3×3 jump grid | Not stated | Not stated |
| Reads on-screen text for apps that hide their buttons | Optional, on your Mac | Not stated | Not stated |
| Search window titles | — | Not stated | ✓ |
| Search the front app’s menu commands | Once a menu is open | Not stated | ✓ |
| Turns off in apps you choose | ✓ | Yes (ignored apps) | Not stated |
| Hands-on lessons built in | Yes, nine lessons | Not stated | Not stated |
| Change the shortcuts | Every key and shortcut | ✓ | Activation shortcut; H J K L or I J K L |
| Works across multiple displays | ✓ | Yes, labels on the active screen | Not stated |
| Apple silicon and Intel | ✓ | Not stated | ✓ |
| Macs per license | 1, 3, 5 or 20, by tier | All your personal Macs | Not stated |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later | macOS 13 or later | macOS 13 or later |
| Latest release | 2.0.0, October 2026 | 1.5.3, March 2026 | 0.12.2, July 2025 |
What all three have in common
Each app puts a short shortcut on the buttons and links of the app in front, so you can click by typing instead of reaching for the trackpad. Each one also lets you type part of a button’s name to find it, and each can right-click, double-click and ⌘-click from the keyboard.
All three even start from the same shortcut: ⇧⌘Space. Homerow and No Mouse Mode also share ⇧⌘J for scrolling and ⇧⌘/ for search. If you keep more than one installed, give each its own shortcuts first.
None of them promises every app. Homerow says it works with most native macOS apps and a growing set of web-based ones, Shortcat says results depend on each app’s Accessibility support, and No Mouse Mode’s labels need apps that describe their buttons to macOS.
Where No Mouse Mode stands out
- The pointer, not just buttons. Press ⇧⌘M and W A S D glide the pointer: a tap nudges it, Shift goes faster, holding Q moves one point at a time. Space clicks and holding Space drags. Return right-clicks, M middle-clicks, and [ and ] are back and forward.
- A jump grid. Press E and a 3×3 grid covers the screen, zooming in with each key, so two or three presses reach any point. That covers canvases, games and remote desktops where labels can’t go.
- Labels in apps that stay quiet. An optional setting reads the text on screen with Apple’s text recognition, on your Mac, and labels buttons the app never described. Nothing it sees is saved or sent.
- Scroll areas with Vim keys. ⇧⌘J numbers every scrollable pane. Pick one, then use the arrows or H J K L, Space to page, D and U for half pages, and T and B for the top and bottom.
- Saved spots. ⇧ with a number saves where the pointer is; the number brings it back.
- It stays out of your typing. Clicking into a text box switches it off, it can switch off by itself in apps you choose, and you can use it only while holding Right ⌘ or Right ⌥.
- Easy to learn. Setup ends with a hands-on try, and the Practice window has nine short lessons. H shows every key along the bottom of the screen.
- Price for one Mac. $19.99 once, against Homerow’s $49.99.
Where Homerow is better
- Many Macs, one price. Homerow’s $49.99 license covers all your personal Macs. No Mouse Mode costs the same for 3 Macs and $79.99 for 5, so with four or more Macs Homerow costs less. Homerow also offers students 30% off.
- Older macOS. Homerow runs on macOS 13 Ventura; No Mouse Mode needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- Mission Control. Homerow 1.5 added keyboard navigation in Mission Control, which No Mouse Mode doesn’t offer.
- A long line of work. Homerow is the successor to Vimac, and its user guide on GitHub includes tips for pairing it with a Hyper key.
If you mainly click buttons, already use several Macs and don’t need pointer control, Homerow is a fine choice.
Where Shortcat is better
- Windows and menus. Shortcat searches window titles, so you can jump to a window by name, and it fuzzy-searches the front app’s menu items. No Mouse Mode doesn’t search windows and only labels menu items once a menu is open.
- Search that forgives. Shortcat matches synonyms (“remove” finds a Delete button), lets you filter by element type such as link or button, and runs the top ten results with ⌘ and a number.
- Extras. It has an emoji mode with fuzzy search, and it installs with Homebrew.
If you think in commands rather than places on screen, Shortcat’s palette may suit you better. Its site lists no price, its changelog calls it a beta, and its last release was in July 2025.
What about Vimac and Scoot?
Vimac was the open-source app that brought Vimium-style hints to the whole Mac. Its GitHub page now says “Vimac is now Homerow”, and the code hasn’t changed since December 2022, so Homerow is the place to look if you liked it.
Scoot is an open-source app (BSD license) with labels on buttons, a grid over every screen, and a free mode that moves the pointer with macOS, Emacs or vi text-editing keys. It released version 1.3 in March 2026, though its README still lists macOS 11 Big Sur and 12 Monterey. If open source matters most to you, it’s worth a look.
Price, side by side
| Macs | No Mouse Mode | Homerow | Shortcat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $19.99 | $49.99 | No price listed |
| 3 | $49.99 | $49.99 | No price listed |
| 5 | $79.99 | $49.99 | No price listed |
All prices are one-time, as listed on each app’s own site on November 11, 2026. Homerow’s license covers your personal Macs. No Mouse Mode also has a 20-Mac license for teams at $299.99; Homerow’s site doesn’t list a team price.
The verdict
For most people, No Mouse Mode is the better pick. It does what Homerow and Shortcat do (labels, type to click, scrolling) and also covers what their sites don’t list: steering the pointer, dragging, reaching spots that aren’t buttons, and finding buttons in apps that hide them. It costs $19.99 once for one Mac, keystrokes are never stored or sent, and nine short lessons get you comfortable the same day.
Pick Homerow if you have four or more Macs, are still on macOS 13, or want Mission Control from the keyboard. Pick Shortcat if your day is mostly menus and window switching and a command palette suits you better than labels.
Questions
Is No Mouse Mode cheaper than Homerow?
For one Mac, yes: $19.99 against $49.99, both one-time. For three Macs both cost $49.99. Homerow’s license covers all your personal Macs, so with four or more it costs less.
Can I use Homerow, Shortcat and No Mouse Mode at the same time?
All three start with ⇧⌘Space by default, and Homerow and No Mouse Mode also share ⇧⌘J and ⇧⌘/. If you keep more than one, change the shortcuts in one of them first so they don’t clash.
Which one works in Electron apps like Slack and VS Code?
All three cover them. Homerow lists VS Code, Slack, Notion and Figma, Shortcat says it works with most Electron apps including VS Code, and No Mouse Mode asks Chrome and Electron apps to describe their buttons each time it reads the window. How well any of them works still depends on each app.
Which one can click in games, design canvases or remote desktops?
No Mouse Mode, through its jump grid and W A S D pointer movement, which don’t need an app to describe its buttons. Homerow’s and Shortcat’s sites don’t list a grid or free pointer movement.
Which one is best for Vim users?
All three suit Vim habits. Homerow scrolls with H J K L, Shortcat has H J K L arrows and scrolling in alpha, and No Mouse Mode’s scroll areas take H J K L, D and U, and g and ⇧G. No Mouse Mode also builds its labels from home-row letters first.
Is Vimac still maintained?
No. Its GitHub page says Vimac is now Homerow, and the code was last changed in December 2022.
Which one runs on the oldest macOS?
Homerow and Shortcat both need macOS 13 or later, and No Mouse Mode needs macOS 14 or later. Scoot’s README lists macOS 11 and 12.
Do I need any of these if macOS has Full Keyboard Access?
Full Keyboard Access moves between controls one at a time with Tab and presses them with Space, and it can search with Tab-F. It doesn’t put labels on buttons or click spots that aren’t controls, which is what these apps add.
Sources
- No Mouse Mode on Snugbits (checked 11 November 2026)
- Homerow website (features, pricing, FAQ) (checked 11 November 2026)
- Homerow changelog (checked 11 November 2026)
- Homerow user guide on GitHub (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat website (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat changelog (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Selection (hints) (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Actions (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Arrow Keys / Scroll (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Continuous Mode (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Configuration Options (checked 11 November 2026)
- Shortcat docs: Search (checked 11 November 2026)
- Vimac on GitHub (checked 11 November 2026)
- Scoot on GitHub (checked 11 November 2026)
- Apple: Use Full Keyboard Access on Mac (checked 11 November 2026)
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