StrokesPlus alternative for Mac: mouse gestures on macOS
If you came from Windows and used StrokesPlus, you know exactly what you are looking for on macOS. This is the guide to find it.
If you used StrokesPlus on Windows and now have a Mac, you already know the answer: StrokesPlus has no macOS version. It never did. And searching for it on Google only leads to 2015 forum threads where someone asked the same question without a response.
This guide explains what options exist on Mac for users coming from StrokesPlus — and why Curflow is the closest alternative in philosophy and user experience.
Why StrokesPlus generates such loyal users
StrokesPlus has something hard to explain to someone who has never used it: it makes the computer feel physically different. Not faster in the technical sense — more fluid. More connected to your hand.
The model is simple: you hold the right mouse button, make a movement, and something happens. Navigate back, close a tab, new window. Without lifting your hand from the mouse. Without looking at the keyboard. Without interrupting what you were doing.
What turns that model into a habit — and the habit into dependency — are three things:
Gestures are stored as movements, not combinations. The brain learns keyboard shortcuts as declarative data: you have to remember “Ctrl+Shift+T”. Mouse gestures are learned as procedural movements, just like riding a bike. Once installed, they are automatic. You do not think about them — they simply happen.
Context changes the action without changing the gesture. The same movement does one thing in the browser and something different in the image editor. The user does not have to know which app is active — the system knows for them.
Activation does not interrupt flow. Both keyboard shortcuts and menu access require a focus shift — minimal, but real. Mouse gestures happen on the same device you already have in your hand, at the same moment you need them.
When you switch from Windows to Mac with that muscle memory built up, it is not that you miss StrokesPlus as software. You miss that way of working.
Why StrokesPlus has no Mac version
The technical reason is that StrokesPlus was built on Windows APIs that have no direct equivalent in macOS. Apple’s security architecture is different: intercepting mouse input globally requires specific system permissions, and the behavior of right-click on macOS — where the contextual menu has a more central role — works differently.
A direct port would not make sense. It would need to be rewritten from scratch for macOS, with a different implementation philosophy.
StrokesPlus.net, the most recent version by the same author, also has no public plans to come to Mac.
What is available on macOS for mouse gesture users
The Mac ecosystem has mature automation tools, but few are designed specifically for cursor gestures with a mouse. The most relevant:
BetterTouchTool is the most powerful input customization tool in the Mac ecosystem. It supports cursor gestures — you can configure mouse movements to trigger actions — but with a total-control philosophy: you define exact paths, speeds, and activation zones. The result is maximum precision at the cost of complex configuration. For someone coming from StrokesPlus looking for things to work fast, the entry barrier is considerable.
Keyboard Maestro can trigger macros with the mouse, but its mental model is completely different — it is oriented toward multi-step workflow flows with conditional logic. It is like arriving at StrokesPlus but with a three-hour configuration detour.
Native macOS gestures with the trackpad are excellent, but only apply if you use a trackpad. For external mouse users — which is exactly the StrokesPlus audience — the system offers nothing equivalent.
Curflow: the StrokesPlus alternative on macOS
Curflow is not a StrokesPlus port. It is a new tool, built for macOS, that starts from the same question: how do you execute frequent actions without leaving your workflow?
The answer is the same as StrokesPlus: mouse gestures. Hold the button, make a movement, action happens. No intermediate menus. No keyboard.
What Curflow adds to the original StrokesPlus model:
Intent recognition, not coordinate tracking. StrokesPlus required drawing the gesture with some precision for the system to recognize it. Curflow interprets the direction of the movement and absorbs variability — the gesture works even if it is not perfect. This makes muscle memory build faster: you do not have to learn to “draw” the gesture correctly, just to move the mouse in the right direction.
Per-application context from first use. The same gesture does different things in the browser, in the text editor, or in the design tool. Just like StrokesPlus, but calibrated for macOS conventions.
No configuration layers before something works. The first working gesture takes less than two minutes. There is no configuration interface with twenty options to understand before being able to do something useful.
Built in native Swift. Runs directly on macOS, including Apple Silicon — M1, M2, M3, M4. No emulation, no intermediate layers, no battery impact.
Direct comparison: StrokesPlus vs Curflow
| StrokesPlus | Curflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows | macOS |
| Mouse gestures | Yes | Yes |
| Per-app context | Yes | Yes |
| Recognition | Exact paths | Intent (tolerant) |
| Setup time | Minutes | Less than 2 minutes |
| Price | Free | 14-day trial |
| Architecture | Native Win32 | Native Swift |
The transition in practice
Users coming from StrokesPlus usually have the same fundamental gestures configured: navigate back and forward in the browser, close tab, new tab, and two or three actions specific to their main tool.
That configuration replicates in Curflow without friction — simple directional gestures are the ones the engine recognizes best, and they are exactly the most used ones. The process is recreating the gestures you had, not adapting to a new philosophy.
The most noticeable difference at first is that macOS manages the right-click contextual menu differently from Windows. Curflow operates respecting those system conventions, which may require a minimal adjustment compared to how you activated gestures in StrokesPlus. In practice, most users adapt on the first day of use.
For the user who has been using StrokesPlus for years
There is something specific about StrokesPlus users that does not usually appear in reviews: most discovered the tool years ago, configured it once, and never thought about it again. It became invisible. It worked and that was it.
That is exactly what Curflow tries to replicate on macOS. Not a tool you configure and manage — one you configure once and that then disappears while you work.
Frequently asked questions
Does StrokesPlus exist for Mac?
No. StrokesPlus and StrokesPlus.net are exclusive to Windows. There is no official version or port for macOS.
What is the best StrokesPlus alternative on Mac?
Curflow is the closest alternative in philosophy: mouse gestures to execute app actions with per-application context and no configuration friction. BetterTouchTool also supports cursor gestures with greater configurability, but with a significantly higher entry curve.
Does Curflow work with an external mouse, not just a trackpad?
Yes. Curflow is designed for the mouse — which is exactly the input device of StrokesPlus users. No trackpad required.
Does it work on Apple Silicon?
Yes. Curflow runs natively on Apple M1, M2, M3, and M4 chips.
Can I replicate the same gestures I had in StrokesPlus?
Simple directional gestures — the most used ones in StrokesPlus — have direct equivalents in Curflow. The initial setup takes minutes.
How much does Curflow cost?
Curflow offers two plans: Standard at $12 (1 Mac, 1 year of updates) and Pro at $24 (3 Macs, lifetime updates). Early Bird pricing: $9 Standard, $19 Pro. 14-day trial available.