TrackStudio vs Trill: Gesture Sets or Scenes?
Trill starts with ready-made gesture sets. TrackStudio starts with a blank surface. The honest answer depends on whether you want a guided start or a layout you arrange.
Trill is one of the best onboarding stories in the Mac gesture market. It starts with ready-made sets for Everyday, Browser, Windows, Media, Writing, and Developer. You switch on a set, or record a gesture by doing it. TrackStudio starts from the other direction: a visual surface you arrange yourself.
We make TrackStudio, so read this with that bias in mind. The useful question is not which app has more actions. It is whether you want a guided set or a scene system.
What Trill does well
Trill ships with six gesture sets: Everyday, Browser, Windows, Media, Writing, and Developer. It supports three-, four-, and five-finger taps, tip-taps, swipes, edge swipes, corner clicks, and edge slides. You can record a custom gesture by performing it. It has more than a hundred actions, including shortcuts, text, apps, files, links, Shortcuts, scripts, music, volume, brightness, tabs, and window movement.
It adds haptics on Force Touch trackpads, a Caps Lock Hyper Key, and drag-to-snap window management. It costs $29 one-time for three Macs, with a 24-hour trial and macOS 14 or later. It runs on Apple silicon and Intel, processes touches locally, and has no analytics.
What TrackStudio does
TrackStudio maps the whole trackpad. The left and right edges can be brightness and volume rails; the bottom edge can scrub media; the corners can run actions; you can draw rectangular areas for anything else; the center can hold a gesture. Each app can have its own scene, so Safari, Figma, Final Cut Pro, and VS Code can behave differently.
It also has a haptic language: detents on the rails, a tick when an action runs, a texture while scrubbing. It costs ₹499 one-time and runs on macOS 13 or later. There is no trial listed. It is not a scripting platform, a key remapper, or a full window manager.
Side by side
| Dimension | Trill | TrackStudio |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Guided gesture sets + Hyper Key + snapping | Whole-trackpad visual surface |
| Price | $29 one-time; 3 Macs | ₹499 one-time in the current store |
| Trial | 24 hours | No trial listed |
| macOS | 14 or later | 13 or later |
| Start model | Ready-made sets or record a gesture | Arrange edges, corners, areas, and scenes |
| Edge controls | Volume, brightness, edge swipes | Left, right, and bottom edges; configurable per scene |
| Corners and areas | Corner clicks; no custom areas | Four corners and custom rectangular areas |
| Per-app scoping | Yes | Yes, as scenes |
| Media scrub | Media actions; no dedicated scrub rail | Yes, on the bottom edge |
| Haptics | Haptic tick for gestures | Detents, action ticks, scrub texture |
| Hyper Key | Yes, Caps Lock | No |
| Window snapping | Drag-to-snap, named zones | Window actions only |
| Scripting | Yes, via actions | No |
| Learning curve | Guided; minutes | Longer; you are arranging a surface |
Prices and features checked on the vendors’ public pages on November 2, 2026. Regional pricing and taxes vary.
Choose Trill if…
You want a guided start and ready-made sets. You want a Hyper Key and drag-to-snap window management. You want haptics and a modern all-in-one without BetterTouchTool’s complexity. You want a 24-hour trial and a license for three Macs. You do not need custom rectangular areas, a media scrub rail, or a visual scene editor. You are willing to pay $29 for the guided experience.
Choose TrackStudio if…
You want the whole trackpad to be a layout, not a set of gestures. You want a different arrangement for Figma, Final Cut Pro, VS Code, and Safari. You want media scrub on the bottom edge, corners for Mission Control or screenshots, and custom areas for undo/redo or tabs. You care about haptic feedback across the whole surface. You want a lower one-time price and macOS 13 support.
Can you use both?
Yes, but do not map the same gesture in both. Trill is a good owner for the Hyper Key, window snapping, and ready-made gesture sets. TrackStudio is a good owner for the visual surface, edges, areas, and scenes. If both apps own the same edge slide, the result will feel unpredictable.
The bottom line
Trill is the better guided gesture app. It has the best onboarding in the category, a Hyper Key, window snapping, and a three-Mac license. TrackStudio is the better whole-surface app. If you want a set you can switch on, buy Trill. If you want a surface you can arrange, TrackStudio is the more natural place to start.
Make the trackpad feel like hardware.
TrackStudio maps edges, corners, areas, gestures, and haptics to the app in front of you. One purchase, no subscription.
See TrackStudio — ₹499Questions
Is Trill a TrackStudio replacement?
Only if you want guided gesture sets, a Hyper Key, and window snapping. TrackStudio adds a visual whole-surface editor, custom areas, media scrub, and per-app scenes.
Does Trill have custom areas?
Trill supports corner clicks and edge slides but does not have TrackStudio’s custom rectangular area editor.
Does TrackStudio have a Hyper Key?
No. TrackStudio is a trackpad surface app and does not include a Hyper Key. Trill, BetterTouchTool, or Karabiner-Elements are the better tools for that.
Which one has a trial?
Trill has a 24-hour trial. TrackStudio does not list a trial in the current store.
Can I use both?
Yes, if each physical gesture has one owner. Do not map the same edge or swipe in both.
Sources
Pricing and features checked November 2026. Vendor pages change; confirm before buying.