ControllerBuddy vs Input Remapper

ControllerBuddy maps gamepad inputs to keyboard and mouse actions or a virtual joystick for flight simulators. Profiles can assign controls through different modes, and an overlay displays the active mode and virtual-axis states. A gamepad-controlled on-screen keyboard supports selecting keys and holding multiple keys at once. The software supports Xbox Controller, DualShock 4, DualSense and other controllers supported by SDLGameControllerDB. Community-maintained profiles are listed for simulators and aircraft, including DCS World and Microsoft Flight Simulator versions 2020 and 2024. ControllerBuddy runs on Windows 10 or 11 (x64) and Linux (x64 or aarch64); its official Flatpak package includes profiles and optional helper scripts for Proton games and DOSBox Staging. The software is free and open-source under GNU GPL v3.0. There are control limits: mode actions must be assigned at Default Mode level and cannot combine multiple buttons, and the two triggers cannot be merged into one rudder axis. It uses rolling releases, with backward compatibility not guaranteed.

Input Remapper is free Linux software for changing how input devices behave. It can map keys, mouse movements, joysticks, wheels, triggers, combinations and other inputs to different outputs, using either X11 or Wayland. In its graphical interface, you select a device, create a preset, add mappings and apply them. Optional macros provide cross-device variables, conditions and named parameters. Analog inputs can become analog outputs with adjustable sensitivity and non-linearity. Installation guidance covers Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora, Arch and Void, with manual installation described for other distributions. Version 2.0 and later requires at least Ubuntu 22.04. Reading `/dev/input/` events requires special permissions, so the interface requests a sudo password. Output symbols depend on the keyboard layout. The project is GPL-3.0 licensed and warns that game anti-cheat software might detect macros.