ControllerBuddy vs LEA Extended Input
ControllerBuddy
controllerbuddy.orgLEA Extended Input
leaextendedinput.comSide by side
| Figure | ControllerBuddy | LEA Extended Input |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Controller Mapper Software | 8.8 (#2) | 7.5 (#19) |
| Maker | The website identifies Matteo Hausner as the creator and copyright holder of ControllerBuddy. | The download page carries the copyright notice “Copyright @2015 Thomas Brillet.” |
| Purpose | ControllerBuddy maps gamepad inputs for flight simulators, aiming to let users fly without a joystick, keyboard, or mouse. | LEA Extended Input lets users emulate keyboard and joystick inputs from client devices connected to a PC. |
Plans
In their own words
ControllerBuddy
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.
LEA Extended Input
LEA Extended Input lets users emulate keyboard and joystick inputs from mobile client devices connected to a PC. The clients are available for Android and iOS, and the standalone server runs on 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and higher. The server emulates four joysticks and one keyboard, can redirect gamepad and joystick inputs to them, and supports multiple clients connected to one PC with synchronized client statuses.
Users can choose from 13 standard controls, create their own, or import controls shared by the community. Controls can be customized by shape, size, orientation, color, and texture, and the client includes a macro editor. In Extended mode, a compatible PC game can send information such as inventory, a mini-map, or radar to the client UI. Users can export projects through LEA Resources Manager on PC to share them with the community. The maker offers a C# SDK; its SDK page lists a C++ SDK as available soon. The clients and server are free.