JoyToKey vs Universal Control Remapper

JoyToKey converts game-controller buttons and stick input into keyboard strokes or mouse actions for Windows applications and web games. A joystick button can be assigned a key, key combination, mouse movement, wheel movement, or click. Users can make multiple profiles and have the active profile switch based on the application in focus. An Auto Setting Wizard helps configure basic assignments, while advanced settings let a button rotate among two or three assignment sets based on rotation, press duration, or analog input level. Button Alias can create virtual buttons, combine functions for one input, or trigger an input when two buttons are pressed together. Profiles can be associated with target applications, and command-line arguments can refresh joystick devices or switch profiles. JoyToKey supports Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista, and is offered as an installer or ZIP archive, with a separate ASCII-only build. The shareware can be evaluated without functional limits. The JoyToKey License Key is listed at $7.50 a month for continued use after the trial period. The download page states that the product has no warranty.

Universal Control Remapper (UCR) is a free, open-source Windows application for routing physical device inputs to virtual outputs. It can connect any number of inputs to any number of outputs, including analog input, and supports devices such as keyboards, mice, joysticks, racing wheels, and Tobii eye trackers. Listed outputs include Xbox 360 and DualShock 4 controllers, DirectInput controllers, keyboards, and mice; provider documentation also names Titan One, 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse, and MIDI devices. Nested profiles can be switched by external programs using command-line parameters, and remapping and device order persist across reboots and unplugging. Plugins can add input and output transformations, while device providers can extend compatibility. The project says UCR uses no injection and is compatible with games that use anti-tampering technologies such as Denuvo. Some providers may require technical setup, command-line use, and administrator rights to install drivers; additional drivers may be needed for virtual Xbox or DirectInput controllers. UCR is labeled Alpha, and the project warns of bugs, experimental features, and settings files that may not work across versions. Its latest listed release is v0.9.0 Alpha, dated 2020-01-02.