Keysticks vs PowerAim
Keysticks
keysticks.netPowerAim
poweraim.deSide by side
| Figure | Keysticks | PowerAim |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Controller Mapping Software | 8.1 (#10) | 8.0 (#13) |
| Documentation | The official help area covers installation, profiles, controls, keyboard features, options, Profile Designer tabs, advanced editing and action types. | The project documents installation, features, configuration, troubleshooting, model training and architecture, and bundles documentation for offline use. |
| Licence | The maker states that Keysticks is open source under the Eclipse Public License 1.0. | PowerAim is source-available under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0; commercial resale, paid bundling and commercial competing products are prohibited. |
| Maker | The contact page identifies Tim Brogden as the creator of Keysticks. | The project credits Florian Gilde, whose GitHub profile identifies him as a .NET and TypeScript developer and lists AI-Ming among his local-AI projects. |
| Purpose | Keysticks lets users control a Windows PC with a gamepad or joystick to browse the web, play games and music, and use the computer in place of a keyboard and mouse. | PowerAim captures the screen, runs a YOLOv8 model, and moves the mouse or a virtual controller toward detected targets. |
| Release news | Version 2.14 updated the Download Area connection after the website was redeveloped, and old accounts had to be re-registered. | GitHub lists PowerAim 2.2.0.4 as released on September 24, 2026 with idle-mapping and OCR fixes plus an unfinished local JavaScript AutoPlay option. |
| Support | The maker provides online help and an FAQ and invites users to contact Tim, the creator, through a contact form. | The project accepts optional support, and its documentation links to contact and support resources. |
| System requirements | The published minimum is Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista with at least 30 MB of free disk space. | Minimum requirements are Windows 10 1903 or Windows 11 x64, a 4-core 2.5 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM, a DirectX 11 GPU with 2 GB VRAM and 500 MB disk space. |
| What it does | Keysticks maps game-controller input to mouse, keyboard and application actions for PC use. | PowerAim captures the desktop, runs a YOLOv8 ONNX model and moves mouse or virtual-controller input toward detected targets. |
Plans
In their own words
Keysticks
Keysticks lets you control a Windows PC with a gamepad or joystick, including for web browsing, games, music and tasks normally handled with a keyboard and mouse. It supports correctly installed wired or wireless XInput and DirectInput controllers. For games that accept keyboard or mouse input, you can create custom layouts and mappings; configurable pointer controls and an on-screen keyboard with word prediction cover other computer tasks. The interface is English only, though the keyboard and word prediction support multiple languages. Sample profiles are included, and the Profile Browser lets you preview and download other users’ profiles. Sharing through the Download Area requires an account and sign-in. A profile can support up to four players, and the software supports per-app profiles and profile switching. Keysticks is free and open source under the Eclipse Public License v1.0. The listed release is v2.14 for Windows, with Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista suggested as minimum operating systems. Some games block emulated input, and administrator-level tasks require Keysticks to run with administrator privileges.
PowerAim
PowerAim is a free Windows tool that captures the screen, runs a YOLOv8 model, and moves a mouse or virtual controller toward detected targets. It reads screen images rather than game memory, and its maker says it can work with any game. Aim settings can be organized into profiles with smoothing, optional tracking, and prediction. A virtual Xbox stick provides controller aiming, while controller input can be mapped to keyboard input in both directions. The HUD reader can read ammo, health, or weapon names and use conditions to gate triggers or switch profiles. AutoPlay can send detections and OCR context to a local Ollama model for scripted actions. Anti-recoil profiles record and replay recoil patterns or use image-based compensation. Custom tools combine movement, clicks, key sends, executable launches, and delays. The maker says it runs locally without telemetry and does not read or write game memory, inject code, or load a kernel driver. DirectML supports AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs; CUDA requires NVIDIA hardware and its runtime. Installer and portable ZIP builds are available.