The best computer mice

Publish date: 2024-07-29
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  • Best overall
  • Best ergonomic mouse
  • Best portable mouse
  • Best gaming mouse
  • Best USB mouse
  • Best budget mouse
  • What else we considered
  • How to find the best computer mouse for you
  • Home office guides

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    The best computer mouse does more than point and click: it offers accurate, quick cursor movement without creating wrist strain. Logitech, Razer and SteelSeries produce some of the most recommended mice, so how do you choose?

    "The number one thing to consider when buying any computer hardware is 'What will you be using the device for?'" says Tom Gilmore, the technology education coordinator at Free Geek, a nonprofit that refurbishes computer hardware. "This single question dictates exactly what you need and can help guide you to either cheaper or more premium options, and help you to narrow down the vast number of options to just a few."

    As writers and photographers, we know how important a good mouse can be — this writer once gave herself a wrist injury by editing photos for four hours straight on a trackpad. After consulting Gilmore and certified ergonomics expert Kevin Weaver, we spent several weeks testing the top-ranked computer mice. We've narrowed it down to the six best computer mice for a range of different uses, from budget options to fully-featured stand-out products.

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    Our top picks for computer mice:

    Best overall: Logitech MX Master 3 - see at Amazon
    Logitech's MX Master 3 is ideal for work that involves a lot of mousing, thanks both to comfort and fast tracking speed.

    Best ergonomic mouse: Razer Pro Click - see at Amazon
    The Razer Pro Click feels as if it were custom-shaped just for us, yet it offers quick response and helpful tools for all right-handers.

    Best portable mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 3 - see at Target
    Logitech's MX Anywhere 3 is designed for mobile laptop or tablet users that still need the precision of a mouse, and it's ambidextrous.

    Best gaming mouse: Steelseries Aerox 3 Wireless - see at Amazon
    The Steelseries Aerox 3 is so feathery and has such high sensitivity that it flies across your mouse pad and screen, making it ideal for high-intensity PC gaming.

    Best USB mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600 - see at Amazon
    Can't let go of the cord? The SteelSeries Rival 600 is a speedy, comfy, and decently-priced gaming mouse that's fine for general use.

    Best budget mouse: Logitech M720 Triathlon - see at Amazon
    Logitech's M720 Triathlon continues to offer a satisfying feel and effortless tracking for less than $50.

    Best overall: Logitech MX Master 3

    Logitech
    Shop at Amazon

    The Logitech MX Master 3 has a near-perfect blend of comfort, features, and accuracy. With a unique horizontal scroll wheel as well as the usual up and down dial, this mouse offers the best experience when navigating zoomed-in projects in Photoshop and large Excel sheets. The mouse fits great and sits in a sweet spot between quickly moving around the screen and accurately clicking specific areas, like for Photoshop retouching.

    The Logitech MX Master 3 is curved to fit your right hand. It leaves a little ledge on the bottom that serves as a thumb rest. This keeps your wrist from dragging on the desk. The MX Master 3 is comfortable to use, though we do prefer where the ring and pinkie fingers rest on the Razer Pro Click, our top pick for the best ergonomic mouse. On this mouse, your pinkie finger may touch the desk just slightly.

    What settled this mouse as our favorite is that second control wheel by the thumb, which scrolls horizontally to make navigating images in Photoshop or large spreadsheets much easier. Below that second control wheel are two buttons that, by default, go back and forward on a web browser. One more customizable button sits at the top center. However, all these features — and the 70-day battery life — cost quite a bit (for a mouse).

    Best ergonomic mouse: Razer Pro Click

    Razer
    Shop at Amazon Shop at Best Buy

    Pros: Most comfortable mouse, easy to use, responsive sensor, decent battery life

    Cons: Customizing software is PC-only, lacks horizontal scroll wheel, pricey

    We tried several ergonomic mice, including vertical and trackball mice, but none seemed to fit our hands as perfectly as the Razer Pro Click. This mouse has a small ledge for your thumb to rest and a curve that lets your fingers sit in a natural position. Unlike vertical and trackball mice, it fits your hand without having to learn how to use a new type of mouse.

    The Razer Pro Click has one of the best optical sensors for a mouse, with four times the resolution of the Logitech MX 3. That superior optical sensor helps the mouse pointer glide quickly across the screen. The scroll wheel clicks side-to-side as a page up and down shortcut, while two buttons near the thumb navigate back and forward on webpages. The feature-packed mouse is backed by a 200- to- 400-hour battery life, depending on whether you connect via the wireless USB receiver or Bluetooth, respectively.

    The mouse isn't quite perfect, however. The software that customizes the settings is no longer compatible with the latest macOS — Razer Synapse 3 is a Windows-only program. While the mouse works on Mac, you cannot customize the sensitivity or shortcut buttons. The charger also isn't using the newer USB-C port standard, and it's a bit pricey at $99. But, if comfort is your number one priority: this is the mouse to get.

    Best portable mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 3

    Logitech
    Shop at Best Buy Shop at Target

    Pros: Same sensor and sensitivity as the MX Master 3, compact, iPad compatible, ambidextrous 

    Cons: Not as comfortable as larger mice

    The Logitech MX Anywhere 3 takes some of the features in the flagship MX Master 3 and adapts them for mobile users. While this mouse isn't quite as comfortable as larger mice, it is more comfortable than other small mice that don't have much of a curve to them.

    The mouse still offers customizable buttons but in a travel-friendly size. Besides the right and left clicks and scroll wheel, there's a mode button at the top and two shortcut buttons on the side, near the thumb for right-handed users. Because this mouse has a symmetrical shape, it's one that can be used with the right or left hand.

    If you don't need your mouse to be super small, it's worth the extra $20 to upgrade to the Logitech MX Master 3. Both your thumb and my pinkie may touch the desk with this smaller mouse. But, it's more comfortable than using a trackpad and doesn't take up much space in a laptop bag.

    Best gaming mouse: Steelseries Aerox 3 Wireless

    Amazon
    Shop at Amazon Shop at Best Buy Shop at SteelSeries

    Pros: Lightweight, high sensitivity and speed, precise, lots to customize, dust and moisture resistant

    Cons: Pricey

    Weighing less than 2.5 ounces and with a DPI of up to 18,000, the Steelseries Aerox 3 darts across the desk and screen. The lighter weight and higher DPI make it noticeably faster than the other gaming mice we tried. While faster mice are often less precise, this mouse also stops quickly, making it easy to click on a specific tiny spot on the screen, like in shooting games. The wireless connection is stable — no issues with stutters or dropped connections. The mouse can use both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth, the first being the fastest and the second requiring no dongles.

    This mouse has a more symmetrical shape, which means it's also a good option for lefties. It isn't quite as comfortable as the mice made specifically for righties, but it isn't outright uncomfortable either. Despite the futuristic-looking holes in the top, Steelseries says that it's the first mouse with a IP54 rating, which protects from dust and moisture.

    Wireless mice that are designed to still be fast enough for gaming are expensive, but for $99, the Aerox 3 is a smart buy for PC gamers who want a lightweight mouse that can zip across the screen quickly.

    Best USB mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600

    SteelSeries
    Shop at Amazon Shop at GameStop

    Pros: Fast, dual sensor system, custom controls and weights, reasonably priced 

    Cons: Narrower design

    Wireless mice can be fast, but a USB mouse offers the best blend of speed and price. The SteelSeries Rival 600 has two optical sensors that result in a mouse with excellent tracking, including pickup detection. It has a comfortable shape to it — and the USB cord is long enough not to be annoying.

    The 12,000-DPI mouse offers custom sensitivity settings as well as four custom weights that can be configured into slots on both sides of the mouse to customize the feel and balance. The shape of the mouse feels good, with just the tip of this writer's thumb and pinkie touching the desk, and it has a soft, almost velvety texture. There's an extra custom button at the top and three on the left side. While that's more than some others, you may have to partially lift your hand off the mouse to access those side buttons.

    The Rival 600 has little to complain about. But, like most gaming mice, it's a little narrower. It's not wholly uncomfortable, but it's not quite as comfy as the Razer Pro Click.

    Best budget mouse: Logitech M720 Triathlon

    Amazon
    Shop at Amazon

    Pros: Affordable, custom extra buttons, curved fit, compact

    Cons: Not as comfortable or fast as pricier options

    A lot of budget mice are small, less ergonomic, and less customizable. The Logitech M720 Triathlon, however, is a $40 mouse that still feels pleasing, has four extra buttons on the side, and even wirelessly pairs with three different devices. It's a solid choice for those who want something more comfortable than a trackpad but don't want to spend a lot of cash.

    The M720 Triathlon is curved and fits well in our hands with a small spot for the thumb to rest. It's not quite as comfortable as the $99 Razer Pro Click or MX Master 3 because your pinkie may end up resting on the desk. But it's comfortable enough that many will decide to save the extra $60. It's responsive and, while not a gaming mouse, plenty fast enough for office use.

    What do you lose out on by saving the extra cash? It's not as fast as a high-end mouse, though you won't notice a big difference if you're just surfing the web. It's also not quite as comfortable, but that also makes it a little smaller than the bigger high-end mice.

    What else we considered

    In total, we tested 13 different computer mice for this edition of our computer mouse buying guide. Below are all of the models we tested that, while they may have had appeal in some areas, didn't quite make the cut.

    Apple Magic Mouse 2: Apple's mouse uses gesture controls on the surface, much like the trackpad on a MacBook. The mouse is slimmer, however, and doesn't fit into your hand like a contoured mouse.

    Logitech MX Vertical: Using a vertical mouse takes some getting used to, but we did prefer this design over the trackball ergonomic mice. It's a nice option that keeps your hand in a handshake-type grip. We just prefer the way that the Razer Pro Click fits without the learning curve of a vertical mouse.

    Logitech G502 Lightspeed: This wireless gaming mouse is comfortable and we really love that the scrolling wheel can be nudged to the side for horizontal scrolling. While it's a good option, our top choice just glides across the screen a bit better.

    Logitech G502 Hero: The corded version of this gaming mouse is comfortable and affordable. While we prefer the feel of the Steelseries Rival 600, if you want lots of extra buttons for not a lot of extra cost, this is a good choice.

    Razer Deathadder V2 Pro: This would be our second choice for a gaming mouse. It's comfortable to use and pretty quick. There's not much to complain about outside the lack of customization software for Mac, we simply like the lighter weight of the Steelseries Aerox 3 more.

    Logitech MX Ergo: If you prefer trackball mice, the Logitech MX Ergo is the way to go. The slant of the mouse is adjustable, so you can fit this mouse to your hand size. We don't find the thumb scrolling to be more comfortable than using an ergonomically shaped traditional mouse, however.

    Logitech Ergo M575: We don't find using this trackball mouse to be more comfortable than a traditional mouse. Moving our thumb to scroll so much was actually tiring and less accurate, so a more traditional but ergonomically shaped mouse won out for the ergonomic category.

    How to find the best computer mouse for you

    Buying computer accessories is seldom a one-size-fits-all scenario. Both the shape of your hand and your primary use will change your definition of a great mouse. When choosing a computer mouse, consider the following:

    Optical or Laser: Optical and laser mice are quite similar, says Free Geek's Gilmore. Both use a camera-like sensor to look for changes in the surface to tell the computer how to move the cursor. A laser mouse uses a laser to light that sensor and tends to do a bit better on glossy surfaces. Some can even work on glass. But on a typical wood desk or mouse pad, most users won't notice a difference.

    DPI or CPI: The dots-per-inch (or counts-per-inch) specification on a mouse is basically the resolution of the sensor. A higher DPI means a faster mouse, Gilmore says, which is even more important when using a high-resolution monitor. A lower DPI mouse can be more precise. Some high-end mice allow you to choose different DPI settings, so you can switch based on whether you want speed or precision.

    Connectivity: A wireless mouse eliminates the cord but uses a USB dongle to connect to the computer. A Bluetooth mouse is similarly wireless but doesn't need that dongle to connect with a Bluetooth-compatible device. You might want to consider that option if you have limited ports. Take a look at wireless and Bluetooth mice's battery lives so you'll get a sense of how often you'll be charging them. Wired mice still have their place, particularly for gaming. Wireless and especially Bluetooth mice may introduce some lag that's noticeable in fast-paced PC games.

    Weight: Lighter mice are typically easier to move around. PC gamers tend to consider the weight of a mouse, and so some mice even come with assortments of weights.

    Comfort: How a computer mouse feels will depend on the size of your hand, says Kevin Weaver, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at New York University. He is also certified by the Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists and the Oxford Institute.

    He suggests using both hands with an ambidextrous mouse to halve the time spent with each hand on a mouse. 

    "As best as you can, centralize your mouse," he said. "If you look at most laptops, the touchpad is built into the base, right under the space key, in a centralized position. That's a best-case scenario because you can use your left or your right and have half the frequency."

    If using your non-dominant hand feels too odd, he suggests choosing a contoured mouse that fits with your dominant hand. 

    "It's important to go test these out in a showroom or store. One size does not fit all, one rule does not fit all," he said.

    Working from home? Check out our other home office guides

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    Hillary Grigonis Hillary K. Grigonis is a tech writer and photographer with more than a decade of experience. She spends her weekdays writing about camera tech and her weekends photographing weddings and portraits. When she's not working, she enjoys reading, jogging, camping, kayaking, and traveling. She lives in Michigan with her husband and three children.  Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Read more Read less

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