flash

Flash and Mouseless

Mouseless promises “Lightning-fast mouse control with the keyboard”: a coordinate grid overlay you type into, a free mode for continuous movement, and since October 2026 a label mode in beta that places a label on each clickable element of the frontmost app. It is closed source with a public issue tracker, sold as a lifetime or subscription licence for five machines across macOS, Windows and Linux, with a 14-day trial. Version 1.0.0 shipped in July 2026; previews follow every few weeks.

	Mouseless	Flash
License, price	Closed; lifetime or subscription (price shown only in the app’s checkout)	MIT, free
Platforms	macOS 12+, Windows, Linux (X11, Wayland via Flatpak)	macOS 14+
Permissions	Accessibility, for a low-level keyboard hook and clicks	Accessibility; Automation per browser for tab lists; Screen Recording only for `:screenshot`
Pointer modes	Coordinate grid with presets and subgrids, free mode, label mode (beta); left/right/middle/back/forward, drag, scroll, double and triple click	Hints, search, keyboard-shaped grid, bisect, pointer mode, drag, select, words, path, sticky
Configuration	GUI editor over `config.yaml`; `mouseless://` deep links	One TOML file, live reload, `flash <verb>` CLI
Beyond pointing	A browser training app	NORMAL mode, flashlight, status bar, widgets, popups, window placement, plugins
Maintenance	1.0.0, July 2026; previews every 2 to 6 weeks; 325 open issues	1.0.0, October 2026

Where Mouseless is stronger

Cross-platform. One licence and one config on three operating systems.
The grid is the product. Years of work on coordinate entry, presets, subgrids and multi-monitor layout; Flash’s grid is one of many modes.
Free mode with wheel scrolling and jump-to-edge of a scroll area.
Back and forward buttons, triple click are supported actions.
Licensing is explicit about offline use and the five-machine limit.

Where Flash is stronger

Labels are the default, not a beta. Flash has labelled Accessibility elements from the start, with search, words, paths and drag on top.
Free and open source.
A persistent modal layer and per-app mappings; Mouseless has modes but no per-app configuration documented.
Everything after the click.
No licence server. Mouseless revalidates licences at least every 30 days; Flash makes no network requests from its core.

Flash features you might like

The keyboard-shaped grid: the screen is split like the left half of your keyboard, so you press the key where you want to go, then refine (getting started).
mouse_grid --zoom-to-depth=2 starts two levels deep under the pointer.
mouse_pointer is free mode: hjkl move, v drags, m , . click.
mouse_position --action=save and --action=hints for saved positions.

Moving from Mouseless

Mouseless	Flash
Overlay (grid)	`["flash", "mouse_grid"]`
Subgrid	Each grid key zooms; `--bisect` for halves
Free mode	`["flash", "mouse_pointer"]`
Label mode	`["flash", "mouse_target"]`
Drag, drop	`mouse_grid --drag`, `mouse_target --drag`, `mouse_button --state=down`
Right, middle click	`cf` in NORMAL; `mouse_button --state=toggle --secondary` or `--middle`
`mouseless://toggle-overlay`	`flash mouse_grid` from any script
`config.yaml`	`~/.config/flash/flash.toml`

[mode.all.mappings]
"cmd+shift+alt+space" = ["flash", "mouse_grid"]
"cmd+shift+space" = ["flash", "mouse_target"]

Checked 2026-10-14 against mouseless.click, its FAQ and releases.

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