Software Alternatives & Reviews

Input Director VS Barrier

Compare Input Director VS Barrier and see what are their differences

Input Director

Control multiple windows systems with one keyboard/mouse. Share a keyboard and mouse across multiple windows system.

Barrier

Barrier is a cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers...
  • Input Director Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-22
  • Barrier Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-07

Input Director

Categories
  • Remote Desktop
  • Remote PC Access
  • Mouse Tools
  • Multi Monitor
Website inputdirector.com  

Barrier

Categories
  • Remote Desktop
  • Remote PC Access
  • Mouse Tools
  • Multi Monitor
Website github.com  

Input Director videos

How to use one Mouse & Keyboard with two Computers - Input Director Tutorial

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Control Multiple Computers at Once! | Input Director Showcase and Tutorial
  • Review - Control Multiple Machines with Input Director

Barrier videos

Reviews In a Flash: Barrier

More videos:

  • Review - 🌊KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief • Everything you need to know!
  • Review - Kravebeauty's Great Barrier Relief Serum: REVIEW

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Input Director and Barrier)
Remote Desktop
39 39%
61% 61
Remote PC Access
22 22%
78% 78
Mouse Tools
20 20%
80% 80
Multi Monitor
19 19%
81% 81

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Input Director and Barrier

Input Director Reviews

Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
Input Director, like Spacedesk helps you gain control over multiple computers while having to use just a single mouse or keyboard. You’ll just have to install the software on all the computers you wish to work on simultaneously. The computer that has the keyboard and the mouse attached to it is the master computer that controls the others. Once you’ve made the necessary...

Barrier Reviews

Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
For Barrier to work, all that is needed is a network connection. You can also copy content from one clipboard to another between computers. Like all other software that let you work on multiple computers, Barrier too helps you control all of them with a single mouse or keyboard. Barrier is free to use and it’s an open-source software. As in the other software that we’ve...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Barrier seems to be a lot more popular than Input Director. While we know about 347 links to Barrier, we've tracked only 6 mentions of Input Director. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Input Director mentions (6)

  • Dual Computer Battlestations? Good idea? Bad idea?
    For the win8 tablet, I wanted to use it as an extra monitor but none of the normal options for doing it was working, so what I use now is Input Director. If you want to use multiple computers with dedicated screens per computer, this is the way! It allows you to control any of the running machines with the same mouse and keyboard by simply moving your mouse over to the corresponding screen. There are quite a few... Source: 10 months ago
  • Any ideas on good ways to be able to switching between my pc and laptop on these 2 monitors + M&K USBs?
    If you are looking for a software solution, https://inputdirector.com/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Easily switch between work and personal PC?
    There are various software solutions (eg.: Input Directorbut using a proper hardware switch is most likely the better option. And there are always the remote desktop options…. Source: over 1 year ago
  • WFH Gamers that use KVM/USB Switch, what do you use?
    I have a 3 PC home setup, so, like you, I didn't need to worry about monitors for my switching solution. First off, I HIGHLY recommend Input Director (Windows only) or other software KVM for the keyboard and mouse. No hitting a button and waiting a couple of seconds, and you can even copy/paste text between the machines. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Not exactly a cyberDeck, but this is what I have. VAIO VGN-P21ZR.
    A friend recently gave me a box of their old hardware. It included an old Toshiba Encore 2 tablet running Windows 8.1. It's the first time I've used Windows on a ARM device, and it's been pretty amazingly usable. Not enough RAM or storage, but it has a single microSD card slot, at least. It works well for low-demand things. It's now mounted on a wall, running Media Monkey, Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Pocket... Source: about 2 years ago
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Barrier mentions (347)

  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    Barrier is a Cross-Plattform, open source Synergy fork that works quite well without any additional HW too [0] [0] https://github.com/debauchee/barrier. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    Synergy is open core, these portions are licensed as GPL: https://github.com/symless/synergy-core/#License-1-ov-file. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    Prior to Synergy going to closed source, it was forked into Barrier[0], which then was forked into input-leap[1]. Both open source. [0] https://github.com/debauchee/barrier. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Wayland vs. X – Overview
    Libei looks useful. But IDK why libei is necessary to run Barrier with Wayland? For client systems, couldn't there just be a virtual /dev/inputXYZ that Barrier forwards events through And for host systems, it looks like xev only logs input events when the window is focused. Is xeyes still broken on Wayland, and how to fix it so that it would work with Barrier? With Barrier, when the mouse cursor reaches a screen... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • KVM Switch for Gaming and WFH
    I have a similar gaming/WFH setup (2 monitors at 1440p 144hz) and I’ve been using Barrier instead of a physical kvm, and it works really well. Not sure if you’re open to a software kvm but if you are, I’m happy to answer any questions about it if you have any. Source: 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Input Director and Barrier, you can also consider the following products

Synergy - Cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers

DisplayFusion - DisplayFusion will make your multi-monitor life much easier.

ShareMouse - With its easy setup and high level of versatility, ShareMouse is a great tool if you're looking to use a single mouse and keyboard across multiple computers.

Ultramon - UltraMon is a piece of software built to help with the management of multiple screens on the same computer system. Without software like this, taking full advantage of an expanded desktop space can be difficult.

Actual Multiple Monitors - Actual Multiple Monitors is a software utility which offers the comprehensive solution to improve the functionality of Windows user interface for comfortable and effective work with multi-monitor configurations.

Multiplicity - Multiplicity enables a user to control multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse.