[Clacky](https://clacky.app/) / Guides # The best cursor highlighter apps for Mac Updated 30 October 2026 **Short answer:** for a free option, start with what macOS already has (a bigger pointer, Shake to locate, and Show Mouse Clicks in Apple’s own recorder) or the open-source **Cluxo**. **Mouzz** is free on the Mac App Store with every feature included. **CursorFlow** and **Cursor Pilot** are free to try with a $4.99 unlock. **Mouseposé** is the long-standing spotlight for presenters. **CursorRipple** costs $0.99. **Clacky** is for people who want each click to look good and sound good: a ripple that shows in any recorder, call or stream, plus a real click sound. Clacky is our app, so every fact about the others comes from their own App Store listing, GitHub page or website, read on 30 October 2026. The short version - **Built in, free:** pointer size and colour, Shake to locate, and Show Mouse Clicks (only in Apple’s screen recorder). - **Free apps:** Mouzz (Mac App Store) and Cluxo (open source, MIT). - **Free to try, then one-time:** CursorFlow (Pro $4.99) and Cursor Pilot ($4.99 after a 7-day trial). CursorRipple is $0.99. - **Spotlight for presenters:** Mouseposé ($9.99 a year, free trial). **Ripple plus real click sounds:** Clacky ($4.99 once, 3-day free trial). On this page 1. [All the apps side by side](#all-the-apps-side-by-side) 2. [What macOS already does](#what-macos-already-does) 3. [Editors that add the highlight afterwards](#editors-that-add-the-highlight-afterwards) 4. [Clacky: a ripple plus a real click sound](#clacky-a-ripple-plus-a-real-click-sound) 5. [Mouseposé](#mousepose) 6. [Mouzz](#mouzz) 7. [CursorFlow](#cursorflow) 8. [Cursor Pilot](#cursor-pilot) 9. [Cluxo](#cluxo) 10. [CursorRipple](#cursorripple) 11. [How to choose](#how-to-choose) 12. [Do cursor highlighters show up in screen recordings?](#do-cursor-highlighters-show-up-in-screen-recordings) ## All the apps side by side From each app’s own page on 30 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check before you buy. App Price Runs on Click effect Spotlight Click sound macOS (built in) Free Every Mac Circle, only in Apple’s recorder No No Clacky $4.99 once, 3-day free trial macOS 13+ Ripple: ring, double, glow or dot While recording (macOS 15+) Yes, 37 sounds, press and release Mouseposé $9.99 a year, free trial macOS 10.14+ Circle, left and right colours Yes Yes Mouzz Free, Mac App Store macOS 13+ 7 click styles Yes Yes, a system sound or your own file CursorFlow Free, Pro $4.99 macOS 14+ Ripple Yes (Pro) Yes, optional Cursor Pilot $4.99 after a 7-day trial macOS 12.4+ Left and right effects Yes (Beacon) Not stated Cluxo Free, open source (MIT) macOS 13+ Ripples per click type Yes Not stated CursorRipple $0.99 macOS 13+ Ripple, rainbow ring No Not stated ## What macOS already does Before you install anything, try these: - **Make the pointer bigger or change its colour:** System Settings → Accessibility → Display → Pointer. Pointer size, outline colour and fill colour are all there. - **Shake to locate:** in the same place, turn on Shake mouse pointer to locate. Wiggle the mouse and the pointer grows for a moment. - **Show Mouse Clicks:** press Shift-Command-5, open Options and turn on Show Mouse Clicks. Apple’s recorder then draws a black circle on each click, in that recording only, with no sound. More in [how to show mouse clicks on Mac](https://clacky.app/show-mouse-clicks-mac/). These are enough for a quick recording. For calls, other recorders, a colour you choose or a sound, you need an app. ## Editors that add the highlight afterwards Some recording editors draw the click highlight, or zoom in on clicks, after you record. That suits a polished tutorial, does nothing on a live call or stream, and adds a step to every clip. The apps below draw the effect live, on your real screen. More in [how to show mouse clicks on Mac](https://clacky.app/show-mouse-clicks-mac/) and [Clacky vs Screen Studio](https://clacky.app/vs/screen-studio/). See the ripple and hear the click first Click anywhere on [clacky.app](https://clacky.app/) to see the ripple and hear the sounds, right in your browser. In the app they work in every app on your Mac. Free for 3 days, no card, then $4.99 once. [Try free, 3 daysTry free, 3 days](https://clacky.app/try/) ## Clacky: a ripple plus a real click sound Clacky draws a **ripple under the cursor** on every click, on your real screen, so it shows in any recorder (OBS, Loom, QuickTime, Screen Studio), on Zoom, Meet and Teams screen shares, and on a stream. Pick a ring, double ring, glow or dot, a size from tiny to big, a line weight, an opacity, a speed and a colour for each button, so right clicks look different. The **Recording** preset switches to a big, bold double ring that stays visible on dark screens, and a round click sound that reads well on a mic. It also plays one of **37 click sounds** on every press and release, tap to click included, a tick for every scroll notch and keyboard sounds. Its own **screen recorder** (macOS 15+) keeps the sounds in the video. $4.99 once for 1 Mac, after a 3-day free trial with no card. Compare: [Clacky vs CursorFlow](https://clacky.app/vs/cursorflow/). **Best for:** recordings, demos and calls where clicks should look and sound good. ## Mouseposé Mouseposé, from Boinx, is a classic for presenters: a hotkey dims the screen and leaves a lit circle around the pointer. Clicks get a red circle, with a sound if you want it and different colours for left and right clicks, and it can show the keys you type on screen. It offers a free trial, then $9.99 a year from Boinx’s store (the price at checkout on 30 October 2026), and needs macOS 10.14 or later. **Best for:** live presentations and teaching, where the spotlight matters most. ## Mouzz Mouzz is free on the Mac App Store, with every feature included: a spotlight, a ring around the pointer, seven cursor trail styles, seven click effects, a click sound (a system sound or your own file), a keystroke display, drawing on screen and shake to locate. It needs macOS 13 or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel. **Best for:** the most features for free. ## CursorFlow CursorFlow puts a ripple on every click, draws cursor trails and can play an optional click sound with adjustable volume. Spotlight, magnifier and drawing on screen are in Pro, a $4.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, and new users get Pro free for 24 hours. It needs macOS 14 or later. **Best for:** cursor trails and ripples in a simple menu-bar app. [Clacky vs CursorFlow](https://clacky.app/vs/cursorflow/). ## Cursor Pilot Cursor Pilot has four tools: Snap (moves the pointer to the centre of a display), Click (a visual effect on each click, set separately for left and right), Trail and Beacon (a highlight that helps you find the pointer). Every feature is unlocked for 7 days, then it’s a $4.99 one-time unlock. It needs macOS 12.4 or later. **Best for:** several displays, where finding the pointer is half the problem. ## Cluxo Cluxo is a free, open-source (MIT) menu-bar app: a coloured ring, a spotlight, a different ripple for left, right, double and wheel clicks, a magnifier from 1.5× to 4× and drawing on screen. It installs with Homebrew and needs macOS 13 or later; its page says the current build targets Apple silicon. **Best for:** free and open source, with a magnifier. ## CursorRipple CursorRipple adds click ripples, a magnifier and rainbow strokes for drawing on screen. It costs $0.99 on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 13 or later. **Best for:** a simple, cheap ripple. ## How to choose 1. **Presenting to a room?** A spotlight helps most: Mouseposé, Mouzz, Cluxo or CursorFlow Pro. 2. **Recording a tutorial?** A clear click ripple, plus a click sound if your viewers should hear each click: Clacky, Mouzz or CursorFlow. 3. **Free?** Start with macOS’s own pointer settings, then Mouzz or Cluxo. 4. **Use one at a time.** Two highlighters, or one plus Apple’s Show Mouse Clicks, give every click two circles. ## Do cursor highlighters show up in screen recordings? Yes, if they draw on your screen, which all of these apps do: any recorder that films the screen films the effect. Record the whole screen or an area rather than a single window, because the effect sits on its own layer above your apps. A click sound is only in the video if your recorder records your Mac’s audio; see [how to record the click sound](https://clacky.app/record-click-sound/). ## Questions ### What is the best free cursor highlighter for Mac? Mouzz is free on the Mac App Store with every feature included (spotlight, ring, trails, click effects and a click sound). Cluxo is free and open source. macOS itself can make the pointer bigger, change its colour and grow it when you shake the mouse. ### How do I highlight mouse clicks on a Mac? In Apple’s own recorder, press Shift-Command-5, open Options and turn on Show Mouse Clicks: you get a black circle, in that recording only. For clicks that show everywhere (calls, other recorders, streams), use a click visualizer such as Clacky, Mouzz, CursorFlow or Mouseposé. ### Which cursor highlighters also play a click sound? Four of them do: Clacky (37 click sounds, press and release), Mouzz (a system sound or your own file), CursorFlow (an optional click sound) and Mouseposé. Cursor Pilot, Cluxo and CursorRipple don’t say. Clacky’s recorder also keeps the sounds in the video. ### Will a cursor highlighter show on a Zoom or Teams screen share? Yes, when it draws on your real screen, as these apps do: people see it when you share your whole screen. Sharing a single window can leave it out, because the effect sits above your apps. ### Can I show right clicks in a different colour? Yes. Clacky lets you pick a colour for each button, and Mouseposé, Cursor Pilot (left and right effects set separately) and CursorFlow Pro (separate right-click colours) do it too. Cluxo draws a different ripple for left, right, double and wheel clicks. ## More guides - [Claude Code & Codex notificationsA sound or a notification when your agent is done or needs you.](https://clacky.app/claude-code-notifications/) - [Keep your Mac awake, lid closedClamshell mode, caffeinate, pmset and apps, and what each one really does.](https://clacky.app/keep-mac-awake-lid-closed/) - [Keyboard & click sounds on MacHow they work, the permission they need, the apps, and fixes.](https://clacky.app/mac-keyboard-sounds/) - [Show mouse clicks on MacThe built-in option, editors, and a live ripple with a sound.](https://clacky.app/show-mouse-clicks-mac/) - [Click sound on MacNo built-in setting: how to add one, and the permission it needs.](https://clacky.app/mac-click-sound/) - [Best keyboard sound appsFree and paid apps side by side, and which one fits you.](https://clacky.app/best-keyboard-sound-apps-mac/) - [Keyboard sounds for focusSoft typing sounds for study, writing and coding, in your headphones.](https://clacky.app/keyboard-sounds-for-focus/) - [Keyboard sounds explainedWhat thock, creamy, clacky and poppy mean, and how each one sounds.](https://clacky.app/keyboard-sounds-explained/) - [Cozy Mac appsIdle games, ambient sounds, pets and soft clicks that run while you work.](https://clacky.app/cozy-mac-apps/) - [Keyboard sounds not workingInput Monitoring, Secure Input, the output device and quiet settings.](https://clacky.app/keyboard-sounds-not-working-mac/) - [Teleprompter on MacRead your script under the camera, and keep it out of the recording.](https://clacky.app/teleprompter-mac/) - [Show clicks and record click soundsGet the click ripple and the click sound into any Mac screen recording.](https://clacky.app/record-click-sound/) - [Typing test with keyboard soundsA 30-second typing test you can hear, right in your browser.](https://clacky.app/typing-test/) New to Clacky? It’s a cozy Mac menu-bar app with click and keyboard sounds, a screen recorder, screenshots and a little harbour town that grows while you work. [See every tool](https://clacky.app/) · [Try it free for 3 days](https://clacky.app/try/) Checked on 30 October 2026. Something changed, or something here is wrong? Email hello@clacky.app.