Best Mouse: The Best Mouse in 2022
The best mouse for you depends a lot on your setup and your price range
The best mouse can make even the monotonous hard work a little easier, so it's worth taking the time to find the one that works best for you.
While nearly every office job will provide you with a cheap, forgettable peripheral, you don't need to settle for a subpar computer mouse—especially if you do graphic design or video editing work. This page will provide some key tips to help you find the right peripheral for you, as well as our tips for finding the best wireless mouse.
(Check out our best gaming mouse selections if you're more interested in how it works than how it works—through a good gaming mouse will generally work well for productivity, and vice versa.)
- Pair your new mouse with one of the best gaming PCs you can buy
- Want a fancy keyboard, too? See the best gaming keyboards
- Ultimate Back to school guide 2021: Laptops, Chromebooks, headphones, and more
Having one of our picks for the best mouse is especially helpful if you work from a home office. If your home computer is a laptop, you might not even have a discrete mouse, instead of relying on a touchpad. But no touchpad can replace the speed, accuracy, and versatility of a good mouse.
If you're looking for a computer mouse that can handle anything you throw at it, Tom's Guide has compiled a list of the best mouse for a variety of use cases. If you've got a lot of money to spend, you can get something extraordinary—but even if you're on a budget, you can take a big step up from the touchpad. Whether you want something complex or simple, there's (probably) a much better mouse than the one you're currently using.
Which is the best mouse?
As you might have guessed, there is no "best mouse" for every possible use case. Some rats are spacious and feature-rich; Others are smaller and cheaper. A graphic designer probably needs a different mouse than an accountant - and that's assuming you need a mouse specifically for productivity and aren't interested in a gaming model instead.
Generally speaking, though, the Logitech MX Master 3 is the best mouse for most people. It's highly customizable, incredibly comfortable, it's wireless, has a long battery life, and also has an innovative scroll wheel you won't find on any other mouse. Granted, this computer mouse costs $100, so it's not peripheral to buy. (In my opinion, though, this is the best wireless mouse for productivity users.)
On the other end of the spectrum is the Logitech M325, which is almost as simple as a mouse. This small, wireless peripheral costs $30 and is a natural companion for a laptop. It fits into backpacks, purses, pockets - anything. And its batteries last more than a year, so you rarely have to replace them. It doesn't have any extra buttons or features, but it can still make your life a lot easier, especially if you travel often.
best mouse for back to school
Back to school season is here, and that means you may be on the hunt for a new mouse to help you or a loved one tackle their research work.
If you're looking for a lightweight mouse that can be thrown in a bag and carried around throughout the day on campus, we recommend the Logitech M325. As mentioned above, it's small, wireless, and can generally be had for $30 or less, so it's easy on the budget and cheap to replace if it ever gets lost. It should last a good year or more, even on a single set of batteries, which is a nice touch.
If the student in question is taking an Apple laptop or desktop back to school, it's not a bad idea to send them along with the Apple Magic Mouse 2. It's a bit pricey (like all Apple gear) and the slim, slick design can be tough on big hands, but if it feels comfortable to use (try to find and test one in a store before buying) ) Magic Mouse 2 lets students using Apple hardware navigate through documents, websites, and media instead of just moving your fingers. point and click.
Top 6 Best Mouse - The best mouse you can buy today
3. Microsoft Classic Intellimouse
What Is it a good brand?
Logitech is a good brand. You'll get some of the best customer service and quality tech products on the market with the Logitech brand. If you're looking for computer accessories, keyboards, mice, or speakers of any kind, Logitech has you covered.
The best mouse overall
REASONS TO BUY
- Comfortable design
- Helpful extra buttons
- Innovative scroll wheel
REASONS TO AVOID
- Some software issues
- Expensive
The Logitech MX Master 3 is the best mouse, at least on the productivity front, and the best wireless mouse out there. It's comfortable, full of features, and lasts a surprisingly long time on a single charge. This sleek gray peripheral is the latest iteration of Logitech's MX Master series, and everything the company learned from previous iterations is on full display. The buttons deliver a satisfying click, the grip is snug and the horizontal thumb-wheel makes it easy to scroll through documents.
The software is where the MX Master 3 shines, however, as it comes preinstalled with a variety of different functionalities for popular programs. From Photoshop to Excel, Logitech has already predicted how you want to use the horizontal scroll wheel and gesture controls and developed customized profiles for each program. You can also use the handy Logitech Flow feature, which lets you drag and drop files between two completely different computers as if they were connected via USB.
The best budget mouse
REASONS TO BUY
- Inexpensive
- Sleek and portable
- Great wireless connectivity
REASONS TO AVOID
- No customizable features
- It may be too small for very big hands
If you walk into an electronics store and make a beeline for laptop mice, the Logitech M325 is probably the first thing you'll see. This mouse is cheap and ubiquitous, but it is quite popular because of its popularity. This little gadget is optimized for laptops, making it ideal for frequent commuters or workers with limited desk space at home. It's also extremely comfortable and offers a DPI that's high enough to comfortably scroll across the screen without overshooting your target. This is arguably the best wireless mouse for the price.
Thanks to a durable 2.4GHz wireless dongle, you can use the mouse wirelessly anywhere—and with up to 18 months of battery life, you'll rarely have to replace the peripheral's single AA battery. Another cool thing about the M325 is that, unlike many other productivity mice, it comes in a variety of colors: red, blue, purple, and pink. Logitech also produces extremely similar mice under its Party and Doodle collections, which decorate their mice with flowers and cartoon patterns.
3. Microsoft Classic Intellimouse
The best classic mouse
REASONS TO BUY
- Classic, comfortable design
- Customizable DPI settings
- Good for both productivity and gaming
REASONS TO AVOID
- No wireless version
- Dull default colors
If you like old-school techniques, you can't argue with a classic. The Microsoft Classic Intellimouse brings back one of Microsoft's most beloved mouse designs, which debuted in 1996. This time around, the Intellimouse features an attractive gray-and-black chassis, a smooth grip, and customizable DPI settings. What's more: Microsoft has outfitted the device with BlueTrack technology, which means the sensor accurately tracks even glass surfaces.
Because the Classic Intellimouse has a longer body, it is ideal for palm or fingertip grip users. Better still: The device still doubles as a gaming mouse, as did its 1996 counterpart, thanks to its ergonomic design and programmable thumb button. Microsoft has been showing us how to do it for over 20 years as far as using clean, comfortable, no-nonsense peripherals. There's also the Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse if you want a chassis with a gradient color scheme.
The best ergonomic productivity mouse
REASONS TO BUY
- Unique ergonomic design
- Robust, programmable software
- Could reduce wrist strain
REASONS TO AVOID
- Polarizing shape
- Expensive
The Logitech MX Vertical flips the idea of an ergonomic mouse on its head—well, more accurately, on its side. This mouse is essentially what would happen if you squeezed a productivity mouse, then made it stand upright. It's a little hard to describe, but once you see the MX Vertical in action, you'll know right away whether it's for you or not. If regular mice strain your wrists through small, repetitive movements, the MX Vertical can provide some relief. This forces you to move your entire arm around, thus reducing strain on any muscle.
Beyond that, the mouse has classic upscale Logitech goodness, from its adjustable DPI to its durable build quality, to its robust software that lets you drag and drop files across two computers with Logitech Flow. This may be the best wireless mouse for workers struggling with a wrist strain.
The best cheap gaming mouse
REASONS TO BUY
- Great value
- Good performance
- Decent software
REASONS TO AVOID
- Some sensor oddities
- Not ambidextrous or ergonomic
I've always maintained that a good gaming mouse is also a good computer mouse in general, and certainly so is the case with the SteelSeries Rival 3. This sleek, medium-sized peripheral features a no-nonsense, semi-ambidextrous design with two programs. Thumb buttons and a beautiful LED strip on the bottom. The Rival 3 is the only mouse on this list with programmable RGB lighting, and while it won't make you any more productive, it will make your deck a whole lot prettier.
The Rival 3 works so well for productivity users because of its programmable DPI and robust software. You can set up profiles for individual apps, and customize convenient macros for the thumb button while you're at it. The Rival 3 is also much cheaper, which makes it a strong choice for the same price as many smaller, less versatile mice.
The best Magic Mouse for Apple
REASONS TO BUY
- Works well with Macs
- Gesture controls
- Long battery life
REASONS TO AVOID
- Expensive
- Extremely shallow profile
The Apple Magic Mouse 2 doesn't work like most of the other mice on this list. Unlike our other best mouse selections, the Magic Mouse doesn't have a large, comfortable profile or helpful extra buttons. Instead, it adopts a "less is more" approach, focusing on an extremely slim design and gesture control. Hook up the Magic Mouse 2 to a Mac, and you'll be able to navigate through documents, websites, and media, instead of just moving your fingers, to point and click.
Of course, there's little reason to buy a Magic Mouse 2 if you don't have an Apple device because it doesn't have any special functionality on a Windows PC. It is also quite expensive, especially considering how minimalistic the design is.
How to choose the best mouse for you
There are three things to consider when choosing the best mouse for your particular situation: features, size, and price.
Features differ from computer mouse to computer mouse. Some, like the Logitech M325, don't have any additional features. What you see is what you get. Others, like the Logitech MX Master 3, have tons of extra buttons and a full software suite that lets you customize almost every aspect of the mouse's performance. If you do a lot of graphic design or video editing work, a feature-rich mouse is a boon; If you stick mostly to typing and browsing the Internet, a simple computer mouse will work just as well. The best wireless mouse for your setup is a worthwhile consideration if you want to reduce desk clutter.
Size is also a consideration, though it's strictly a matter of personal preference. Mice like the Microsoft Classic IntelliMouse have long bodies and are liked by users who hold the mice with their full palms. Small mice lend themselves to a "claw" grip, which means you can comfortably hold it with three fingers.
The price is related to the feature set of the mouse. Complex mice cost a lot of money; Ordinary mice are cheap. But beware of extremely cheap mice, especially from second or third-tier manufacturers; They won't last long.