As many of us spend more time with our computers, you may find more conventional mouse designs uncomfortable at the end of long workdays or gaming sessions. Thankfully, there are an increasing number of mouse designs with sculpted shapes, thumb rests, and other ergonomic elements. These elements can help contribute to a more comfortable experience. The following mice are a selection of the best of these designs focusing on ergonomic compatibility, button reachability, and comfort.
We've tested over 285 mice, and below are our top picks for the best ergonomic options. For other recommendations, be sure to check out our picks for the best wireless mice, the best mice, and the best wired mice.
The best ergonomic mouse we've tested is the Logitech MX Master 3S. It's the latest entry in Logitech's MX Master lineup and shares the same sculpted, right-handed shape as other entries in the series. Its body is made of solid plastic with a soft-touch texture and feels very sturdily built. However, it's on the larger side and is most comfortable for medium-sized or larger hands. You can press its large thumb rest section to enable gesture controls, and its primary scroll wheel unlocks automatically for faster free-scrolling, making scrolling quickly through a long document or website less strenuous. There's also a side-mounted scroll wheel within reach of your thumb that you can use to scroll horizontally, which is helpful if you deal with spreadsheets or timelines. This mouse connects wirelessly with its USB receiver or via Bluetooth and pairs with up to three devices simultaneously.
This newest entry in the lineup features quieter click buttons and an improved sensor with a wider CPI range, which is especially useful if you use a 4k display. If these features don't interest you, we recommend checking out the older Logitech MX Master 2S, which is typically available at a lower price. However, its side buttons are a bit harder to reach, and it uses an older micro-USB charging cable as opposed to USB-C.
At a mid-range price point, we recommend the Logitech Lift, the best vertical mouse we've tested. The orientation of this mouse means you hold it in a natural 'handshake position'. This design intends to reduce wrist strain by allowing you to rest your hand and wrist on your desk, avoiding pronation that can compress nerves in your forearm and wrist. This pick is a bit smaller than many of the options on this list, making it a great choice if you have small or medium-sized hands. There's also a left-handed version available.
The build quality is excellent, and it has a textured rubberized surface that provides additional grip. The button clicks are also very quiet, and the scroll wheel automatically switches between a notched scrolling mode and a much quicker free-scrolling mode. There are three color options, making it easy to fit into your existing home setup. This mouse connects wirelessly via Bluetooth or its USB receiver, and you can pair it with up to three devices simultaneously. If you're interested in a cheaper option, consider the Anker Wireless Vertical Mouse. Its size makes it a better fit for larger hands. However, it doesn't perform as well and lacks both Bluetooth support and multi-device pairing.
In the budget category, we recommend the Logitech M720 Triathlon. It shares many of the same work-oriented features as our first pick in this list, the Logitech MX Master 3S, but it's significantly less expensive. It has a right-handed, ergonomic shape with a rubberized coating and a small thumb rest with a hidden button that enables gesture commands. You can connect it wirelessly with its USB receiver or via Bluetooth, and it pairs with up to three devices simultaneously. For power, it uses a single AA battery and has an impressive advertised battery life of up to 24 months. The scroll wheel also has left and right tilt inputs and unlocks for free scrolling.
Unfortunately, its shape and high palm rest make this mouse bulky, so it isn't the most portable option. Also, its mouse feet are on the thinner side and have sharp edges that can dig into softer mousepads a bit. That said, it's a versatile option that combines many helpful productivity features into an affordable package that's very comfortable for just about all hand sizes.
The best ergonomic gaming mouse we've tested is the Razer Basilisk V3. It has a right-handed shape with a thumb rest that provides more ergonomic support than typical gaming mice. Also, while many gaming mice have only two side buttons, this one has three. As an added feature, its wheel has L/R tilt inputs and a free-scrolling mode that you can toggle to automatically enable when you scroll to a certain speed, like some of the more work-oriented picks on this list. Using the companion software, you can reprogram any button, make sensor adjustments, and customize the RGB lighting.
Unfortunately, this mouse is fairly heavy, so it isn't ideal if you only play fast-paced, reaction-based games. If you're interested in a much lighter and less expensive alternative, check out the Cooler Master MM720. Unlike the Razer mouse, which has a thumb rest on the left, this mouse has added ergonomic support on the right side and features a rest for your ring finger. However, it doesn't feel as sturdy, only has two side buttons, and lacks extra features like a scroll wheel with free-scrolling mode.
If you're interested in a trackball design, we recommend the Logitech MX ERGO. It has a comfortable right-handed shape and a thumb trackball design suitable for all hand sizes. It also includes a metal plate that lets you adjust between a zero or 20-degree tilt position, and there's a pinky rest area, so none of your fingers hang awkwardly off the side. Overall, this mouse is very well-built, and the materials are high-quality. However, it doesn't feel as premium as our top pick, the Logitech MX Master 3S, which is typically available at a similar price. Some users also report that the rubber coating can be prone to wearing out from heavy use.
This mouse connects wirelessly using its USB receiver or via Bluetooth. It has an advertised battery life of up to four months, and you can pair up to two devices simultaneously. The scroll wheel has tilt buttons but doesn't unlock for a quicker free-scrolling mode like other options on this list. Using the customization software, you can reprogram buttons to best suit your needs. If you're interested in a more affordable alternative, consider the Logitech ERGO M575. It has the same ergonomic shape; however, it doesn't include a tilt base, doesn't support multi-device connectivity, and feels cheaper overall.
May 01, 2023: We've reviewed this article and confirmed all our recommendations are in stock and remain the options for their categories. We've also added the newly-reviewed Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed to our list of Notable Mentions.
Mar 02, 2023: We've gone over this article and verified all picks are in stock, but we haven't made any changes to our recommendations as all picks remain the best choices for their respective categories.
Jan 03, 2023: We've confirmed all recommendations in this article are currently in stock and remain the best picks available. We've also added the Logitech G705 to our list of Notable Mentions.
Oct 31, 2022: We've audited this article and determined not to make any changes to our recommendations as they still remain the best choices for their respective categories.
Sep 01, 2022: We've revamped the category names and our picks for this article to better represent the current market and to provide more insight for readers. We've also overhauled our Notable Mentions section to include fewer, more relevant recommendations.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best vertical mouse and overall best ergonomic mice for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper mouse wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no mice that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our mice reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no mouse is perfect for every use, most mice are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.