Limelight

A Mouseposé alternative with keystrokes, drawing, and recording — pay once

Mouseposé highlights your mouse to focus attention during demos and presentations, and it has moved to a subscription. Limelight does the cursor highlight too and adds on-screen keystrokes, drawing, and screen recording — for a one-time $34 lifetime. Here is an honest comparison.

Mouseposé is a long-running macOS app that spotlights your mouse — dimming the screen around the pointer so an audience knows exactly where to look — and can show mouse clicks during demos. It is a focused, recognizable tool for live presenting, now offered on a subscription.

Limelight covers the same core: a glowing cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1) that dims everything but the area around your cursor. On top of that it adds an on-screen keystroke display (⌃⌥2), draw-on-screen (⌃⌥3), a region spotlight (⌃⌥4), and on-screen text (⌃⌥5), all on global hotkeys over any app. It can also record: hit record and it auto-zooms into every click, smooths the cursor, bakes the overlays into the video, and exports mp4 or 9:16 from a built-in editor, fully offline. Pro is a one-time $34 lifetime license (or $2.99/mo), and the cursor spotlight is free forever.

Mouseposé vs Limelight, line by line. Mouse / cursor highlight that dims the screen: both. On-screen keystroke display: only Limelight. Draw on screen and region spotlight: only Limelight. On-screen text: only Limelight. Screen recording with auto-zoom and export: only Limelight. Pricing: Mouseposé is now a subscription; Limelight's cursor spotlight is free forever and Pro is a one-time $34 lifetime purchase (or $2.99/mo).

The honest split: if all you want is a classic mouse spotlight and you do not mind a subscription, Mouseposé still does it well. If you want the same cursor highlight plus keystrokes, drawing, and recording — and you would rather pay once — Limelight is the Mouseposé alternative that bundles it all for a one-time $34.

Why Limelight

  • ▸Cursor spotlight that dims the screen around your pointer, like Mouseposé
  • ▸Adds on-screen keystrokes, drawing, region spotlight, and text
  • ▸Records with auto-zoom, overlays baked in, and exports mp4 or 9:16
  • ▸One-time $34 lifetime (or $2.99/mo) instead of a subscription; spotlight free
Try it free — download

Cursor spotlight free · from $2.99/mo or $34 lifetime · macOS 14+

Or get Pro — from $2.99/mo · See how it works →

free to start, then go Pro from $2.99/mo or a $34 one-time lifetime license. macOS 14+, notarized by Apple.

FAQ

What is the best Mouseposé alternative on Mac?
If you want Mouseposé's mouse spotlight plus keystrokes, drawing, and recording — and a one-time price instead of a subscription — Limelight is the closest alternative. It highlights and dims around your cursor, shows your keystrokes, and records with auto-zoom and export.
Does Limelight highlight the mouse like Mouseposé?
Yes. Limelight's cursor spotlight (⌃⌥1) dims everything but the area around your cursor, the same focus effect Mouseposé is known for, and it adds keystrokes, drawing, a region spotlight, and on-screen text.
Is Limelight a one-time purchase instead of a subscription?
Yes. The cursor spotlight is free forever, and Pro is a one-time $34 lifetime license (or $2.99/mo if you prefer monthly). Mouseposé has moved to a subscription, so Limelight is the pay-once option.
Does Limelight record the screen?
Yes. Hit record and it auto-zooms into every click, smooths the cursor, bakes in your overlays, and lets you trim and export to mp4 or 9:16 in a built-in editor, fully offline.

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