A Barrier alternative that's maintained, and switches your monitor
Barrier is the free, open-source fork of Synergy for sharing one keyboard and mouse across computers. It's capable but fiddly, and active development moved on to its forks (Input Leap, since archived, and Deskflow). If you want something that installs in five minutes, is actively maintained, and can also switch one monitor between two computers, EasyKVM is a paid alternative worth the $29.99.
What Barrier does, and doesn't
Barrier shares a keyboard and mouse between computers by letting the cursor cross from one screen's edge to another. Each machine keeps its own display. It's free and cross-platform, but setup involves SSL fingerprints and config files, macOS needs several accessibility/permission grants, and the project is effectively in maintenance mode. It also doesn't move audio, and it can't switch a monitor's input.
EasyKVM hands off keyboard, mouse, and audio on a hotkey, whether each computer has its own screen or both share one. On a shared monitor the same hotkey also switches the monitor's input over DDC/CI. Pairing is a 6-digit code, not a config file.
EasyKVM vs Barrier at a glance
| EasyKVM | Barrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Two computers, with a screen each or a shared monitor | Multiple monitors, edge crossing |
| How you switch computers | Hotkey | Moving the pointer across the screen edge |
| Switches monitor input | Yes (DDC/CI) | No |
| Audio follows control | Yes | No |
| Setup | 6-digit pair, ~5 min | Config + SSL fingerprints |
| Maintained | Yes, auto-updates | No release since 2021 |
| Price | $29.99 once | Free, open source |
| Support | Email support + refund | Community |
What about Input Leap?
Input Leap is the community fork of Barrier, run by former Barrier maintainers, and it was where active development moved. Its repository was archived in July 2026, so for a free, maintained successor with the same edge-crossing model, Deskflow is now the one to use. Both keep Barrier's model, though: each computer needs its own display, and it doesn't move audio or switch a monitor's input. EasyKVM moves audio whether each computer has its own screen or both share one, and on a shared monitor it switches the input too.
Free options
Status checked September 2026:
- Deskflow is the free, open-source (GPL-2.0) project that Synergy is built on, for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD. It is actively maintained, with v1.26.0 released in February 2026 and commits still going in.
- Input Leap released v3.0.3 in June 2025, and its repository was archived (read-only) in July 2026, so it no longer gets fixes.
- The full field, free and paid, is in one comparison table.
Pick by your setup
- Two monitors, want the pointer to glide over on its own, don't mind config → Deskflow, free.
- Two monitors, want to move control only when you choose → EasyKVM with the Monitor toggle off, audio included.
- You want audio to follow control, with a screen each or one shared monitor → EasyKVM. On a shared monitor the same hotkey switches the screen too.
- Coming from Synergy specifically? → see the Synergy alternative page.
- See also: Synergy alternative · Logitech Flow alternative · Mouse Without Borders alternative · ShareMouse alternative · Deskflow alternative · Multiplicity alternative · BetterDisplay vs EasyKVM · All alternatives compared.