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The Apple Magic Mouse and the Logitech MX Master 3S are two of the best mouses you can pair with a Mac, and I have used both of them a lot. They are both good, but they are not the same kind of product. One is built around fitting into the Apple world as cleanly as possible. The other is built around ergonomics, customization, and using several devices at once. In this comparison I go through the real differences in size, feel, pairing, charging, and price, and I tell you exactly when I would pick each one.
Buy the Magic Mouse for a clean, portable Apple setup. Buy the MX Master 3S for ergonomics, custom buttons, and multi-device work.
- Magic Mouse integrates tightly with macOS and controls every function from System Settings
- Magic Mouse is smaller and easier to drop in a bag
- MX Master 3S is far more ergonomic with a raised shape that supports the wrist
- MX Master 3S adds side buttons, a thumb scroll wheel, and app-specific shortcuts
- MX Master 3S charges over USB-C and stays usable while plugged in
- Magic Mouse charges over Lightning and cannot be used while it is charging
- Magic Mouse has no extra buttons and weaker ergonomics
- MX Master 3S is bigger and costs a little more
- MX Master 3S does not feel as premium or as tightly tied to macOS
Intro: Who This Is For
This one is for anyone on a Mac who is trying to choose between the two mouses everyone recommends. Both work well with macOS, so this is not a case of one being broken and one being good. It comes down to how you work. If you mostly browse and do light productivity and you want something that feels like a natural part of the Apple ecosystem, that points one way. If you spend all day in apps like Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, or Excel and you care about wrist comfort, it points the other way. I will lay out both and then tell you how I would decide.
The Magic Mouse: Apple's Native Option
The Magic Mouse is Apple’s own wireless mouse, and it integrates about as cleanly with macOS as anything can. You control all of its functions directly through System Settings, so there is no separate app to install. There are no scroll wheels on it at all. Instead you scroll vertically and horizontally by moving your finger across the touch-sensitive top surface. It is a smooth, fluid way to move around macOS, and that is the part people love about it. It also feels premium in the hand and looks the part on a desk.
The trade-offs are ergonomics and buttons. The Magic Mouse sits low and flat, so it does not support your wrist the way a taller mouse does. There are no extra buttons to remap either, so what you get out of the box is what you get.
The MX Master 3S: Built Around Your Hand
The MX Master 3S is a completely different experience. It is much more ergonomic and raised up quite a bit, which puts your wrist in a far better position than the flat Magic Mouse does. On top you get physical left and right click buttons, so there is no multi-touch gesture surface up there. What you get instead is buttons, and a lot of them.
There is a main scroll wheel with a button below it, a side scroll wheel on the left flank of the mouse, and extra side buttons. There is also a dedicated button where your thumb rests that lets you trigger some of the same gestures as the Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, like switching between apps and opening Mission Control. It is genuinely impressive that Logitech built that gesture behavior into a button.
Then there is the software. You can download the Logi Options+ app to change what every one of those buttons does. The part I like most is that you can set both general button actions and app-specific actions, so a button can do one thing in Final Cut Pro and something else in Photoshop or Excel. That gives you a lot more productivity headroom than the Magic Mouse, because those shortcuts are sitting right under your fingers.
Pairing and Charging: A Real Difference
The way you pair and charge these two is where the gap really shows. With the Magic Mouse you pair it by plugging in a Lightning cable. With the MX Master 3S you flip the mouse over, press the pairing button until it blinks, and you are in pairing mode. The MX Master 3S also gives you three device slots. To jump from one device to the next you flip it over and press the button, so moving between a computer, a tablet, and a phone, or between multiple computers, takes a second.
Charging is the other big one. The MX Master 3S recharges over USB-C. You plug a cable into the top of the mouse and keep using it while it charges. The Magic Mouse recharges over Lightning, and you cannot use it while it is charging. You have to flip it over on its back like a turtle and leave it plugged in until it is done. In 2023 that is a strange thing to still be dealing with.
Pricing, Colors, and Size
The MX Master 3S costs a little more than the Magic Mouse. For the colors, the MX Master 3S comes in black, pale gray, and graphite, while the Magic Mouse comes in white and black. Size is worth calling out too. The Magic Mouse is quite a bit smaller than the MX Master 3S, so if you travel a lot and just want to throw a mouse in your backpack, the Magic Mouse has an edge there. If you like the MX Master 3S but want something more travel-friendly, Logitech makes a smaller version called the MX Anywhere 3S that is better suited to a bag.
Here is how the two stack up side by side.
| Apple Magic Mouse | Logitech MX Master 3S | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Low and flat, less wrist support | Raised and ergonomic, better wrist position |
| Buttons | None extra, touch surface for gestures | Side buttons, thumb button, scroll wheel button |
| Scrolling | Finger swipe, vertical and horizontal | Main wheel plus dedicated side scroll wheel |
| Software | Built into macOS System Settings | Logi Options+ with app-specific shortcuts |
| Charging | Lightning, cannot use while charging | USB-C, usable while charging |
| Multi-device | One paired device | Three device slots, quick switch button |
| Colors and size | White or black, smaller and portable | Black, pale gray, graphite, larger; MX Anywhere 3S for travel |
Conclusion: How I Would Choose
Both of these are good, so the decision is about fit. I would buy the Magic Mouse if you want the clean Apple experience and you are mostly browsing and doing basic productivity that does not need much customization or the ergonomic comfort the MX Master 3S provides. I would also pick the Magic Mouse if you want a portable mouse that slides into a backpack more easily.
I would buy the MX Master 3S if you want multi-device functionality, better ergonomics, customizable buttons, and a USB-C connector on top instead of Lightning. That is the one I reach for when I am working all day. If you want to go deeper, I have full dedicated reviews of both the MX Master 3S and the Apple Magic Mouse where I cover each of them in a lot more detail. And if you think I missed something, that is what the comment section is for.
