Whether you want to max out your workflow or gaming power, a PC mouse is a powerful essential. From wired to Bluetooth options, there are plenty on the market that help you command control over your computer, but it comes down to choosing which model that best suits your budget, wrist, and work habits.

To help you find the best computer mouse that compliments both you and your computer the best, we compiled a list of the best available, considering factors like portability, button control, price, and of course, design.

The best mice for PC: Our top picks

With several years in development, the G502’s plastic, metal, and rubber frame mold is arched to naturally contour to your resting palm – it even includes a little textured thumb rest on its side, a design feature relatively new to PC mice. The 11 programmable buttons are not jagged, nor protrude, but complement the mouse’s sleek style, each perfectly placed right at your fingertips making it all come second nature. Programming in productivity with the G502 is endless.

The G502’s unique design and button layout allows for thorough custom work automation. Using the mouse alone in a web browser, you can scroll left and right through tabs, close and open new windows, copy and paste, and even quit your applications without overworking your fingers (that’s how I’ve programmed my G502). You can do the same for video software editing, Adobe Photoshop, and numerous other applications that can turn multiple clicks and keyboard hotkeys to just one button press. If you have a particular program you work within, but want to switch between custom button settings, the G502 can allow profile switches with its G-Shift button, conveniently located next to the thumb rest. Have a million files to scroll through? The G502’s scroll wheel can be adjusted to spin up to 0.36 kilometers a second.

Want to take a break and play a game? The G502 can automatically detect which game you’re playing and change the profile of your programmed buttons to match your custom preference for that specific game. Dots per square inch (DPI) can be adjusted to increase the mouse’s sensitivity for fast-paced shooters up to 25k dots per square inch. You’ll never have to worry about latency or lagging issues with G502, as it reads your response in 1 millisecond (for reference, 1 second is 1,000 milliseconds). The mouse even includes five 3.5 adjustable weights that can be added below to create heft and balance to match your preference.

The G502 is by far the best PC mouse you can buy on the market today. It fits all the criteria of fill features and functionality that allows PC users to get the most out of a mouse without having to spend a fortune. I personally have been using the G502 for years now, and it’s going to be very difficult to find anything better among PC mice in the future.

The E-YOOSOO Wireless Mouse is the most economical of the PC mice on the list, sporting a similar design form as the Logitech G502, even including some buttons, all for under $10. The extra economical mouse is the strongest contender when matching affordability with quality and even includes strong customer support that replies in under 24 hours.

Right out of the box, the E-YOOSOO offers compatibility with not just your PC, but Mac. Much like the G502, this plug-and-play mouse has an ergonomically designed arched back and thumb rest that keeps you comfortable by conforming to the palm of your hand. The mouse includes six different buttons, including two long slim buttons above the thumb rest, and a nonslip clickable middle scroll wheel.

The E-YOOSEE offers a 2.4GHz wireless connectivity via USB receiver, creating a reliable connection from a distance of up to 10 metres away. Five different adjustable dots per square inch (DPI) settings ensures that your mouse’s sensitivity reacts the way you want it too. This PC mouse will automatically jump into power conservation mode after 8 minutes of nonuse. Battery life lasts up to 18 months on a single A battery. If you have any issue with the mouse, customer service is available 24 hours a day.

By far the most discrete of the mice for PC is the TENMOS Mini. The mouse boasts compact dimensions at a mere 6.6 x 4 x 3 centimetres, with a weight just under 3 ounces, and is completely silent when clicking. Unlike the other PC mice, the TENMOS Mini features a silent click design, promising minimal distractions.

The TENMOS mini features 2.4Ghz lag-free wireless connections with smooth tracking capabilities for no delay when you’re moving your cursor. Its auto-sleeping function activates after 10 minutes of inactivity to save on the life of its built-in rechargeable battery. Colours come in pink, black, and green, and it comes in a great price point.

When it comes to the functionality in the Windows operating system, the Microsoft Arc Mouse takes the cake for PC mice. Right out of the box, the Microsoft Arc Mouse connects immediately to your Windows PC as soon as you turn it on. Its built-in intuitive custom gesture designs are made specific for Windows functionality like switching between apps, scrolling through applications, opening the start menu, and much more.

The Microsoft Arc Mouse’s beautiful modern and minimal sleek design is pleasing on the eyes and calming on the fingers. Great for traveling, the minimal mouse weighs just 2.9 ounces (89 grams) and measures 13 x 5.5 x 1.4 centimetres, so you can fit it right in your back pocket.

The top portion of the Microsoft Arc mouse acts as a tiny touchpad, so you can scroll both vertically and horizontally within Windows and its many applications. One of the most unique PC mice out there, the Arc stands out by allowing you to turn it on by bending it to form its ergonomic arc design shape. When you’re done using it, you’ll snap the mouse back in its original flattened form to turn it off.

Battery life lasts up to 6 months on two triple A batteries with models that come in seven different colours that can match with your Microsoft Surface Pro.

The Logitech G600 has the most buttons out of all the PC mice currently on the market. With 20 programmable buttons, you can automate just about any task you have on your computer with one thumb press. The G600 is made specifically for Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games that have a ton of in-game actions with icons that are usually clicked on or customized on a keyboard. Speed is the name of the game, so performing an instantaneous automation with one quick press can save the most precious resource of all: time.

With 20 programmable buttons, the Logitech G600 allows for the ultimate workflow automation. For example, you can program any one of those buttons to run a script to automatically open Microsoft Word, write out a boilerplate email template, or even hotkey trading actions to do some speedy day-trading in the stock market. Like the G502, it comes with a G-shift button that can be programmed to switch between button layout profiles, pushing the mouse to have 40-different customizable commands at your fingertips.

In sophisticated and more user-intensive applications like music production or film editing software, the G600 allows you to assign in-program commands to each button. This creates a custom tailored smooth workflow that allows for shifting between various tools, settings, and features. Even with all its buttons, the G600’s mold is designed for the least resistance and comfort with its curved back and calibrated tuned buttons that reduce click fatigue when undergoing intensive work or game playing. On its bottom it has polytetrafluorethylene feet, which stops friction when moving along any surface you put it on.

Best PC mouse: The bottom line

The Logitech G502 is the best of the PC mice. Unless Logitech or some other hardware company is able to craft a mouse that fits ergonomically to your palm and has perfectly placed multiple buttons that feel as intuitive as a right and left click, it’s going to be hard to find a better mouse. That, and the price, plus adjustable user profiles, and consistent scroll accuracy just make it’s a well-rounded PC mouse that can max out your workflow or recreation; there’s no turning back. Right now, Logitech already has their latest lines of mice to which, many replicate the original mold model of the G502.

How did I choose these PC mice?

I’ve been working with computers since the early 90s, ever since PC mice had a ball inside that would track user movement. The world has become fully more automated regarding our workflows; we e-mail, we send texts, we post, we scroll through tabs – and the medium between the physical and digital world (at least on desktop and laptop computers) is done through keyboards and mice. It’s important to find the best equipment to get the job done, so my methods were fixed on three requirements, making sure that I was looking for mice that made working easy, weren’t too expensive, and overall, had quality that would last you years.

Is the Logitech G502 worth buying?

Yes, absolutely. Even if you’re relatively new with using PC mice or just want something that does the basics, the Logitech G502 is still good for a beginner. However, as time goes on, you may be interested in, or have grown accustom to, the various other buttons on the mouse. Only you know what works best for you, what shoe or glove fits best, what socks or underwear, and it’s the same thing with PC mice. Overtime, if you’re on a web browser a lot or do a majority of your work on PC, you’ll want to find shortcuts to navigate and operate with. For example, do this: open two tabs in your web browser and switch between them. You either may have scrolled up to click the other tab or hit command+option and a left or right arrow key. With the Logitech G502 you can navigate between tabs with just one button press. It may seem simple, but to do this with actions like copy and pasting, closing windows, closing programs, or even undoing writing or other tasks within programs all with one button press is groundbreaking. I personally own this PC mouse and swear by it.

Are any of these PC Mice compatible with Mac?

With the exception of the Microsoft Arc Mouse and Tenmos Mini, most of these PC mice are compatible with Mac (and Linux!) operating systems. In fact, I am currently using the Logitech G502 on my Mac Mini, and it works like a charm. If you’re using a Logitech G-series mouse, you’ll want to install their Logitech application to get the most of its usability, and allow permissions within your Mac operating system, so you can customize each and every button.

How much does a good PC mouse cost?

A good PC mouse shouldn’t break past $50- unless it is a very high-end mouse. As time passes, usually older models go down in price, but just because the PC mice may be older, comparisons aren’t always too stark to justify paying premium. Sometimes you’ll wind up paying more for a wireless version of the same model, just because it’s wireless. For the most part, at under $50, you should be able to find a PC mouse that suits all your expectations plus last you over 5 years without any hardware or software issues.