keyviz.org

What It Is

Keyviz is a free and open-source desktop tool for visualizing keyboard presses and mouse actions in real time during screen recording, livestreaming, or screen sharing. Its typical users include course instructors, programming tutorial creators, software demonstrators, and content creators. Its core value is helping viewers clearly see which shortcuts were pressed, where the user clicked, and what was scrolled.

Core Features and Design Capabilities

In terms of functionality, Keyviz does more than simply display keystrokes. The content notes that it supports extensive customization, including keycap styles, size, colors, borders, and icons, as well as configurable entrance and exit animations for input overlays. This makes it suitable for creators who want to maintain a consistent visual style in their videos. It can also display mouse clicks and scroll-wheel actions, and supports mouse tracking, making operation paths clearer in software tutorials. Input filtering is another practical feature: users can choose to display only important shortcuts based on hotkey or single-key rules, preventing irrelevant input from cluttering the screen.

Licensing, Copyright, and Privacy

Keyviz is clearly labeled as free and open-source, emphasizing transparency, community-driven development, and free use. The content does not specify the exact open-source license, so the boundaries around commercial use, redistribution, or publishing modified versions should still be checked in the GitHub repository. On privacy, it states that all keystrokes are processed locally and are not sent over the internet, which is important for scenarios involving passwords, internal systems, or instructional recordings.

Pricing and Compatibility

The free version is currently listed as 2.1.1-beta, with current and historical versions available for download via GitHub. It supports Windows and macOS. The paid Pro version costs $9 and includes 3 additional animations and styles, 3 dynamic mouse indicators, and keystroke combination subtitle display. The content does not explain payment methods, refund policy, update entitlement, or differences in commercial licensing.

Pros, Cons, and Best-Fit Users

Its strengths are that it is free and open-source, responsive in real time, highly customizable, privacy-friendly, and covers both keyboard and mouse input. Its limitations are the lack of information on team collaboration, cloud sync, asset library size, export formats, or integration with editing software. Support also appears to be mainly through GitHub downloads and the community. It is especially suitable for independent creators, online instructors, developer tutorial authors, and people who frequently give software demonstrations.

Access from China and Alternatives

Because downloads rely on GitHub, users in mainland China may experience slow or unstable access, so overall availability can be considered partially restricted. Whether the official website itself is reliably accessible directly cannot be confirmed from the content. The payment method for Pro is not disclosed, and paying in USD may also create some friction. Possible alternatives include Carnac, Screenkey, KeyCastr, Keystroke Pro, and some mouse-assistance features in Windows PowerToys.