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Energy · head to head

ABB Ability vs BetterTouchTool

ABB Ability logo

ABB Ability

Energy

Digital solutions for energy and automation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BetterTouchTool logo

BetterTouchTool

Utilities

Mac gesture, shortcut and automation customisation tool sold as a one-time licence with a lifetime tier

From
$12/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ABB Ability the Internet Archive's capture of ABB Ability's page on 19 December 2021 showed it is sold only through a 'Find Your Sales Partner' channel across industry verticals (Automotive, Buildings, Data Centers, EV Charging, Manufacturing, Mining, Oil & Gas, Power, and others), with no price list published.; BetterTouchTool the preferences interface has hundreds of settings across many tabs, so getting one custom gesture working can take longer than with a dedicated single-purpose app.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB Ability covers Asset health monitoring, BetterTouchTool covers Gesture customisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB Ability and BetterTouchTool actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB Ability and BetterTouchTool differ
AttributeABB AbilityBetterTouchTool
Starting priceOn request$12/one-time
Pricing modelquoteOne-time purchase
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiMac
CategoryEnergyUtilities
Founded1988Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABB Ability

  • Asset health monitoring
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Performance optimization
  • Energy management
  • Grid automation
  • Remote diagnostics
  • Advanced analytics
  • Digital twin technology

Only in BetterTouchTool

  • Gesture customisation
  • Keyboard shortcut remapping
  • Window snapping
  • Touch Bar customisation
  • Scripted actions
  • Floating menus and widgets

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABB Ability

  • Asset performance managementnot BetterTouchTool
  • Predictive maintenancenot BetterTouchTool
  • Grid optimizationnot BetterTouchTool
  • Energy efficiencynot BetterTouchTool

BetterTouchTool

  • A power user who wants every trackpad gesture and shortcut on the machine remapped to a specific actionnot ABB Ability
  • Someone with accessibility needs who benefits from remapping input devices away from default behaviournot ABB Ability
  • A user who wants window snapping bundled with much broader system customisation rather than a single-purpose appnot ABB Ability
  • Someone already on a Setapp subscription who wants BetterTouchTool included rather than purchased separatelynot ABB Ability

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABB Ability

  • The Internet Archive's capture of ABB Ability's page on 19 December 2021 showed it is sold only through a 'Find Your Sales Partner' channel across industry verticals (Automotive, Buildings, Data Centers, EV Charging, Manufacturing, Mining, Oil & Gas, Power, and others), with no price list published.

BetterTouchTool

  • The preferences interface has hundreds of settings across many tabs, so getting one custom gesture working can take longer than with a dedicated single-purpose app.
  • The Standard Licence stops receiving updates after two years unless renewed or upgraded to Lifetime, which is easy to miss and can leave a user on an outdated build.
  • It is Mac only, offering nothing for a Windows machine in a mixed household.
  • Because it can intercept almost any input, misconfiguration can make gestures or shortcuts behave unpredictably across different apps, which takes time to debug.
  • It overlaps in function with several single-purpose tools such as Rectangle for windows or Karabiner-Elements for key remapping, so a new user has to decide whether they want one broad tool or several focused ones.

Pricing, plan by plan

ABB Ability

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the ABB Ability review.

BetterTouchTool

$12/one-time
  • Standard Licence$12/one-time
    • Free updates for two years
    • App keeps working on the last version after that
    • Single user licence
  • Lifetime Licence$24/one-time
    • Free updates for as long as the app exists
    • Single user licence
    • Also available bundled through Setapp

Which should you pick?

Choose ABB Ability if

  • You need asset health monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want predictive maintenance.
ABB Ability review

Choose BetterTouchTool if

  • You need gesture customisation.
  • You work on Mac.
  • You also want keyboard shortcut remapping.
BetterTouchTool review

Questions people ask

Is ABB Ability or BetterTouchTool better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB Ability starts at On request and BetterTouchTool at $12/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB Ability or BetterTouchTool?
ABB Ability starts at On request and BetterTouchTool at $12/one-time.
Does ABB Ability or BetterTouchTool run on more platforms?
ABB Ability runs on Web, Mobile, Api. BetterTouchTool runs on Mac.
What is ABB Ability best used for?
ABB Ability is most often used for asset performance management, predictive maintenance, grid optimization, energy efficiency. Of those, asset performance management and predictive maintenance are not what BetterTouchTool is typically brought in for.
What can ABB Ability do that BetterTouchTool cannot?
ABB Ability covers Asset health monitoring, Predictive maintenance, Performance optimization, Energy management. BetterTouchTool covers Gesture customisation, Keyboard shortcut remapping, Window snapping, Touch Bar customisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BetterTouchTool: Is BetterTouchTool a subscription?

No. It is a one-time purchase, either a Standard Licence with two years of updates or a Lifetime Licence with updates indefinitely.

BetterTouchTool: Can I get it without buying it directly?

Yes, it is included in the Setapp subscription bundle alongside other Mac utilities.

BetterTouchTool: Does it replace Rectangle or Karabiner-Elements?

It can cover much of what both do, since it includes window snapping and key remapping, but each of those apps is more focused on its single job.

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