This is the classic free-versus-paid comparison, with a twist: one side stopped being developed years ago. InputMapper is a free, focused DualShock 4 mapper whose final build shipped in May 2020. reWASD is a commercial controller mapper that is still actively developed, supports a much broader range of devices, and charges for that ongoing work. Neither fact alone settles the choice. What matters is whether you need what active development buys you — and whether a free legacy specialist already does the one job you actually have.
A disclosure before we start, because it shapes how you should read this page: this site has no affiliate relationship with reWASD. We earn nothing if you buy it, and nothing if you do not. Where we mention it, we link its official homepage once, plainly, so you can check its current pricing and feature list for yourself rather than trusting our summary.
What Each Tool Is Trying to Be
InputMapper, from DSDCS, is closed-source freeware. It was built around a specific problem of its era: making Sony controllers, above all the DualShock 4, work in Windows games that expect an Xbox 360 controller. Its official input list covers the DS4 and DS4 V2, Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers, the DualShock 3 and PS Move Navigation controller via a Magic-NS dongle, and generic DirectInput and XInput devices. It outputs a virtual Xbox 360 controller or a virtual DS4 through the ViGEmBus driver, as well as keyboard and mouse input, and it wraps that in profiles and macros with touchpad-as-mouse, lightbar, and rumble controls.
reWASD aims wider. It is a paid, actively developed, all-round remapper rather than a DS4 specialist: broader device support than InputMapper, and advanced remapping features such as layered and shift mappings, where one button can change what every other button does. That breadth is the product. If you own several different controllers, or you build complex multi-layer layouts for specific games, reWASD is designed for you in a way InputMapper never tried to be.
For background on the free side of this comparison, see how to use InputMapper and our alternatives overview.
At a Glance
| Feature | InputMapper | reWASD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — closed-source freeware, donations accepted, no paid edition | Paid commercial software |
| Development status | Unmaintained; final build 1.7.7452.13622, May 2020 | Actively developed |
| DualShock 4 | Yes, including DS4 V2 | Yes, as part of broader device support |
| DualSense | No — the final build predates the DualSense | Supported as part of its broader, current device support |
| Switch Pro Controller | No | Broader device support than InputMapper — check the current list on the official site |
| Remapping depth | Profiles, macros, touchpad as mouse, lightbar and rumble controls | Advanced remapping, including layered and shift mappings |
| Virtual output | Virtual Xbox 360 and virtual DS4 via ViGEmBus, plus keyboard and mouse | Virtual controller output as part of its remapping system |
| Account or store | None — download, install, use | Commercial purchase and licensing through the vendor |
Where reWASD Is Genuinely Better
Honesty first: on most axes a buyer cares about in 2026, reWASD is ahead, because it is a living product and InputMapper is an archived one.
Current development matters. When Windows changes something, when a new controller appears, or when a bug shows up, an actively developed tool can respond. InputMapper cannot — its final build is from May 2020, and that will never change. The DualSense is the clearest example: InputMapper does not support it at all, simply because the controller did not exist when development stopped. If you have moved to a DualSense, or you mix Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo controllers on one PC, InputMapper’s device list will feel like a museum exhibit. Our guides to the DualSense on PC and the Switch Pro Controller on PC exist precisely because readers keep asking about hardware InputMapper cannot read.
Remapping depth is the second real advantage. InputMapper’s profiles and macros cover straightforward remapping well, but reWASD’s layered and shift mappings open up layouts that InputMapper was never designed for — effectively several control schemes stacked on one pad, switched by holding a shift button. For simulation games, MMOs, and accessibility-driven layouts, that difference is not cosmetic.
Support is the third. A paid product comes with a vendor who has a commercial reason to answer you. InputMapper comes with community knowledge and sites like this one. For many people that is enough; for some, it is not, and that is a legitimate reason to pay.
Where InputMapper Still Wins
InputMapper’s case rests on three things: price, focus, and simplicity of ownership.
It is free — genuinely free, not a trial or a feature-limited tier. InputMapper was released as freeware supported by donations, and there has never been a paid edition. If your whole requirement is “make my DualShock 4 work in Windows games, with a couple of profiles,” paying for a commercial mapper buys you breadth you may never use.
It is also focused. Everything in InputMapper serves the DS4-to-XInput job: profiles, macros, the touchpad as a mouse, lightbar and rumble settings. There is no store, no account, and no licensing step between downloading it from our download page and using it. For a single-purpose tool on a gaming PC that rarely changes, that lack of ceremony has real appeal, and the software you learn today is the software you will still have in five years — because it will not change at all.
Finally, its underlying approach is well understood. InputMapper 1.7 works through ViGEmBus, the same virtual controller driver used by DS4Windows and XOutput, and the modern way to prevent double input alongside it is HidHide rather than the legacy HidGuardian stack from its own era. The ecosystem knowledge is stable and documented, including on this site’s troubleshooting pages.
Who Should Pay, and Who Should Not
Pay for reWASD if any of these describe you: you own a DualSense or several different modern controllers; you want layered or shift mappings; you play new games on a PC you keep updating, and you want a mapper that is updated with it; or you simply want a supported product. Those are good reasons, and we will not pretend a frozen 2020 freeware tool matches them.
Stay with InputMapper if you have a DualShock 4, a stable set of games, and modest remapping needs. In that narrow but common case, it still does its original job for free, and the money stays in your pocket.
You can check reWASD’s current pricing, trial terms, and device list at rewasd.com — again, we have no affiliate relationship with reWASD and earn nothing from that link. We would rather you verified a paid product’s claims on the vendor’s own site than took our word for them.
The Budget Alternative: Free Software Plus a Native Pad
There is a third way to spend — or not spend — this money. Instead of paying for mapping software to translate a PlayStation controller, you can pair free software for the pad you have with a native XInput controller that Windows games understand with no translation at all. A native pad removes the driver, hiding, and compatibility questions entirely. Two options we link commercially are the PowerA controller range on Amazon and PowerA controllers direct. Affiliate link — see our Affiliate Disclosure. Note the contrast we are drawing deliberately: those are affiliate links and we say so; the reWASD link above is not, and we say that too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is InputMapper really free, or is there a paid edition?
InputMapper is completely free. It is closed-source freeware supported by donations, and there has never been a paid edition or premium tier.
Does this site earn money if I buy reWASD?
No. We have no affiliate relationship with reWASD and earn nothing from links to its site or from any purchase you make there.
Why would anyone pay for reWASD when InputMapper is free?
reWASD is actively developed, supports a broader range of modern devices including the DualSense, and offers advanced features such as layered and shift mappings that InputMapper does not have.
Can InputMapper and reWASD be used together?
Running two mappers that both create virtual controllers can cause conflicts and double input. Pick one mapper per controller and use it consistently.