EasySwitchEasySwitch vs a hardware KVM switch
EasySwitch vs a hardware KVM switch
The short version
These are not two versions of the same product. A hardware KVM switch exists so that several computers can share one monitor — you see one machine at a time and press a button to change which. EasySwitch assumes every computer already has its own screen, leaves them all switched on, and moves your cursor and keyboard between them across the screen edge. If your desk has one monitor and three machines, buy the box. If it has three machines each with a screen, the box is solving a problem you do not have.
Side by side
| Capability | EasySwitch | Hardware KVM switch |
|---|---|---|
| Your monitors | Every computer keeps its own screen, all of them lit at once. | One set of monitors, shared — you see one computer at a time. |
| Switching | Push the cursor off the edge of a screen, or press a hotkey. | Press the button on the box, or a hotkey it listens for. |
| What you install | An app on each computer. Nothing between them. | A cable from every computer to the box, for video and USB. |
| Clipboard | Text, images and files, in both directions. | None. A video cable cannot carry a clipboard. |
| Moving files | Drag off one screen, drop into Finder or Explorer on the other. | None. Use a USB stick or the network, as before. |
| Gaining a display | Any linked computer can become a real extra monitor. | Never. A switch shares the displays you own; it adds none. |
| Before the OS starts | Nothing until the computer has booted and the app is running. | Works at the firmware screen, and on a machine with no OS. |
| Machines you can't install software on | Not supported — it needs the app on both ends. | Fine. The box does not care what the computer runs. |
| Resolution and refresh rate | Each monitor runs at whatever it already runs at. | Capped by the model you bought, and by its cables. |
| Cost | Free for two computers; $49 once for more. | A one-off purchase per desk, plus a cable for every machine. |
Hardware KVM behaviour varies by model — video standards, resolution limits and hotkey support differ between manufacturers. Check the specification of the switch you are considering.
There is no cable between your computers
This is the assumption people carry over from the hardware, so it is worth stating plainly: EasySwitch does not connect your machines with a cable, a dongle or a USB-C link. They reach each other over the network they are already on — Ethernet or Wi-Fi — and the only requirement is that both are on the same local network. Nothing is plugged from one computer into the other, and no traffic leaves your network.
When the hardware KVM is the right answer
Buy the box when you need something software cannot reach. It works at the firmware screen and on a machine with no operating system, which matters for servers and for repair work. It works on computers you are not permitted to install anything on. It needs no network, so it suits isolated or air-gapped machines. And if the real constraint is desk space — one monitor, several computers — a switch solves that directly and EasySwitch does not solve it at all.
Common questions
What is the difference between a KVM switch and KVM software?
A hardware KVM switch is a physical box: your monitor, keyboard and mouse plug into it, every computer plugs into it too, and pressing a button hands that one set of peripherals to a different machine. You see one computer at a time. Software like EasySwitch does the opposite — every computer keeps its own screen and stays visible, and only the cursor and keyboard move between them, over your network. Neither is a better version of the other; they suit different desks.
Does EasySwitch need a cable or a USB-C connection between the computers?
No. There is no cable and no box. The computers talk to each other over the network they are already on — Ethernet or Wi-Fi — so the only requirement is that both are on the same local network. Nothing is plugged from one machine into the other.
Do I still need a KVM switch if I use EasySwitch?
Only if you need what a switch does and software cannot: reaching a machine before its operating system loads, controlling a computer you are not allowed to install software on, or sharing a single monitor between machines because you do not have room for two. If each computer already has its own screen, the switch is solving a problem you do not have.
Is a KVM switch better for gaming or low latency?
For the machine you are actively using, yes — a hardware switch passes your keyboard and mouse through as native USB devices with no network in between. EasySwitch sends input events over your LAN, which is fast enough that the boundary between machines stops registering in normal use, but it is not the same thing as a direct USB connection.
What about a KM switch, with no video?
A KM switch shares only the keyboard and mouse and leaves each computer on its own monitor, which is the same arrangement EasySwitch creates. It is the closest hardware equivalent. The differences are that it still needs a box and a USB cable to every machine, it has no clipboard or file transfer, and it cannot turn one of your computers into an extra display.
If every machine already has a screen
Free for two computers, forever — no box, and nothing to sign up for.