Vertical mouse vs. trackball: which ergonomic mouse is right for you?
Compare how vertical mice and trackballs change pointer control, how much desk space they need, and what to consider before switching.
Updated 31 Aug 2026 · no hands-on testing
The short answer
If your discomfort is in the forearm or wrist from the palm-down twist a normal mouse requires, look at a vertical mouse: it holds your hand in a handshake position instead. If it comes from moving the whole arm across the desk, or if you are short of desk space, look at a trackball, where the device stays still and only your thumb or fingers move.
Cheapest way to try each: ELECOM EX-G Wired Trackball (M-XT3URBK) and Adesso iMouse E1 Vertical. The trackball was seen at $34.99 on 16 Aug 2026; check the current price. The vertical was seen at $41.49 on 16 Aug 2026; check the current price. Neither is a big commitment, and the two shapes are different enough that trying the wrong one tells you very little about the other.
The picks
Cheapest trackball
$34.99 seen 16 Aug 2026; check the current price
A six-button thumb-operated trackball with tilt scrolling, wired. It was seen at $34.99 on 16 Aug 2026; check the current price. A thumb ball is the trackball layout closest to an ordinary mouse: your hand rests where it already rests, and the thumb takes over the pointing.
Check price on AmazonPaid link — QuickDesker may earn a commission.Cheapest vertical
$41.49 seen 16 Aug 2026; check the current price
4.1★ (68) at Best Buy
A wired vertical mouse at 1600 DPI, rated 4.1★ (68) at Best Buy. It was seen at $41.49 on 16 Aug 2026; check the current price. Adesso quotes a 50-degree housing, the gentlest tilt of the four verticals here that publish one, so it changes your wrist posture less than the steeper shells below.
Check price on AmazonPaid link — QuickDesker may earn a commission.Our default vertical pick
$69.99 seen 16 Aug 2026; check the current price
A 57-degree housing, six buttons, quiet clicks, up to 24 months on an AA cell, and a Logitech vertical built in a left-handed version as well as a right-handed one, which hardly any maker bothers with.
Check price on AmazonPaid link — QuickDesker may earn a commission.Trackball for a desk that is already full
$49.99 seen 16 Aug 2026; check the current price
A thumb trackball with five buttons and quiet clicks, running up to 18 months on an AA. It was seen at $49.99 on 16 Aug 2026; check the current price. It never moves, so it works on a desk with no free space and on surfaces a normal mouse struggles with.
Check price on AmazonPaid link — QuickDesker may earn a commission.
What does "ergonomic" actually mean on a mouse?
On this site it means two device types and nothing else: vertical mice and trackballs. That is a deliberately narrow reading, because the word is marketing everywhere else. Taken at face value it would describe almost any mouse, which would make it useless as a way of telling them apart.
So the ergo tag here is deliberately narrow: it means the housing changes your wrist or forearm posture. In practice that is two device types: vertical mice, which rotate your hand towards a handshake grip, and trackballs, where the hand rests still and a ball does the moving. A contoured right-handed gaming shell is a comfortable ordinary mouse, and we file it as standard.
Which one is more comfortable?
Nobody here can tell you, and that limit belongs at the top of the answer rather than the bottom, because this is the category where buying guides are least honest about it. None of these devices has been used here. There is no wrist-angle measurement behind this page, no trial period, and no medical standing to tell you what will help you.
What this page can do is put the published numbers side by side (housing angle where the vendor gives one, button count, weight, which hand it fits) and be clear about which of those a manufacturer has actually stated. Three of the five verticals here publish an angle; the other two do not, and their rows say so. How hand size and grip feed into that choice is the subject of Palm, claw or fingertip: which mouse grip do you use, and does it matter?
If you are buying because something already hurts, that is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a comparison table.
What does a vertical mouse actually change?
Your wrist angle, and nothing else about how you use it. A vertical mouse works exactly like a normal one (you slide it, the cursor moves) but the shell is rotated so your palm faces inward. The claim is that this avoids the forearm twist a flat mouse requires.
The angle varies more than you might expect. Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse and Logitech MX Vertical are both 57 degrees; Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition is 71.7, which is much closer to fully upright.
Because the movement is unchanged, this is the easier of the two to adopt. The adjustment is to the grip, not to the skill.
What changes when you use a trackball?
The device stays in one place while your thumb or fingers roll the ball. You do not need desk space to slide the mouse around, which can make a trackball useful in a confined setup.
Two layouts, and they are not interchangeable. Thumb balls, Logitech ERGO M575S, ELECOM EX-G Wired Trackball (M-XT3URBK) and Logitech MX Ergo S, keep your hand roughly where a mouse would be and are the gentler introduction. Finger balls with a scroll ring, Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring and Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball (K64325), are ambidextrous and a bigger relearning job.
Expect a genuine adjustment period with either. That is the consistent thing people report about trackballs and it is worth going in knowing it.
What are your options if you are left-handed?
Trackballs, mostly, and this is where they win outright. Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring, Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball (K64325) and ELECOM HUGE Trackball (M-HT1URBK) are all symmetrical, so they work in either hand and on a desk two people share.
Among the verticals, only Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse is built in a left-handed version as well as a right-handed one. The rest are right-handed shells, and a right-handed vertical mouse is not usable left-handed in the way a symmetrical mouse is. For standard-shaped mice, where the answer is different and thinner, see Ambidextrous vs. contoured-right mice: which hand is yours shaped for?
What is hard to find in an ergonomic mouse?
A cable together with a lot of buttons. Wired, ergonomic and seven or more assignable controls is an unusual combination, and ELECOM HUGE Trackball (M-HT1URBK) is the one example on this page, so there is nothing here to compare it against.
If you want a wired vertical mouse or trackball with extra controls, compare the actual models available rather than assuming those features come together. The selection here is limited, so check connection and controls separately.
That is a fact to plan around rather than work around: if that combination is what you need, there is one product, and it is a large ambidextrous trackball with a palm rest.
How do these vertical mice and trackballs compare?
| Product | Type | Hand | Angle° | Buttons | Connection | Price when seen | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECOM EX-G Wired Trackball (M-XT3URBK) | Trackball | Right-handed | Not recorded | 6 | Wired | $34.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Adesso iMouse E1 Vertical | Vertical | Right-handed | 50 | Not recorded | Wired | $41.49 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Kensington Pro Fit Ergo Vertical (K75501WW) | Vertical | Right-handed | Not recorded | Not recorded | Wireless | $49.13 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Logitech ERGO M575S | Trackball | Right-handed | Not recorded | 5 | Wireless | $49.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring | Trackball | Ambidextrous | Not recorded | 2 | Wired | $66.22 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse | Vertical | Sold in left and right versions | 57 | 6 | Wireless | $69.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| ELECOM EX-G PRO Trackball (M-XPT1MRXBK) | Trackball | Right-handed | Not recorded | 8 | Wireless | $74.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| ELECOM HUGE Trackball (M-HT1URBK) | Trackball | Ambidextrous | Not recorded | 8 | Wired | $86.96 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Logitech MX Vertical | Vertical | Right-handed | 57 | 4 | Wireless | $99.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball (K64325) | Trackball | Ambidextrous | Not recorded | Not recorded | Wired | $106.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Logitech MX Ergo S | Trackball | Right-handed | Not recorded | 8 | Wireless | $109.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
| Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition | Vertical | Not recorded | 71.7 | Not recorded | Wireless | $119.99 (seen 16 Aug 2026) | Check price on AmazonPaid link |
Angle is only filled in where the manufacturer publishes it, which is four of the five verticals. Button count is the vendor's own figure; where a vendor quotes assignable controls instead of physical buttons, that number is recorded separately rather than being merged into this column.
Prices are what we saw on the dates shown, not live figures. A lot of them were promotional when we read them, so check the current price before you buy.
Paid link — QuickDesker may earn a commission.
“Not recorded” means this comparison has no sourced value for that specification. It does not mean the product lacks the feature.
Common questions
- Will a vertical mouse or a trackball fix my wrist pain?
We do not know, and anyone telling you confidently either way is guessing. These devices have been on nobody's desk here, and pain has causes (posture, desk height, hours, existing injury) that a peripheral does not address on its own.
What is true is that both shapes change how your hand sits, and both are cheap enough to try. If something already hurts, see a clinician first.
- Which is easier to get used to?
A vertical mouse, almost certainly, because the movement is identical to what you already do: only the grip changes. A trackball replaces arm movement with thumb or finger movement, which is a new motor skill.
If you want the gentlest version of a trackball, a thumb-ball like Logitech ERGO M575S keeps your hand closest to a normal mouse position.
- Do trackballs work for gaming?
Not something we can answer from specifications, and we have not played anything on one. What the specifications do say is that no trackball here publishes a sensor figure above 2,000 DPI, and the one that publishes a polling rate quotes 125 Hz, while gaming mice quote up to 35,000 DPI and 8,000 Hz. What those two numbers actually buy you is covered in DPI vs polling rate: which mouse number actually matters?
Whether that matters to you is a different question, but the hardware is plainly not aimed at it.
- Are there left-handed options?
Three ambidextrous trackballs (Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring, Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball (K64325) and ELECOM HUGE Trackball (M-HT1URBK)), and one vertical mouse built in a left-handed version, Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse.
Everything else in this group is a right-handed shell.
- Why is a contoured gaming mouse not in this list?
Because the word is being used here about posture, not about marketing. A contoured right-handed shell is a comfortable ordinary mouse: your forearm still lies palm-down and you still move your arm to move the cursor. Counting those as ergonomic would stretch the word over most of the mice on sale and leave it meaning nothing.
What this is based on
We have not tested these products. The comparisons use manufacturer specifications and retailer information, with sources linked below. Prices are dated snapshots and may have changed.
Every figure here (housing angle, button count, weight, hand orientation, battery life) is the manufacturer's own published number, taken from the product or specification page linked below with the date it was read. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the table says "Not recorded"; we have not estimated an angle from a product photograph or counted buttons in an image.
Nothing on this page is a comfort finding. Not one of these devices has been picked up by anyone working on the site, so there are no impressions of grip, of weight in the hand, or of how a ball rolls, and no claims at all about health outcomes.
The narrow definition of ergonomic (vertical mice and trackballs only) is ours, and it is stated here so it can be argued with. It exists because the marketing use of the word would leave it meaning nothing.
Sources (14)
- Adesso: iMouse E1 Vertical Ergonomic Illuminated Mouse (states "50 Degree Vertical Angle"; the same figure appears on Adesso's Canadian site) (Manufacturer, read 31 Aug 2026)
- Best Buy: Adesso - iMouse Wired Optical Ergonomic Mouse - Wired - Glossy black (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Best Buy: Kensington - K64325 USB 2.0 Expert Mouse Trackball - Wired - Black/Silver (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Best Buy: Kensington - K75501WW Pro Fit Ergo Vertical Wireless Mouse for Right Hand Use - Wireless - Black (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Best Buy: Kensington - Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring - Optical - Cable - USB - Scroll Ring - 2 Button(s) - Wired - White (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- ELECOM USA: EX-G PRO Trackball ("8 customizable buttons plus tilt-scroll wheel", 2.4 GHz wireless, 500/1000/1500 DPI) (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- ELECOM USA: EX-G Wired Trackball M-XT3 ("6 customizable buttons", wired, $34.99) (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Logitech: Computer Mice: Wireless, Bluetooth, Ergonomic (store listing) (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Logitech: MX Vertical Advanced Ergonomic Mouse: data sheet ("4 customizable buttons", 57° vertical angle, 135 g) (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Logitech: Specification - ERGO M575S ("5 - Left/Right-click, Back/Forward, Scroll-wheel with middle-click") (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Logitech: Specification - LIFT Vertical Ergonomic Mouse ("4 buttons + Connectivity button", 400–4,000 DPI, 124 g) (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Logitech: Specification - MX Ergo S ("8 (Left/Right-click, Back/Forward, Scroll-wheel with Right/Left-tilt and Middle-click, Precision Mode, Easy-Switch)") (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Newegg: ELECOM HUGE Trackball Mouse, Wired, Finger-Operated, 8-Button Function, Palm Rest Attached, 52mm Smooth Red Ball (M-HT1URBK) (Retailer, read 16 Aug 2026)
- Razer: Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition ("up to 8 programmable controls", 71.7° tilt, up to 6 months battery) (Manufacturer, read 16 Aug 2026)
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