ClickMonitorDDC vs ddcutil
ClickMonitorDDC
clickmonitorddc.comddcutil
ddcutil.comSide by side
| Figure | ClickMonitorDDC | ddcutil |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Monitor Control Software | 8.5 (#1) | 8.4 (#3) |
| Installation | The maker describes a portable executable that normally runs without formal installation. | The maker documents prebuilt packages and source builds; its project maintained packages include builds for some Debian, openSUSE, and Ubuntu releases, with Launchpad and Fedora COPR packages also described. |
| Intended users | The About page describes the utility as designed for professionals, gamers, and everyday users who want convenient monitor control. | The documentation describes color profile management as a primary use and also presents a C API for programs that need monitor control. |
| Purpose | ClickMonitorDDC controls external monitor settings from Windows using DDC/CI. | ddcutil is a Linux program for managing monitor settings such as brightness, color levels, and input source. |
Plans
In their own words
ClickMonitorDDC
ClickMonitorDDC is a free Windows utility for controlling external monitor settings through DDC/CI. Depending on monitor support, it can adjust brightness, contrast, speaker volume, RGB gains, and color temperature. Multiple displays can be controlled independently or have settings synchronized. Controls include tray options, hotkeys, and the mouse wheel; shortcuts switch profiles, while command-line arguments or hotkeys can automate adjustments and profile changes. The listed Windows versions are 7, 8, 10, and 11, and the monitor must have DDC/CI enabled. Some laptop displays may restrict DDC/CI, and some monitors may not support every setting. The download is a portable app that runs without formal installation. The privacy policy says the software runs locally and does not collect, transmit, or store personal data from the computer, monitor, or hardware configuration. It separately says the website may collect browsing data and use cookies. The utility is described as intended for professionals, gamers, and everyday users who want monitor controls.
ddcutil
ddcutil is a free Linux program for controlling monitor settings such as brightness, color levels and input source. It communicates with monitors through DDC/CI over I²C and supports monitors implementing MCCS over USB. Commands can find monitors, show capabilities, read or change VCP feature values, and save or restore color-related settings. The companion ddcui provides a Qt graphical interface with Summary, Capabilities and Features views, with the last allowing changes to modifiable values. For profile workflows, dumpvcp saves current settings to a file and loadvcp restores them. Developers can use the C API through libddcutil.so to read and write VCP values and handle profile-related features. The program is released under GNU GPL version 2. Setup requires the Linux kernel i2c-dev module, and non-root users need permissions to run it. It does not support laptop displays, which use a special API rather than I²C, and generally will not run in virtual machines because virtual video drivers do not implement I²C. For MCCS-over-USB table features, support is limited; the capabilities command synthesizes a response.