ddcutil vs m1ddc
ddcutil
ddcutil.comm1ddc
github.comSide by side
| Figure | ddcutil | m1ddc |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Monitor Control Software | 8.4 (#3) | 7.1 (#19) |
| Intended users | The documentation describes color profile management as a primary use and also presents a C API for programs that need monitor control. | The README presents m1ddc as a command-line tool for Apple Silicon Mac users who want to control external displays or use display controls in scripts. |
| License | ddcutil and ddcui are released under the GNU General Public License, version 2. | The repository includes an MIT License. |
| Purpose | ddcutil is a Linux program for managing monitor settings such as brightness, color levels, and input source. | m1ddc controls external displays with DDC/CI on Apple Silicon Macs. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
m1ddc
m1ddc is a free command-line tool for controlling external displays from Apple Silicon Macs. Through DDC/CI, it can set or read luminance, contrast, RGB gain, volume, mute, and input source when a display supports those controls. Supported connections include USB-C, DisplayPort Alt Mode, and compatible built-in HDMI ports. Certain Dell displays also expose PIP, PBP, and KVM configuration. The command-line interface is intended for scripts, and the project links to a Hammerspoon example. A Raycast Display Input Switcher extension is also linked, although it does not cover every m1ddc feature. The tool is available for macOS on Apple Silicon and does not support Intel Macs. Building requires clang from Apple’s Command Line Tools; the README says those tools install automatically if absent. The repository includes an MIT License. Display behavior depends on the connected monitor’s supported controls.