ddcutil vs MonitorControl
ddcutil
ddcutil.comMonitorControl
monitorcontrol.appSide by side
| Figure | ddcutil | MonitorControl |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (#20) |
| 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. | The maker provides a downloadable DMG and documents installation through Homebrew with `brew install --cask monitorcontrol`. |
| Purpose | ddcutil is a Linux program for managing monitor settings such as brightness, color levels, and input source. | MonitorControl controls external display brightness and volume on a Mac and shows native macOS on-screen displays. |
| Support | The project directs technical support questions, bug reports, and feature requests to its GitHub issue tracker. | The maker directs users with questions to the project’s GitHub Discussions. |
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.
MonitorControl
MonitorControl is a free macOS app for controlling external display brightness, volume, and contrast while showing native macOS on-screen displays. It supports DDC on external monitors, Apple protocols on Apple and built-in displays, gamma-table dimming, and shade control for AirPlay, Sidecar, DisplayLink, and other virtual screens. Brightness can transition smoothly or dim to full black. Standard Apple brightness and media keys work, and custom shortcuts are available. Multiple displays can be synchronized with one slider or shortcuts, including copying brightness changes from built-in or Apple displays to non-Apple screens. Dozens of customization options are provided, with more under “Show advanced settings.” MonitorControl is free, with no trial, and runs on macOS. Version 4.0.0 lists Catalina 10.15 as its baseline; full functionality is available on macOS 11 Big Sur or newer. The latest listed release is v4.4.0.