Free and Pro features
BetterDisplay includes free features for everyday display adjustments and Pro features for advanced scaling, image processing, streaming and automation. Use this comparison to see what remains available after the trial, and how the app’s built-in capabilities compare with MonitorControl and m1ddc.
Feature comparison
- Free — Available without Pro, including after the trial ends.
- Pro — Requires Pro after the trial ends; also available during the trial.
- Yes — An available capability of an open-source tool.
- — — No equivalent built-in capability listed.
- NEW — Introduced or substantially expanded in BetterDisplay 5.
The comparison covers built-in capabilities; scripts or other apps can sometimes provide additional workflows. MonitorControl and m1ddc are free, open-source projects to which BetterDisplay’s developer also contributes.
Availability depends on your Mac, macOS version, display and connection. “Free” describes feature access; use remains subject to the license terms, including the requirement for business users to purchase Pro after the trial.
| Feature | BetterDisplay | MonitorControl | m1ddc |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEW — Expanded compositor filters: sharpening, geometry, and advanced color adjustments | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — Custom 3D LUTs for displays and PIP/stream filters | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — PIP/stream capture of selected windows or window groups | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — Target frame-rate controls for PIP and streaming | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — Compositor rendering for Video Filter Windows | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — HDMI-CEC TV control, including CLI access | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Built-in console with CLI access and optional app logs | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Per-display actions for connection, disconnection, sleep, and wake events | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Expanded display information and diagnostic reports | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Per-display ambient light readings on supported hardware | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Visual display arrangement with on-screen guides | Free 1 | — | — |
| NEW — Optional sidebar layout and menu bar right-click actions | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Refined OSD styling and Traditional OSD option | Free | — | — |
| NEW — Expanded filter syncing and manual group UI scale matching | Pro | — | — |
| NEW — Experimental cursor exclusion from stream target displays | Pro | — | — |
| Graphical user interface | Free | Free | — |
| Multiple brightness-control methods | Free | Free | — |
| Color-table XDR/HDR brightness upscaling on Apple Silicon | Pro | — | — |
| Metal XDR/HDR brightness upscaling on Apple Silicon and Intel | Pro | — | — |
| Direct XDR brightness upscaling on supported Apple Silicon configurations | Pro | — | — |
| Native brightness and volume keys | Free | Free | — |
| Basic custom keyboard shortcuts | Free | Free | — |
| Advanced custom keyboard shortcuts | Pro | — | — |
| Native or custom on-screen displays, depending on macOS version | Free | Free | — |
| Brightness output in nits on the OSD | Pro | — | — |
| Software dimming through color tables | Free | Free | — |
| Software dimming through overlays | Free | Free | — |
| Combined hardware and software dimming | Free | Free | — |
| Dimming to black | Free | Free | — |
| LG webOS TV control | Free | — | — |
| Samsung Tizen TV control | Free | — | — |
| Philips Android TV control | Free | — | — |
| Yamaha AVR control | Free | — | — |
| DDC control on supported Apple Silicon connections | Free | Free | Free |
| DDC control on supported Intel connections | Free | Free | — |
| DDC through built-in HDMI on M1 Macs and the entry-level M2 Mac mini | Free | — | — |
| DDC through the 2018 Intel Mac mini’s built-in HDMI port | Free | — | — |
| DDC brightness control | Free | Free | Free |
| DDC contrast control | Free | Free | Free |
| DDC volume control | Free | Free | Free |
| DDC color-channel gain control | Free | — | Free |
| DDC input switching | Free | — | Free |
| DDC input customization | Free | — | — |
| DDC power control | Free | — | Free |
| DDC capability detection and automatic configuration | Free | — | — |
| DisplayLink DDC and color control, where supported | Free | — | — |
| Standard control integration through scripts, URLs, and notifications | Free | — | — |
| User-defined custom integration and DDC controls | Pro | — | — |
| Custom scaled-resolution editing | Free | — | — |
| Flexible HiDPI scaling | Pro | — | — |
| Display connection and disconnection | Pro | — | — |
| Night Shift support for TVs | Free | — | — |
| Display name overrides | Free | — | — |
| Native and default resolution overrides | Free | — | — |
| Virtual screen creation | Free | — | — |
| Virtual screen association with displays | Free | — | — |
| Custom virtual screen configurations | Pro | — | — |
| HDR and high-refresh-rate virtual screens on compatible Macs | Pro | — | — |
| Display mode selector | Free | — | — |
| Refresh rate selector | Free | — | — |
| Additional and NTSC refresh rates on supported Apple Silicon configurations | Free | — | — |
| Color mode selection on supported Apple Silicon configurations | Free | — | — |
| Resolution slider | Free | — | — |
| Picture-in-picture for physical displays and virtual screens | Pro | — | — |
| Video Filter Windows and full-screen video filters | Pro | — | — |
| Full-screen local streaming | Pro | — | — |
| PIP/stream stretching and positioning | Pro | — | — |
| PIP/stream rotation and portrait Sidecar | Pro | — | — |
| PIP/stream cropping | Pro | — | — |
| Teleprompter mode through stream flipping | Pro | — | — |
| Mirroring configuration and protection | Pro | — | — |
| Software contrast adjustment | Free | — | — |
| Advanced software color adjustments | Pro | — | — |
| Software color temperature control | Pro | — | — |
| HDR extra-brightness calibration | Pro | — | — |
| Brightness upscaling for compatible third-party HDR displays | Pro | — | — |
| Display configuration protection | Pro | — | — |
| EDID retrieval and export | Free | — | — |
| EDID overrides on Apple Silicon and Intel | Pro | — | — |
| Color profile and XDR preset selection | Free | — | — |
| Automatic color profile switching between SDR and HDR | Pro | — | — |
| Forced HDR switching for supported display modes | Pro | — | — |
| Command-line interface | Free 2 | — | Free |
| Prevent system sleep while a specified display is connected | Pro | — | — |
| macOS Shortcuts integration through App Intents | Free 2 | — | — |
| HTTP and custom URL scheme integration | Free 2 | — | — |
| External HUD and notch-app integration | Free | — | — |
| Custom display groups | Pro | — | — |
| Basic brightness syncing | Free | Free | — |
| Advanced brightness and image-adjustment syncing | Pro | — | — |
| Normalized brightness syncing in nits | Pro | — | — |
| Resolution syncing and UI scale matching | Pro | — | — |
| Adaptive layout protection and advanced layout management | Pro | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes | Yes |
Availability notes
- Visual display arrangement is free. Some advanced grid-snap options require Pro, as do adaptive layout protection and other advanced layout-management features.
- The CLI, App console, HTTP interface, custom URL scheme and macOS Shortcuts integration are free to access. Operations that change Pro features still require Pro.
- HDMI-CEC control requires a compatible Apple silicon Mac, HDMI connection and CEC-capable device. DDC support depends on your display and connection; some docks and adapters do not pass DDC commands.
- The expanded diagnostic reports include EDID, DPCD, DSC, HDMI-CEC and Apple brightness reports, plus display information export. Available data varies by hardware.
- Native XDR brightness upscaling for macOS 26.2 and earlier is a legacy Pro feature in compatible older BetterDisplay releases. It is outside this comparison; the current app requires macOS 26.3 or later.
- The localized interface includes right-to-left support for Arabic, Hebrew and Persian.
Try free mode during the Pro trial
The 14-day trial includes Pro features. To see which features are available without Pro:
- Open Settings using the gear icon in the App Menu.
- Open Application > Advanced Settings & Privacy….
- Turn off Licensing & Pro Features, when this option is available in your app distribution.
This disables license management and limits the app to free features. Turn the option back on to restore license management and any remaining trial or activated Pro access. Turning it off does not remotely delete your activation. See Startup and Advanced Settings & Privacy for details.
Explore the features
The comparison is a quick guide to access. These articles explain the settings, prerequisites and behavior in more detail:
- Getting a Pro license — Purchase, activate and manage your license.
- Device menu — Find brightness, display-mode, connection and streaming features.
- Displays settings — Configure individual displays and their supported controllers.
- Keyboard settings — Set up shortcuts, keyboard targeting and on-screen feedback.
- Display Groups — Configure synchronization, layout protection and UI scale matching.
- Integration overview — Use Shortcuts, the CLI and other automation interfaces.
- More Resources overview — Find community help, development news and ways to contribute.