The short answer
BetterDisplay is one of the best display utilities on macOS. It handles scaling, custom resolutions, color, virtual displays, and more. The XDR brightness boost is in there too, as one Pro feature among many. If you want all of that, BetterDisplay Pro at $21.99 is worth every cent. But if you’re looking at it because you want a brighter screen on your MacBook Pro and nothing else, MacBrightness is the purpose-built answer at $5. Worth knowing before you weigh the free tier: BetterDisplay’s free version doesn’t include the XDR brightness boost. So for a brighter screen you’re comparing $5 with its $21.99 Pro tier, not with free.
Here’s how the two compare on the features that matter for brightness.
| MacBrightness | BetterDisplay Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (one-time) | $5 | $21.99 |
| Free tier | Splitscreen Mode (brightness, half screen) | Yes (no XDR brightness) |
| XDR / MacBook Pro brightness boost | Yes | Yes (Pro only) |
| Uses your existing brightness keys | Yes | Yes |
| Max brightness | About 1,600 nits, system-wide | About 1,600 nits |
| HiDPI / custom resolution scaling | No | Yes |
| Virtual/dummy displays | No | Yes |
| Color management | No | Yes |
| Picture-in-picture | No | Yes |
| Supported Macs (brightness) | MacBook Pro 14″/16″ (M-series Pro/Max), Pro Display XDR | Same |
| macOS | 13 or later | 10.14 or later |
What BetterDisplay gets right
BetterDisplay has earned its reputation among Mac power users. The developer ships updates regularly, and the feature set is wide: if you run external displays, need non-native resolutions, want a virtual display for a headless Mac, or need precise color controls, BetterDisplay handles all of it. The free tier is generous too: you can use many of its features without paying. At $21.99 for Pro, the breadth of what you get is hard to argue with.
The XDR brightness boost in Pro works the same way any brightness app works: it opens the HDR brightness range Apple reserves for tone-mapped content and makes it available system-wide on your keys.
Where MacBrightness comes in
The wedge is narrow but real. BetterDisplay built a toolkit; brightness is one item on a long menu. MacBrightness built one tool and stopped there. That means a simpler preference pane, a faster onboarding experience, and a lower price for buyers who only care about one outcome.
If you searched for a BetterDisplay alternative because the app felt like more than you bargained for, that reaction makes sense. Some people want to adjust a setting and move on. They don’t need virtual displays or HiDPI toggles, and they shouldn’t have to pay for them.
MacBrightness costs $5 one time. You set it once, it runs in the background, and your brightness keys work the way you expected them to when you bought a $2,000+ laptop. There’s a free trial too: Splitscreen Mode brightens half your screen at full brightness for free, so you can verify it works before spending anything.
For a deeper look at how MacBrightness compares to other brightness apps, see the best MacBook brightness apps roundup.
Which should you buy?
Choose BetterDisplay Pro if you want more than brightness. If you’re managing external monitors, need custom resolutions, work with a virtual display, or want color controls, BetterDisplay is the right tool. The $21.99 price covers a lot of ground.
Choose MacBrightness if brightness is the job. You get the same 1,600-nit system-wide boost on your existing keys, the same safety story (the HDR range Apple already sustains, no low-level hacks), and the same kind of free trial. You pay $5 once and you’re done. Its free Splitscreen trial also shows you the brighter screen for $0, which BetterDisplay’s free tier can’t, since the boost sits behind the $21.99 Pro license. If you later need scaling, virtual displays, or color tools, you can add BetterDisplay then.
BetterDisplay is a strong app. If a brighter screen is the whole goal, though, $5 does the job and $21.99 buys features you won’t open.