Compare software

brightnessctl vs brightness: catalog facts
brightnessctl	brightness

Best for: Linux users on tiling window managers who need brightness key bindings	Best for: Mac users who want to adjust display brightness from a script or terminal
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the BSD-2-Clause license.
Linux, Command line	macOS, Command line
Controls both screen backlights and LEDs Easy to bind to brightness keys Small and scriptable	Can set and read brightness from scripts Supports internal displays and some external displays Can be installed with Homebrew or built from source
Linux only Command line only, no graphical interface	Only available for macOS External display support varies Uses undocumented methods on newer macOS versions
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: BSD-2-Clause
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for brightnessctl github.com/Hummer12007/brightnessctl Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for brightness github.com/nriley/brightness Catalog checked October 8, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.