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brightnessctl vs ddcutil: catalog facts
brightnessctl	ddcutil

Best for: Linux users on tiling window managers who need brightness key bindings	Best for: Linux users who want to control external monitor brightness and inputs from scripts
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source, with optional donations to the maintainer.
Linux, Command line	Linux, Command line
Controls both screen backlights and LEDs Easy to bind to brightness keys Small and scriptable	Change brightness and input source without touching the monitor buttons Scriptable from the command line Shared library used by KDE PowerDevil Actively maintained with recent releases
Linux only Command line only, no graphical interface	Linux only Depends on monitor DDC/CI support and i2c device permissions Command-line first; the GUI is a separate program
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
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 ddcutil ddcutil.com Catalog checked October 2, 2026

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