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brightnessctl vs Luminance: catalog facts
brightnessctl	Luminance

Best for: Linux users on tiling window managers who need brightness key bindings	Best for: Linux users with external monitors who want software brightness control
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Linux, Command line	Linux
Controls both screen backlights and LEDs Easy to bind to brightness keys Small and scriptable	Controls external monitor brightness over DDC/CI Simple GTK interface Includes a GNOME Shell extension
Linux only Command line only, no graphical interface	External monitors must support DDC/CI Linux only
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-3.0-only
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 Luminance github.com/sidevesh/Luminance Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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