Compare software

ddcctl vs ddcutil: catalog facts
ddcctl	ddcutil
Best for: Mac users who want to control an external DDC monitor from scripts or the terminal	Best for: Linux users who want to control external monitor brightness and inputs from scripts
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license.	Free Free and open source, with optional donations to the maintainer.
macOS, Command line	Linux, Command line
Controls brightness and contrast from the shell Can be called from scripts and keyboard launchers All 3 strengths for ddcctl Controls brightness and contrast from the shell Can be called from scripts and keyboard launchers Offers binary downloads and Homebrew installation	Change brightness and input source without touching the monitor buttons Scriptable from the command line All 4 strengths for ddcutil 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
Additional controls depend on monitor firmware	Linux only Depends on monitor DDC/CI support and i2c device permissions All 3 limitations for ddcutil 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: GPL-3.0	License: GPL-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for ddcctl github.com/kfix/ddcctl Catalog checked October 8, 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.