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DisplayBuddy vs BetterDisplay: catalog facts
DisplayBuddy	BetterDisplay
Best for: Mac or Windows users with external monitors they want to adjust without the hardware buttons	Best for: Mac users with external monitors who want more control over scaling and brightness
Paid Paid app with a 7-day refund on full-price purchases; also available through Setapp.	Free + paid options Free to download, with a Pro version offering more features.
Windows, macOS	macOS
Controls brightness, contrast, volume and input over DDC Handles several displays from one menu All 4 strengths for DisplayBuddy Controls brightness, contrast, volume and input over DDC Handles several displays from one menu Presets switch a whole monitor setup at once Works with monitors from most major brands	HiDPI scaling on displays macOS does not offer it for Brightness and input control for external monitors over DDC All 4 strengths for BetterDisplay HiDPI scaling on displays macOS does not offer it for Brightness and input control for external monitors over DDC Virtual screens and picture-in-picture Builds kept for older macOS versions
Paid, with no free tier mentioned Depends on the monitor supporting DDC control	macOS only Some features require the Pro version All 3 limitations for BetterDisplay macOS only Some features require the Pro version Source code is not published
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is 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 DisplayBuddy displaybuddy.app Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for BetterDisplay github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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