External display apps for MacHead to head
BetterDisplay vs MonitorControl
BetterDisplay ranks #1 and MonitorControl ranks #2 in our guide to the best external display apps for Mac. BetterDisplay is our pick for most people.
BetterDisplayPick BetterDisplay if text looks soft on the non-Apple monitor you plug your MacBook into every day.Free to start#2 in the guide
MonitorControlPick MonitorControl if you only want your keyboard's brightness and volume keys to work on an external monitor.Free, open sourceWhat decides it
- On price: BetterDisplay is free. Pro is $21.99 once, with at least 1 year of updates. MonitorControl is free and open source.
- Both run on Mac.
Side by side
Prices are checked every day.
| At a glance | BetterDisplay | MonitorControl |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Pro is $21.99 once, with at least 1 year of updates | Free and open source |
| How you pay | Free, with paid upgrades | Free |
| 3 years of use | Depends on the plan | Free |
| Free trial | Free to start | Free to start |
| Runs on | Mac | Mac |
| Where to buy | Developer | Developer |
| Features | Menu bar app, Shortcuts, Free trial | Menu bar app, Open source |
| Last updated | 30 Oct 2026 | Not tracked |
Who should get which
Get BetterDisplay if
You plug a MacBook into a non-Apple monitor every day and the text looks soft.
Get MonitorControl if
You use a non-Apple monitor every day and just want the brightness keys on your keyboard to work.
Skip BetterDisplay if
You work on the built-in screen or an Apple display, which macOS already renders sharply.
Skip MonitorControl if
You only use your MacBook's own screen or an Apple display, where the keys already work.
Our verdicts
BetterDisplay
MonitorControl gives an external monitor working brightness keys for free, and BetterDisplay's free version does the same plus volume, dimming to black and virtual screens. The $21.99 Pro license adds HiDPI scaling, the fix for fuzzy text on non-Apple monitors, and can push an XDR MacBook Pro screen to 1600 nits. If brightness is all you want, MonitorControl or Lunar is simpler.
MonitorControl
Your Mac's brightness and volume keys do nothing on most external monitors, and this free, open source menu bar app makes them work, complete with the native macOS on-screen indicator. It talks to monitors over DDC and falls back to software dimming for TVs and DisplayLink docks. It won't fix fuzzy scaling, so if text looks soft too, the paid BetterDisplay Pro is the app to get instead.
What each one helps you do
BetterDisplay
- Run sharp HiDPI resolutions on any monitor
- Change monitor brightness with your Mac's keys
- Brighten an XDR screen past its usual limit
- Create a virtual screen at any resolution
MonitorControl
- Dim an external monitor with your Mac's keys
- Change monitor volume from the keyboard
- Adjust several screens with 1 slider
- Dim a screen all the way to black
Where to get them
Neither one quite right?
The other picks in our guide to the best external display apps for Mac.
Read the full guideAll BetterDisplay alternativesAll MonitorControl alternatives