Iris vs Twinkle Tray (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twinkle Tray grades higher than Iris: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Iris grades higher on features and platforms. Twinkle Tray grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Iris
Screen color and brightness software for eye comfort
Which one is for you
Pick Iris if
- Fits if you work at a screen late and just want it warmer after dark
- Makes sense if you'd rather pay once than monthly
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free filter with controls, because Iris mini has none and sits at two fixed settings
- Tight if you want updates on the cheap licence, since Iris Pro at $14.99 leaves out major feature updates
- Watch out: each licence covers one device at a time, though it can be moved
- Watch out: the trial download asks for an email address that the vendor uses for tips and news
Pick Twinkle Tray if
- Fits if you want to dim an external monitor from the taskbar instead of its buttons
- Works for two or three screens at different brightness, or for hotkey and command-line control
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, as it runs on Windows 10 and 11 only
- Not for you if your monitor lacks DDC/CI or has it off, or connects over VGA or DVI
- Tight if your screens hang off a USB, Thunderbolt or Surface dock, since those may not work
- Watch out: the AMD Radeon Control Panel can interfere, and the README warns some monitor models behave poorly
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAIrisGood | 2.8GPATwinkle TrayGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$1.99 a month sits inside the cheaper quarter of utilities, which starts at $2.42. The $14.99 one-time Pro licence is cheap too, but it leaves out major updates; the Lifelong one that includes them is $49.99. | AIt costs nothing and you just download and run it. The site says every option and feature is 100% free, the code is MIT licensed on GitHub, and the US Microsoft Store listing shows Free with no in-app purchases. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day trial, and the free Iris mini has no interface and two fixed settings. Downloading the trial asks for an email address. | AEvery feature is free, from the GitHub installer, the Microsoft Store or winget. There's no paid version for anything to be held back behind. |
| Features | BColour temperature and brightness, nine presets, automatic mode and custom presets. Nothing in the listing is missing from a blue-light filter's job. | CBrightness for external monitors is the one job here and it's done fully: a slider per screen, changes by time of day or idle, levels evened out between models, hotkeys, command-line control. It's a small job, and the listing warns DDC/CI may be off in your monitor's menu and that docks can defeat it. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record. You install it, pick a preset or leave it on automatic, and there is nothing to set up. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: click the tray icon and drag a slider, much like the Windows volume flyout. If nothing moves, the first stop is your monitor's own menu, where DDC/CI is sometimes off. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux, but all desktops. No phone or web version and no integrations. | DWindows 10 and 11, and that's the lot. One operating system, no integrations and no API, so there's nothing to wire it into beyond the command line. |
| Best for | a basic blue-light filter on Windows, Mac or Linux | dimming external monitors from the Windows tray |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Iris and Twinkle Tray. How we grade
Price against what you get
Iris starts at $1.99 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Twinkle Tray has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Iris scores higher, and starts $1.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Iris for less, and none scores higher than Twinkle Tray for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Iris can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Twinkle Tray is open source, according to its own site.
- Twinkle Tray also covers menu bar app.
At a glance
| Iris | Twinkle Tray | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $1.99 per month | Free |
| Free plan | None | The site says every option and feature is 100% free. It is offered as an installer from GitHub or through the Microsoft Store, where the US listing shows Free with no in-app purchases. |
| Free trial | 7 days free; invited friends who install Iris earn extra free months of Iris Pro | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Iris Technologies EOOD | Xander Frangos |
| Price read from | iristech.co | twinkletray.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Iris
- Iris Pro is a license for one version; major feature updates need the subscription or the Lifelong license.
- Each license covers one device at a time, though it can be moved to a new machine.
- Iris mini, the free version, has no interface and fixed settings.
- Downloading the trial asks for an e-mail address, which the vendor says it uses for tips and product news.
Twinkle Tray
- Windows 10 and Windows 11 only.
- Monitors must support DDC/CI, which can be switched off by default in a monitor's own menu; VGA and DVI connections may not be compatible.
- USB, Thunderbolt and Surface docks with HDMI or DisplayPort may not work, and the AMD Radeon Control Panel can interfere.
- The README warns that DDC/CI commands such as brightness and power state can make certain monitor models behave poorly.
Key features
Iris
- Color temperature and brightness
- Lowers blue light and adjusts brightness; the vendor says brightness is changed without PWM, the flicker approach many monitors use.
- Presets and modes
- Nine presets, including Health, Sleep, Reading, Programming, Sunglasses, Dark and Movie, with Automatic, Manual and Paused modes.
- Custom presets
- Advanced settings let you build your own preset; the site mentions 20+ advanced features.
- Iris mini
- A free, stripped-down version with no interface; it switches between 5000K and 3400K and between 100% and 80% brightness in automatic mode.
- Invite-a-friend time
- Invited friends get 1 month of Iris Pro, and the person who invites gets 1 more month for each person who downloads it.
Twinkle Tray
- Brightness sliders in the tray
- A system tray icon opens a flyout with a slider for each compatible monitor, similar to the Windows volume flyout. Sliders can move one display or all of them together.
- Time-of-day and idle adjustments
- Brightness can change automatically at set times of day, or when the computer has been idle.
- Backlight normalization
- Levels can be evened out across monitors of different models. Version 1.17.2 added calibration points for a custom brightness curve on each display.
- Hotkeys
- Keyboard shortcuts can be bound to raise or lower the brightness of a specific display or of all displays at once.
- Other DDC/CI controls
- Beyond brightness, the app can control DDC/CI features such as contrast, volume and power state, and the default slider can be swapped for a custom VCP code.
- Command-line arguments
- From version 1.13.0, a running copy accepts commands that list displays, set or offset brightness for one monitor or all, and send a specific VCP code.
Plans
Iris
Subscription$1.99
per month for 1 PC, billed monthly
Activates both Iris and Iris mini on one device at a time, with free program updates.
Iris Pro$14.99
one-time
Lifelong license for one version on one device at a time; free minor builds and bug fixes, but major feature updates are not included.
Lifelong$49.99
one-time
One-time purchase valid for all future versions, with free program updates, on one device at a time.
Twinkle Tray
Twinkle Tray$0
All features, from the GitHub installer (which the site recommends), the Microsoft Store or winget. MIT licensed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Iris or Twinkle Tray?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twinkle Tray is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.99 a month for Iris. Iris starts at $1.99 per month, and Twinkle Tray is free.
Which has a free plan, Iris or Twinkle Tray?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Twinkle Tray has a free plan. Iris does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Iris and Twinkle Tray run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Iris lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.