Lunar vs Twinkle Tray (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Twinkle Tray grades higher than Lunar: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Twinkle Tray grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lunar
Mac app that sets external monitor brightness over DDC
Free plan · from $23 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Lunar if
- Fits if you use external monitors and want the Mac brightness keys to control them
- Works for desktop Macs that need brightness on a schedule or by sunrise
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on free, since it stops at 100 adjustments and 100 action calls a day
- Skip it if your monitor or port blocks DDC, because you will rely on the fallback method
- Not for you if you use Windows, as it is Mac only
- Watch out: Sync, Sensor, Clock, Location, XDR and BlackOut are Pro, and the licence covers 5 personal computers
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
| 2.2GPALunarFair | 2.8GPATwinkle TrayGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$23 once for Pro, under a year of what this category's middle subscription costs. | 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 | CFree works for manual control but stops at 100 adjustments and 100 action calls a day. The Pro trial lasts 14 days. | 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 | CBrightness, volume and input control over DDC, Apple display support and keyboard keys. Sync, schedules and XDR need Pro, and some monitors block DDC. | 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 | CNo rating on record. Some monitors and ports need the fallback method, so expect trial and error. | 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 | DMac only, and the version 7 beta needs macOS 14 and Apple Silicon. Shortcuts is the one listed integration. | 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 | external monitor brightness from a Mac's keyboard | 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: Lunar and Twinkle Tray. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lunar can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Twinkle Tray is open source, according to its own site.
In commonFree planMenu bar appDisplay control
At a glance
| Lunar | Twinkle Tray | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $23 one-time | Free |
| Free plan | DDC brightness control, sub-zero dimming, brightness and volume keys, input switching and multi-monitor support, with 100 adjustments and 100 action calls per day. | 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 | 14-day trial of Pro included | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | THE LOW-TECH GUYS SRL | Xander Frangos |
| Price read from | lunar.fyi | twinkletray.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lunar
- Mac only; the version 7 beta needs macOS 14 and Apple Silicon, while the current release lists macOS 11 or newer.
- The free version stops at 100 adjustments and 100 action calls per day.
- Some monitors or ports block DDC commands, and the site lists a fallback method for those cases.
- The license covers 5 personal computers; more need a volume license, according to the EULA.
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
Lunar
- DDC control
- Sends brightness, volume and input commands straight to the monitor rather than dimming with an overlay.
- Apple display support
- Controls Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, LG UltraFine for Mac and Thunderbolt Display natively.
- Keyboard control
- Uses the Mac brightness and volume keys for external monitors, with hotkeys to switch inputs.
- Sync and sensor modes
- Pro copies the MacBook's adaptive brightness to monitors, or reads an external ambient light sensor for desktop Macs.
- Clock and location modes
- Pro changes brightness on a schedule or by the sun's position, with sunrise and sunset offsets.
- XDR brightness and BlackOut
- Pro can lift the macOS brightness cap on XDR panels and turn off selected displays with a hotkey.
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
Lunar
Free$0
Manual control of external monitors, limited to 100 adjustments and 100 action calls per day.
Lunar Pro$23
one-time, lifetime license
Unlimited adjustments and actions, plus Sync, Sensor, Clock and Location modes, XDR brightness, FaceLight and BlackOut.
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, Lunar or Twinkle Tray?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lunar starts at $23 one-time, and Twinkle Tray is free.
Which has a free plan, Lunar or Twinkle Tray?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Lunar and Twinkle Tray have a free plan.
Which platforms do Lunar and Twinkle Tray run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Lunar lists a macOS app and only Twinkle Tray lists 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.