Iris review (2026): is it worth $1.99 a month?
Screen color and brightness software for eye comfort
Black Friday: is there a Iris sale?
Iris report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a basic blue-light filter on Windows, Mac or Linux
Iris dims screen colour and brightness at night with nine presets and an automatic mode. The full version is a 7-day trial and then $1.99 a month or a one-time licence, and the cheap $14.99 licence stops at one version, so you'd pay $49.99 to keep getting major updates.
Who Iris is for
- 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
Who Iris is not for
- 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
Why Iris gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for money$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.
- CFree plan and trialA 7-day trial, and the free Iris mini has no interface and two fixed settings. Downloading the trial asks for an email address.
- BFeaturesColour temperature and brightness, nine presets, automatic mode and custom presets. Nothing in the listing is missing from a blue-light filter's job.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. You install it, pick a preset or leave it on automatic, and there is nothing to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWindows, Mac and Linux, but all desktops. No phone or web version and no integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Iris Technologies EOOD's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/iris#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/iris.svg" alt="Iris: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Iris stands among desktop utilities
Iris's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 69 of the 186 other desktop utilities we grade, and level with 46.
It stands best on features (B, above 113 of 186) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 8).
Its paid plans start at $1.99 a month, against a middle price of $2.99 for the category: 9 of the 36 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 187 desktop utilities we grade, cut by the letter each got. Iris’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 28 of 186, level with 26
- CFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 186, level with 66
- BFeaturesAbove 113 of 186, level with 72
- BEase of useAbove 78 of 186, level with 108
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 111 of 186, level with 60
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 103 desktop utilities. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Iris, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Iris you would be making control of displays through the operating system. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $23.88 a year.
What you could not
- Control of displays through the operating system.
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Iris’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Iris?
Iris is a desktop program that adjusts a screen's color temperature and brightness to reduce blue light and eye strain. It ships with nine presets and an automatic mode, plus advanced settings for building your own preset. The full program starts with a 7-day free trial and is then sold as a subscription or as one-time licenses.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Iris pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Iris is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $1.99 per month.
- Starts at
- $1.99 per month
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 7 days free; invited friends who install Iris earn extra free months of Iris Pro
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $1.99per month for 1 PC, billed monthly | Activates both Iris and Iris mini on one device at a time, with free program updates. |
| Iris Pro | $14.99one-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 | $49.99one-time | One-time purchase valid for all future versions, with free program updates, on one device at a time. |
Read from iristech.co on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Iris before you buy.
Iris alternatives
- Iris vs f.lux
Free plan · from $24 one-time
- Iris vs Lunar
Free plan · from $23 one-time
- Iris vs BetterDisplay
Free plan · from $21.99 one-time
Common questions
Does Iris have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Iris is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Does Iris have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Iris is listed for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is Iris open source?
Iris is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.