Hysen LabsBetterDisplay
Unlock your displays on your Mac! Flexible HiDPI scaling, XDR/HDR extra brightness, virtual screens, DDC control, extra dimming, PIP/streaming, EDID override and lots more!
BetterDisplay: pushing Mac displays past their defaults
BetterDisplay turns Mac displays into fully scalable screens, adds XDR and HDR brightness beyond the normal limit, and manages things like virtual screens and picture in picture. It is a menu bar utility with a paid Pro tier.
What it does
A Mac utility that converts displays to fully scalable screens, manages display configuration overrides, and puts brightness and color control in the menu bar. It can push XDR or HDR brightness past 100 percent on compatible displays, dim all the way to black, create virtual screens, and build picture in picture windows of your displays. It can even disconnect and reconnect displays on the fly.
The headline features
Recent additions include direct upscaling for built in XDR displays on macOS 26.3 and later, brightness syncing across displays normalized in nits, high refresh rate virtual screens on compatible Macs, a forced HDR mode for some displays, and networked control for LG, Samsung, and Philips TVs plus Yamaha AV receivers. XDR brightness can scale up to 1600 nits, with color table and Metal methods supported.
Versions and compatibility
Download pages split by macOS generation: a current release for macOS 26 Tahoe, Sequoia, Sonoma, and Ventura, a pre release for the macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta, and older builds reaching back to Monterey, Mojave, Catalina, and Big Sur. XDR and HDR upscaling wants an Apple XDR display or a natively connected external HDR display, and the connect disconnect feature prefers Apple Silicon.
The Pro license
Many features work for free for non business users, and there is a 14 day trial for the full Pro experience. A Pro license costs $21.99, is perpetual rather than a subscription, and includes at least a year of free updates. The README is unusually clear about pricing, terms, and refunds for a tool like this.
Around the app
There is a Raycast extension, integrations with notch apps like MediaMate, DynamicLake, and Alcove, and localization support. Most technical help happens on the project's Discord server, and the app is developed by @waydabber at Kodeon Software, with purchases processed through Paddle.
Editorial conclusion
The README is dense with features and version notes, which matches the tool: lots of small useful controls packed into one menu bar app. If you are on a Mac with a finicky display, it is worth a look.
Community notes