didriksg/Crisp
Free, open-source external monitor control for macOS: a lightweight menu bar app with sharp HiDPI/Retina scaling (no more blurry or tiny text), DDC brightness, presets, and virtual displays. A free alternative to BetterDisplay and Lunar, including features they charge for. observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
79/100
- Activity 99
- Release rhythm 98
- Longevity 3
Flags: young
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-03. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: 0.0
- age_days: 42
- days_rel: 15
- days_push: 8
- n_releases_24m: 13
Adoption not part of the score
1202 stars · 53 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-30, confidence not recorded
Crisp is a free, open-source macOS menu bar app for controlling external monitors, offering sharp HiDPI/Retina scaling, DDC hardware brightness and volume control, display presets, and virtual displays. It is a free alternative to paid tools like BetterDisplay and Lunar, with no Pro tier or license key.
Use cases
- fix blurry text on an external monitor by enabling HiDPI scaling
- control external monitor brightness with keyboard keys via DDC
- make scaled resolutions available beyond what macOS offers
- push XDR MacBook or HDR monitor brightness past 100%
- control monitor speaker volume over DDC
- save and apply display setup presets with keyboard shortcuts
- arrange displays and switch the main display quickly
- create virtual displays on macOS
When to choose
- you want a free, open-source alternative to BetterDisplay or Lunar on macOS
- your external monitor looks blurry or tiny and you want Retina-quality HiDPI scaling
- brightness keys do not work on your external monitor and you need DDC control
- you want presets and virtual displays without paying for a Pro license
When to avoid
- you need display management on Windows or Linux
- you require features beyond display control such as window management
- you need support for macOS versions older than 14
Facets
application · maturity active
gui configuration-management operating-systems hardware desktop-applications developer-tools ddc hidpi display-scaling brightness-control menu-bar-app external-monitors virtual-displays betterdisplay-alternative lunar-alternative retina apple-silicon macos desktop
2 sources
- readme: https://github.com/didriksg/Crisp · fetched 2026-08-28 · d84b69b406fa
- homepage: http://crispmac.app/ · fetched 2026-08-29 · e7dba448b88c
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| didriksg/Crisp | main | 79 |
For agents
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem