# 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.

Repository: https://github.com/didriksg/Crisp
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/crisp
Homepage: http://crispmac.app/
Language: Swift
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: brightness, ddc, display-manager, hidpi, macos, menu-bar, 4k, apple-silicon, display, monitor, retina, scaling, mac, resolution, brightness-control, external-monitor, macos-app, menubar, swift, virtual-display
Last push: 2026-08-25T22:05:08+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 79/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 3
- inputs: {"age_days": 42, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 15, "gap_med": 0.0, "n_releases_24m": 13}
- flags: young
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1202, forks 53 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:56.967179+00:00)

## What it is
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
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, configuration-management
- domain: operating-systems, hardware, desktop-applications, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: ddc, hidpi, display-scaling, brightness-control, menu-bar-app, external-monitors, virtual-displays, betterdisplay-alternative, lunar-alternative, retina, apple-silicon, macos, desktop

## Member repositories
- didriksg/Crisp (main) score 79

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:56.967179+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:20:35.439483+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/didriksg/Crisp (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:56.967179+00:00, sha d84b69b406fa)
  - homepage: http://crispmac.app/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:27:35.156230+00:00, sha e7dba448b88c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.