Crisp

A native macOS menu bar app for managing external displays: HiDPI resolutions, brightness, arrangement, color, and presets. A free, open-source alternative to BetterDisplay and Lunar: all the core display-management features, zero cost.

crisp-demo.mp4

Features

• HiDPI on any display: enable Retina-style scaled resolutions on external monitors, including automatic HiDPI setup for 2K+ displays
• Brightness everywhere: hardware DDC control for external monitors with software (gamma) fallback, smooth fades, brightness-key routing to the display under the cursor, and true darkness below the hardware floor
• Presets: save named display configurations (resolution, brightness, arrangement) with custom icons and colors, apply with one click, update in place
• Display arrangement: drag-to-arrange canvas, main display switching
• Screen effects: Dark Mode (with the system's animated transition), Night Shift, True Tone
• Color: ICC profile switching, gamma/contrast/gain image adjustment
• Virtual displays: create HiDPI virtual screens
• Extras: combined brightness slider, auto brightness following the built-in display, notch hiding, launch at login

Install

brew install --cask didriksg/tap/crisp

Or grab Crisp.dmg from the latest release and drag Crisp to Applications. The app is unsigned; on first launch, right-click Crisp.app and choose Open.

Support

Crisp is free, and every feature stays free. If it saved you a BetterDisplay or Lunar license and you'd like to say thanks, you can buy me a coffee (in China, 爱发电). Completely optional.

Requirements

• macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later; on macOS 26 the panel uses the native Liquid Glass backdrop

Permissions

• Accessibility (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility): needed only for routing the keyboard brightness keys to the display under the cursor. Without it, everything else still works; the brightness keys just control the built-in display as usual.
• Administrator password (one time, per monitor): the first time you enable HiDPI for a display, Crisp installs a display override file into /Library/Displays/Contents/Resources/Overrides, which macOS protects. Every later toggle is password-free.

Building

brew install xcodegen
xcodegen generate   # generates Crisp.xcodeproj from project.yml
open Crisp.xcodeproj

./build.sh produces a distributable DMG (unsigned; right-click, then Open to bypass Gatekeeper). No Xcode? See docs/BUILDING.md for a Command Line Tools-only build.

Origin

Crisp began as a fork of FreeDisplay and has since been substantially rewritten: a custom panel architecture, native controls throughout, a reworked brightness pipeline, and a full redesign. Thanks to FreeDisplay for the foundation and the spirit: free display management for everyone.

License

MIT. Portions derived from FreeDisplay remain available under its MIT terms, reproduced in ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md.