Comparison
LUMEL vs LumiMax
LumiMax boosts your Mac for around $16. LUMEL boosts toward the same ~1600-nit peak — and also dims below the minimum, with a free tier, for a one-time $2.99. Here's the honest picture.
Updated June 2026 · Free download · Pro unlock $2.99
The short version
Both ways, not just brighter
LUMEL also dims below the minimum with Eclipse. LumiMax only brightens.
About a fifth of the price
Free download + $2.99 once, plus a free tier that never expires — vs roughly $16.
Same peak, more app
Toward the ~1600-nit peak like LumiMax, but with Eclipse dimming and no data collected.
How LUMEL compares.
A focused, private brightness utility at a small price. Here is the honest picture against the apps people ask about — including where we trade a feature away.
| Capability | LUMEL | Vivid | BrightIntosh | LumiMax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | Both — boost + dim | Brighten only | Brighten only | Brighten only |
| Price | Free; Pro unlock $2.99 | €10 direct; $24.99 on the App Store | $1.99 in-app | $16.35 + 10% fee direct |
| Brightness claim | Up to ~1600 nits peak | 1000 nits sustained; App Store references XDR up to 1600 | Up to 1000 nits | Up to 1600 nits |
| Below-minimum dimming | Yes — Eclipse | No — brighten only | No — brighten only | No — brighten only |
| Battery automation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Configurable auto-off timer | Yes | No public evidence | Yes | No public evidence |
| Free tier / trial | Free tier: Compare boost + full Eclipse | Unlimited split-screen trial | 3-day trial | 3-day trial |
| Native brightness keys | No (sandbox tradeoff) | Yes | Yes, after activation | Yes, Pro |
| Privacy | Sandboxed, no network entitlement | App Store: data not collected | App Store: data not collected | States: no data collected |
"No public evidence" means we could not confirm the capability from public sources at the time of writing, not that it is necessarily absent.
Last verified: June 20, 2026.
Where LumiMax is still worth a look
Credit where it's due: LumiMax hooks into your Mac's native brightness keysand is an established, capable brighten-only app that targets the same peak headroom. If native-key control is your must-have and price isn't a factor, it's a reasonable pick.
But if you want two-way control, a free tier that never expires, no data collection, and roughly a fifth of the price, that's LUMEL.
LUMEL vs LumiMax — quick answers
How much cheaper is LUMEL than LumiMax?
LumiMax is around $16.35 (plus a fee on the direct version). LUMEL is free to download with a one-time $2.99 Pro unlock — roughly a fifth of the price. Neither charges a subscription.
Does LumiMax dim the screen below the minimum?
No. LumiMax only brightens. LUMEL also has Eclipse mode, which dims below the macOS minimum for dark rooms and night.
Do they reach the same brightness?
Both target the panel's ~1600-nit peak on supported XDR displays through Apple's public Extended Dynamic Range path. The ceiling is your hardware, not the app, so on the same Mac the headroom is the same.
Is there a free version?
LUMEL has a free tier that never expires — Compare boost on the left half of the screen plus unlimited Eclipse dimming. LumiMax offers a 3-day trial, then a paid license.
Which should I choose?
If you want native-key control from an established brighten-only app and price isn't a factor, LumiMax works well. If you want two-way control, a free tier that never expires, and a much lower price, choose LUMEL.
Two directions, one-fifth the price.
Download LUMEL free, then unlock full-screen boost for a one-time $2.99.
See the full field? Compare every Mac brightness app →