Comparison
LUMEL vs Vivid
Vivid and LUMEL both boost your Mac beyond its everyday maximum, and both can dim below the minimum. LUMEL's free tier never expires, and full-screen boost is a one-time $2.99 — Vivid is $24.99 on the App Store. Here's the honest picture.
Updated July 2026 · Free download · Pro unlock $2.99
The short version
A fraction of the price
LUMEL's full-screen boost is a one-time $2.99. Vivid is €10 direct — and $24.99 on the Mac App Store. Both are one-time purchases; one costs an eighth of the other on the same store.
A free tier that lasts
Boost the left half with Compare, plus full, unlimited Eclipse dimming — free forever. Vivid's free mode is split-screen boost only. No watermark, no expiring trial.
Private, and $2.99
No data collected, sandboxed, no subscription. Full-screen boost is a single $2.99 unlock you own for good.
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 | Both — boost + Eclipse dim | 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 | Uses available EDR headroom; hardware-dependent | 1000 nits sustained; App Store references XDR up to 1600 | Up to 1000 nits | Up to 1600 nits |
| Below-minimum dimming | Yes — Eclipse | Yes — Eclipse mode (since 2.0) | 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: July 3, 2026.
Where Vivid is still a good pick
We'd rather be straight with you than oversell. Vivid hooks into your Mac's native brightness keys, so you can boost with the same keys you already use — LUMEL trades that away to stay sandboxed and collect no data. Vivid also has its own Eclipse dim mode, and it's the older, best-known name in the category with real press coverage behind it.
If native-key control is the one thing you can't live without, Vivid is a fine choice. If you want the same two directions with a free tier that never expires, zero data collection, and a much lower price — that's LUMEL.
LUMEL vs Vivid — quick answers
Is LUMEL a free alternative to Vivid?
Yes — LUMEL is free to download and its free tier never expires: Compare boost on the left half of your screen, plus unlimited Eclipse dimming. Full-screen boost is a one-time $2.99 unlock, with no subscription.
Does LUMEL get as bright as Vivid?
Both use Apple's public Extended Dynamic Range path. LUMEL uses the headroom macOS reports without promising a fixed nit value. On the same Mac, actual brightness still depends on hardware, power, temperature, and ambient conditions.
Can Vivid dim the screen like LUMEL?
Yes — Vivid added its own Eclipse mode in version 2.0, so both apps can dim below the macOS minimum. The difference is what you pay for it: LUMEL's Eclipse dimming is free and unlimited in the free tier, while Vivid's free mode is split-screen boost only.
How much does LUMEL cost compared to Vivid?
LUMEL is free to download with a one-time $2.99 Pro unlock. Vivid costs €10 as a one-time purchase from its own site, or $24.99 on the Mac App Store. Neither charges a subscription.
Is LUMEL private?
Yes. LUMEL is sandboxed with no network entitlement and collects no data of any kind. Your preferences stay on your Mac.
Try LUMEL. It's free.
Download LUMEL free, then unlock full-screen boost for a one-time $2.99.
Looking for night use? How to dim your Mac below the minimum →