Dimify vs f.lux: Which Mac Screen Dimmer Should You Use?
If you've ever found your Mac screen too bright at night—even at the lowest setting—you've probably looked into apps that can help. Dimify and f.lux are two of the most popular options, but they approach the problem from very different angles.
f.lux has been around since 2009 and is one of the apps that popularized the idea of shifting your screen's color temperature after sunset. Dimify is a newer macOS utility that focuses on giving you complete control over your display's brightness and color, with tools that go well beyond what f.lux or macOS offer natively.
Here's how they compare across the things that actually matter.
Brightness Control
This is the single biggest difference between the two apps, and it's worth understanding clearly.
f.lux does not control your screen's brightness. It only adjusts color temperature—making your display warmer (more orange/red) at night. If your screen is still too bright after sunset, f.lux can't help. You're stuck with whatever minimum your Mac's built-in brightness slider allows.
Dimify was built specifically to solve this. It lets you dim your screen well below macOS's native minimum—what's sometimes called "sub-zero dimming." If you've ever been in a completely dark room and wished your Mac could go darker, Dimify makes that possible. This is especially useful for MacBook users in bed, late-night coders, and anyone with light sensitivity.
If your main problem is that your screen is too bright at night, f.lux won't fix it. It only changes the color. Dimify controls both brightness and color.
Color Temperature & Color Filters
This is where f.lux has traditionally been strongest. It automatically shifts your display to warmer tones after sunset based on your location, and it does this well. You can fine-tune the color temperature down to 1200K (its "Candle" mode), and it includes special modes like Darkroom for photography work.
Dimify also offers color temperature control, but takes it further with a full color filter system. Instead of just adjusting warmth, you get built-in presets—Neutral, Sepia, Warm, Night, and more—plus the ability to create your own custom color filters with fine-grained control over hue, saturation, and intensity. This is a Pro feature, but it means you can tailor your screen's color to exactly what feels comfortable for your eyes, rather than being limited to a single warm/cool slider.
f.lux does have a basic "Darkroom" filter mode, but it's a single preset—you can't create your own or customize beyond the color temperature slider.
Automation
Both apps can adjust settings automatically based on the time of day, but they work differently.
f.lux adjusts your color temperature on a sunset/sunrise schedule tied to your location. It transitions gradually, and you can set separate daytime, sunset, and bedtime color temperatures. For what it does—color shifting on a schedule—it works well and requires almost no configuration.
Dimify's free tier includes the same sunset/sunrise scheduling for basic adjustments. But Dimify Pro unlocks fully customizable automations that go beyond time-of-day triggers. You can build automation rules around specific conditions—including time, sunrise/sunset, and more—that control brightness, color filters, and per-display settings together. Dimify also integrates with Shortcuts and Siri, so you can trigger your display settings with a voice command or incorporate them into broader macOS workflows.
Multi-Display Support
If you use an external monitor (or several), this is where the differences become significant.
f.lux applies the same color temperature shift to all of your connected displays. There's no way to adjust one monitor independently of another. For many people this is fine, but if you have mismatched displays—say, a MacBook alongside a Dell ultrawide—a single color temperature setting might look noticeably different on each screen.
Dimify gives you independent per-display control over brightness and color filters (a Pro feature). You can set your MacBook's built-in display to 30% dim with a warm filter while keeping your external monitor at 50% with no filter at all. Each display gets its own slider and its own settings, and you can also adjust all of them in unison with a global control.
Keyboard Shortcuts
f.lux includes basic keyboard shortcuts on Windows, but on Mac, shortcut support is limited—you'll mostly interact with it through its menu bar popover.
Dimify offers keyboard shortcuts for adjusting brightness on its free tier, and Dimify Pro lets you define custom keyboard shortcuts for any action—toggling color filters, jumping to specific brightness levels, activating presets, and more. If you prefer keeping your hands on the keyboard, this is a meaningful difference.
AirPlay & Sidecar
Neither app has perfect support here, but Dimify has an edge. Dimify can control brightness on AirPlay and Sidecar displays (color filters are not yet supported on these displays). f.lux doesn't work on AirPlay or Sidecar screens at all.
Interface & Experience
f.lux lives in the menu bar and opens a small popover where you can adjust your daytime, sunset, and bedtime color temperatures. It's simple and gets out of your way, which is part of its appeal. Once configured, most people never touch it again.
Dimify also lives in the menu bar, but its interface is more comprehensive—it has to be, because it does more. You get per-display brightness sliders, color filter presets, temperature controls, and automation settings, all accessible from a clean popover. Despite the extra capabilities, it's designed to be just as unobtrusive: set it up once, and it runs quietly in the background.
Pricing
f.lux is completely free for personal use on Mac. There's no paid tier. You get everything it offers at no cost.
Dimify has a free tier that includes brightness control, sub-zero dimming, color temperature, basic color filters, basic keyboard shortcuts, Shortcuts/Siri integration, and sunrise/sunset scheduling. Dimify Pro costs a one-time $2.99 and adds custom color filters, full automations, per-display control, custom keyboard shortcuts, and more.
If all you need is a color temperature shift at sunset, f.lux gives you that for free. If you need brightness control, color filters, or multi-display management, Dimify's free tier already covers most of it, and Pro unlocks the rest for less than the price of a coffee.
Quick Comparison
| Feature |  Dimify |
 f.lux |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness control | ✓ | ✕ |
| Sub-zero dimming | ✓ | ✕ |
| Color temperature | ✓ | ✓ |
| Color filters | ✓ | Limited |
| Custom color filters | Pro | ✕ |
| Automations | ✓ | Basic |
| Per-display control | Pro | ✕ |
| Keyboard shortcuts | ✓ | Limited |
| Shortcuts / Siri | ✓ | ✕ |
| AirPlay / Sidecar | Limited | ✕ |
| Price | Free / $2.99 | Free |
The Bottom Line
f.lux and Dimify are solving overlapping but different problems.
f.lux is a solid, free tool if your only goal is to warm up your screen's colors after sunset. It's been doing this for over 15 years, and it does it well. If that's all you need, it's a great choice.
Dimify is the better option if you want actual control over your display. That means brightness below macOS limits, custom color filters, per-display settings, full automation, and Shortcuts integration. The free tier already does more than f.lux when it comes to brightness and basic color, and Pro adds the advanced features for a one-time $2.99.
For most Mac users who care about eye comfort—especially those who work late, use multiple monitors, or just want their screen to be actually dark at night—Dimify is the more complete tool. But if you're happy with just a color temperature shift and don't need brightness control, f.lux will serve you well.
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