Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

DisplayBuddy VS DockGroups

Compare DisplayBuddy VS DockGroups and see what are their differences

DisplayBuddy logo DisplayBuddy

Control the real brightness of your monitors directly from your Mac - no need to touch the buttons on your Monitor.

DockGroups logo DockGroups

The app-grouping feature the Mac Dock never shipped.
  • DisplayBuddy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-06

DisplayBuddy lets you control external displays connected to your Mac right from your menu bar - No need to touch those clunky monitor buttons!

It has been tested on a wide range of monitors from manufacturers such as Dell, Acer, LG, Samsung, BenQ & PRISM, and works with most displays manufactured in the last 5 years. DisplayBuddy can also control the volume for monitors with built-in speakers, turn off your monitors, sync brightness across displays and even switch display inputs to HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C and more.

  • DockGroups Main window
    Main window //
    2026-07-30
  • DockGroups Settings
    Settings //
    2026-07-30
  • DockGroups Tray icon
    Tray icon //
    2026-07-30

App Groups

  • Organize apps into named groups, each with a custom emoji icon, stored by bundle ID.

  • Pin important groups to the top of the sidebar.

  • Create and delete groups directly from the main panel โ€” no detour into Settings.

  • Default starter groups (Work, Creative, Utilities) appear on first launch.

  • Group data is saved atomically with owner-only file permissions, and the app tolerates missing fields so updates never wipe your groups.

The Floating Panel

  • A panel anchored next to your Dock that positions itself correctly whether your Dock sits at the bottom, left, or right of the screen.

  • Opens from the Dock icon or the menu bar; closes automatically when it loses focus.

  • A collapsible sidebar toggles between full labels (with shortcut badges) and a compact icon-only rail.

  • Frosted-glass or solid panel style, plus System / Light / Dark themes.

Open All / Close All โ€” the signature feature

  • Open All launches every app in a group with a small stagger (so macOS doesn't choke on simultaneous launches).

  • Close All does the reverse, and this is something no competing dock app offers:

  • Plain click โ†’ hides every app in the group

    • โŒฅ-click โ†’ quits them gracefully
    • โŒ˜-click โ†’ force-quits them
  • Live indicators show which apps in a group are currently running, and clicking a running app restores its windows โ€” including minimized ones.

In-Panel App Management

  • Add and remove apps right in the panel grid.

  • Drag to reorder apps within a group.

  • Right-click any app for Quit, Force Quit, or Show in Finder.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • โŒ˜1โ€“9 switches groups inside the panel.

  • โŒฅโ‡ง1โ€“9 are true system-wide hotkeys that work even in full-screen apps โ€” with no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permissions needed.

Menu Bar Mode

  • An optional menu bar icon for quick access without using the Dock.

DisplayBuddy

$ Details
paid Free Trial $18.99 / One-off
Platforms
Mac OSX Windows
Release Date
2021 February

DockGroups

$ Details
freemium $9.99 / One-off (Pro)
Platforms
-
Release Date
2026 May

DisplayBuddy features and specs

  • Seamless Monitor Control
    DisplayBuddy allows users to easily control the brightness, contrast, and volume of their monitors directly from their macOS device without having to fiddle with physical monitor buttons.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The app offers a clean and intuitive interface, making it accessible for users of all tech-savvy levels to manage their displays effectively.
  • Multiple Monitor Support
    DisplayBuddy supports multiple monitors, providing unified control to adjust settings across various displays simultaneously, which is ideal for users with multiple screen setups.
  • Compatibility
    It is compatible with a wide range of monitor brands and models, increasing its usability for a diverse user base.
  • Convenience
    Users can make display adjustments without interrupting their workflow, saving time and reducing the hassle of manual adjustments.

DockGroups features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DisplayBuddy and DockGroups)
Mac
100 100%
0% 0
Mac Tools
62 62%
38% 38
Productivity
84 84%
16% 16
Utilities
82 82%
18% 18

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing DisplayBuddy and DockGroups.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

DockGroups's answer:

SwiftUI & AppKit

User comments

Share your experience with using DisplayBuddy and DockGroups. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare DisplayBuddy and DockGroups

DisplayBuddy Reviews

  1. Khan Winter
    Simple UI, and does what is says very well!

    If you use a monitor with your Mac, this app is life changing. I started using DisplayBuddy and I can never go back to monitor buttons now!

    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Works perfectly|Supports mac shortcuts

DockGroups Reviews

We have no reviews of DockGroups yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, DisplayBuddy seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DisplayBuddy mentions (8)

  • Little macOS Apps That Make a Big Difference in 2024
    Adding my must haves: - DisplayBuddy: a more modern alternative to BetterDisplay to control monitors (https://displaybuddy.app) - Magnet: the simplest and best window manager (https://magnet.crowdcafe.com) - DaisyDisk: fantastic way to visualise your disk usage and free up space (https://daisydiskapp.com). - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • 18-year-old built a better computer monitor that doesn't strain your eyes
    Why not just use https://displaybuddy.app on a modern monitor and not strain your eyes. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Scrollbars Are Becoming a Problem
    If youโ€™re looking for something that allows media keys and custom keyboard shortcuts: https://displaybuddy.app/ Works on both Windows and Mac. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • TIL there are apps that can control your monitor without touching the buttons on it
    All DDC related features in BetterDisplay and MonitorControl is completely free without limitation or no nag screens of any kind. Lunar has manual control available for free (with a daily adjustment limit). DisplayBuddy was also mentioned here - it is a rather limited app and asks a bunch of money for stuff that is available for free and in a better implemented form in basically every other app (which is weird as... Source: over 3 years ago
  • App LIST!!!
    DisplayBuddy (Paid) Very limited options, tbh I don't recommend it compared to Lunar or BetterDisplay. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

DockGroups mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of DockGroups yet. Tracking of DockGroups recommendations started around Jul 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing DisplayBuddy and DockGroups, you can also consider the following products

Lunar.fyi - Control monitor brightness, adapt using the ambient light sensor, adjust volume, switch inputs and turn off displays without fiddling with clunky buttons.

DockFlow - Switch between dock presets on MacOS instantly

MonitorControl - Control your external monitor brightness&volume on your Mac

DockIt Space - Organize your Mac Dock like never before with custom profiles for different workflow, manual profiles and automatic dock ordering!.

Twinkle Tray - Easily manage the brightness of your monitors in Windows from the system tray.

Monitorian - Monitorian is a Windows desktop tool to adjust the brightness of multiple monitors with ease.