Software Alternatives & Reviews

iDisplay VS Lunar.fyi

Compare iDisplay VS Lunar.fyi and see what are their differences

iDisplay logo iDisplay

iDisplay is an app that turns a mobile device into a secondary desktop monitor. The app currently supports iOS, Android, Windows and MacOS, and it lets users connect a desktop computer to a mobile device over WiFi. Read more about iDisplay.

Lunar.fyi logo Lunar.fyi

Control monitor brightness, adapt using the ambient light sensor, adjust volume, switch inputs and turn off displays without fiddling with clunky buttons.
  • iDisplay Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-01-21
  • Lunar.fyi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-24

Native brightness control

macOS can't control external monitors brightness natively. Lunar adds that capability so you can use the same familiar brightness keys to adjust all monitors at once, or fine tune each one.

Volume keys also work for adjusting monitor volume, and there are hotkeys for switching between monitor inputs/ports.

Adaptive brightness

By using the MacBook and iMac integrated Ambient Light Sensor, Lunar can automatically adapt your monitor brightness and contrast throughout the day so you can forget about fiddling with buttons.

Even if you have monitors with different brightness capabilities, Lunar can learn the differences between them and compute a custom brightness curve for each one so they're always at the same perceived luminance.

Break brightness limits

Displays that have more than 500nits of brightness are limited by macOS so they can't reach their full brightness. Lunar unlocks that through its XDR Brightness feature so you can work in sunlight.

The Sub-zero Dimming feature allows you to lower the brightness below the usual 0% so you can work comfortably during the night.

Turn off displays

Lunar's BlackOut feature can turn off individual displays (even the built-in MacBook display) so you can focus on single tasks:

  • No need to close the lid or press power buttons
  • Webcam, keyboard and trackpad keep working as usual
  • Monitors can still be adapted through the MacBook light sensor

iDisplay

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Lunar.fyi

Website
lunar.fyi
$ Details
freemium $23.0 / One-off (Pro)
Platforms
Mac OSX
Release Date
2017 November

iDisplay features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Lunar.fyi features and specs

  • Adaptive Brightness: Yes
  • Native Brightness Control: Yes
  • XDR Brightness: Yes
  • Dim brightness below zero: Yes
  • Switch monitor inputs: Yes
  • Sync brightness between displays: Yes
  • Turn off individual displays: Yes
  • External light sensor support: Yes
  • Scheduled brightness presets: Yes
  • Command-line integration: Yes

iDisplay videos

iDisplay App Review - Sweetwater's iOS Update, Vol. 102

More videos:

Lunar.fyi videos

Lunar 5 Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iDisplay and Lunar.fyi)
Remote Desktop
100 100%
0% 0
Mac
0 0%
100% 100
Remote PC Access
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare iDisplay and Lunar.fyi

iDisplay Reviews

Top 10 Duet Display Alternatives (Free and Paid) Reviewed | 2022
As with most of the apps on our list, iDisplay streams video at 60 frames per second. Another feature of iDisplay is that it supports multitouch on all devices. Also, iDisplay lets you connect more than one device to your computer.
Source: mediapeanut.com
Top 6 Best Spacedesk Alternatives for Duet Display
Using iDisplay, you can convert your Android device or your iPad into an extended screen for your primary PC. It supports wired as well as a wireless connection for up to three screens at once.
Source: itechhacks.com
7 Of The Best Spacedesk Alternatives For Multi-Monitor Work
Looking for a touch screen display window than iDisplay is your tool. It converts the iPad and iPhone to a second touch screen display. It can instantly turn your iPad device for the multi-screen show, which is compatible with the android phone as well as a laptop.
Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
iDisplay works on both Mac and Windows turning your iPad or iPhone into another touch-screen display. It also lets you mirror your desktop on your iPad or iPhone. You have all MS-Office apps like Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Photoshop right on your iPad or iPhone which shall work on just a touch. Working with almost 0 latency, it is compatible to both lightning and 30-pin...
6 Ways to Use Your Android as Second Monitor For Your Computer
iDisplay is another display mirroring app on this list. iDisplay started with the macOS and iOS but quickly expanded to other Operating systems. You have apps for Windows and Android which makes it a good cross-platform solution. It supports 60 fps and plus offers multi-touch on the device you are using it on.
Source: techwiser.com

Lunar.fyi Reviews

  1. I can not live without Lunar.

    Have you ever felt down? Depressed? Like there's something missing?

    That's computing life before Lunar. You might still be depressed, but at least you'll feel control over your displays.

    Facelight, smart brightness sync across monitors, support for a DIY-ish light sensor, command line integration, APP SPECIFIC PRESETS (!) the ability to access the XDR brightness in your shiny new Macbook, and much more.

    Your screens deserve better, your eyes deserve better. There's simply no better way to manage how light gets into your eyes from your monitor.

    🏁 Competitors: DisplayBuddy, MonitorControl
    πŸ‘ Pros:    Cheap price|Great set of functions|Unique|Comprehensive functions
    πŸ‘Ž Cons:    You don't own it yet

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Lunar.fyi seems to be a lot more popular than iDisplay. While we know about 77 links to Lunar.fyi, we've tracked only 1 mention of iDisplay. 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.

iDisplay mentions (1)

  • Can I use my ipad as a third screen over a USB cable?
    I have done some research and found iDisplay. However that only works for windows, macOS and android and I dont think it would work over wine. Source: 8 months ago

Lunar.fyi mentions (77)

  • Reverse Engineering a Software Crack
    It’s done in a similar way on macOS: a dylib is added to the bundle and an LC_LOAD command is added to the app binary. The dylib is the first thing that runs because of using the constructor attribute, like this: https://notes.alinpanaitiu.com/Injecting%20a%20DYLIB%20into%20a%20macOS%20app The nice thing is that a signed app will refuse to load a dylib that does not have the same signature. So crackers will be... - Source: Hacker News / 11 days ago
  • No I don't want 2, Emacs
    Pretty sure Lunar [0] can do this for you, and you can buy a lifetime license. [0]: https://lunar.fyi/. - Source: Hacker News / 18 days ago
  • Show HN: Multi-monitor KVM using just a USB switch
    I've had good luck with the Lunar app - it manages my Dell and LG monitors on an M2. (No affiliation) https://lunar.fyi. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • PHOLED Will Transform Displays
    Wild! I am working on exactly the same thing now for Lunar (https://lunar.fyi), and I'm also calling it Night Mode ^_^ what a coincidence I've been trying to make "white regions in dark backgrounds" less painful for months, but doing that at the system level on macOS is incredibly hard. I see you're doing it with CSS filters, which make sense in the limited scope of an article. But applying something like... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing
    I was comparing anti-piracy measures with DRM, I don't have actual DRM in my app. I can't block users that really bought the app from using it (which is what DRM is notorious for). But I do have a license verification for the Pro features (https://lunar.fyi/#pro), and that is what people are cracking in the app. I only added more protection around this verification. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iDisplay and Lunar.fyi, you can also consider the following products

Duet Display - With Duet Display, you can transform your iPhone or iPad into a second display to expand the screen space of your PC or Mac system.

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

spacedesk - spacedesk expands the Windows desktop computer screen to other computers over the local area...

rcmd - rcmd makes app switching instantaneous!When you have a lot of apps open, finding and switching to them might feel too slow using Command-Tab or the Dock.Hold down the right side |⌘ command| and press the first letter of the app name to focus it.

Air Display - Air Display allows extra screens to extend the display size of a Mac desktop. The company behind the product is Avatron Software, which was founded in 2008. Read more about Air Display.

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