Lumiv vs f.lux
Both apps make your Mac screen warmer when the sun goes down. Both are free. I made Lumiv, so read this with that in mind. Below is what each one does, side by side.
As of . The f.lux side comes from its home page.
| Lumiv | f.lux | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free in the Mac App Store. No ads, no subscription. | Free for macOS. |
| Platforms | Mac only. Needs macOS 14.6 or later. | macOS, Windows (personal use) and Linux. |
| When it changes | At your local sunrise and sunset, worked out from your location. | When the sun sets where you live. |
| Setup | None. No schedule, no sliders, no account. | You tell it your lighting and where you live. |
| At night | Turns the screen deep red and removes blue light. | Makes the screen look like your indoor lights. |
| Displays | Every connected display at once. | Its home page does not say. |
Where f.lux goes further
f.lux runs on Windows and Linux too. If you switch between a Mac and a PC, one app on both is simpler. It also asks what lights you have at home, so the evening colour can match your room.
Where Lumiv is different
Lumiv has nothing to set. It finds your location, works out your sunrise and sunset, and changes the screen on its own. In the day it sets the screen to 5000K. At night it goes deep red.
The change comes with no flicker and no bright flash. It works on every display and comes back after your Mac wakes or unlocks. It handles time zones, daylight saving and polar regions. A manual override lasts until the next sunrise or sunset.
It lives in the menu bar, is 0.6 MB and launches at login. It changes colour only. It never touches brightness. Your location never leaves your Mac. No account, no tracking, no server.
Which one to pick
Pick f.lux if you need it on Windows or Linux, or want to tune it to your lights. Pick Lumiv if you only use a Mac and want a red screen at night with nothing to set. Both are free, so you can try each for a few evenings and keep the one that feels right.