Comparison
Chargeberry vs batt: a Mac app or an open-source CLI?
batt is a free, open-source charge limiter you mostly drive from the Terminal. Chargeberry is a $5.99 Mac app that sets up in a minute and does more.
Chargeberry vs batt at a glance
| Feature |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 once | Free |
| Source code | Closed | Open (GPL-2.0) |
| How you use it | Menu bar app and Settings | Terminal, plus a small menu bar app |
| Install | Notarized DMG, approve once | Homebrew, or an un-notarized app |
| Latest release | 1.1.2 (November 1, 2026) | 0.9.0 (November 5, 2026) |
| Charge limit | 50–100% | Yes |
| On macOS 27 | 80–100% (macOS’s own limit) | 10–99% (macOS’s own limit, upper only) |
| Charge to the limit or 100% once | Yes | Yes |
| Turn the charger off while plugged in | Drain to your limit, by hand or automatically | Yes (not on macOS 27 native mode) |
| Heat pausing | Yes | No |
| Full by a time, or every weekday | Yes | No |
| Battery calibration | Full cycle, monthly reminder | Experimental auto-calibration |
| MagSafe LED control | No | Yes |
| Power diagram, health history, alerts | Yes | No |
batt facts are from its README, its 0.9.0 release notes and its compatibility page, checked November 6, 2026.
What batt is
batt, by Charlie Chiang, is a free, open-source tool that limits charging on Apple silicon MacBooks. It keeps things simple on purpose: set an upper limit (with a lower bound where the Mac supports it), charge to the limit or to 100% once, and for power users, control the MagSafe LED, cut wall power while plugged in and try its experimental auto-calibration. It runs as a daemon you install with Homebrew, with a small menu bar app on top.
It’s actively maintained. Version 0.9.0 (November 5, 2026) added macOS 27 support by falling back to macOS’s own charge limit, which it sets anywhere from 10 to 99%, plus an opt-in adapter mode. Its own README also says, fairly, that if macOS’s built-in 80–100% range meets your needs, you may not need batt at all.
Where batt is better
- Free and open source. Read it, build it, change it.
- Below 80% on macOS 27. batt sets 10–99% there; Chargeberry follows macOS’s 80–100%.
- Scriptable. Everything is a command, so it fits into your own scripts and dotfiles.
- MagSafe LED control, which Chargeberry doesn’t offer.
Where Chargeberry is better
- Set up in a minute, no Terminal. A notarized app, a welcome that installs the helper and checks for conflicts, and settings that apply instantly.
- More of the job. Heat pausing at the temperature you choose, Full by a time or every weekday, automatic drain down, calibration with a reminder, notifications and a low battery warning.
- See the battery. A live power diagram (charger, battery and Mac, in watts), a daily health history with a trend, and a monthly Battery Wrapped card.
- Support from a person. Email the developer directly.
According to Chargeberry’s own measurements, the app uses about 0.1% CPU (0.13% on average, 0.4% at its busiest moment) and 13 MB of memory while it sits in the menu bar, and its helper about 0.03% CPU and 7 MB.
On macOS 27
- Health
- 83%
- Cycles
- 349 of 1000
- Temperature
- 30.8 °C
- Charger
- 30 W
A working model of Chargeberry, not a video, running the same charging rules as the app. Plug the charger in and out, change the limit, turn up the heat, try Charge to 100% and Full by. Time runs fast here: two minutes every second, and faster with S.
Which should you pick?
If you live in the Terminal, want free software, or need less than 80% on macOS 27, use batt. It’s a solid, honest tool and it costs nothing.
If you want a Mac app that you never have to think about, that keeps the battery cool, has it full by the time you leave and tells you how it’s ageing, Chargeberry is $5.99 once. Try the demo above to see the menu for yourself.
Questions about Chargeberry and batt
Is batt free?
Yes. batt, by Charlie Chiang, is free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license. You can install it with Homebrew (brew install batt) or download its small menu bar app from GitHub.
Does batt work on macOS 27?
Yes, since version 0.9.0 (November 5, 2026). On macOS 27 it uses macOS’s own charge limit and, by its release notes, sets targets from 10% to 99%, with an upper limit only. It also has an opt-in adapter mode that cuts wall power to enforce upper and lower limits while it’s awake.
Why does macOS say batt’s app is damaged?
Its app isn’t notarized, so macOS quarantines it. batt’s instructions tell you to clear that in Terminal with sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/batt.app. Chargeberry is notarized, so it opens normally.
Do I need the Terminal for Chargeberry?
No. Everything is in the menu bar menu and the Settings window, and a short welcome sets it up. There is a command line tool, chargeberryctl, for anyone who wants to read the battery or the helper from the Terminal, but you never need it.
Which one has more features?
Chargeberry: heat pausing, Full by a time or on a schedule, automatic drain down, calibration with a reminder, a live power diagram, a health history, shortcuts and alerts. batt keeps to the limit, one-time charging, MagSafe LED control, cutting wall power and an experimental auto-calibration.
Can batt and Chargeberry run together?
No. Use one. Two tools changing charging fight each other. Chargeberry spots batt when it’s installed and warns you; remove batt’s daemon before relying on Chargeberry.
