Compare
How Dotwatt compares
Dotwatt next to four apps people use for a MacBook's battery, including what each of them does better.
At a glance
| Feature | Dotwatt | AlDente Pro | coconutBattery Plus | iStat Menus | Lungo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See | |||||
| Time left on battery | YesMeasured from the real draw | YesIn the menu bar and the dashboard | YesIn the menu bar | YesIn the menu bar | No |
| Names the apps spending the charge | YesEach app's share | YesApps above a usage threshold | No | NoTop apps by CPU, memory, disk and network | No |
| Measures what quitting an app gave | YesMeasured again after the app quits | No | No | No | No |
| Control | |||||
| Charge limit | Yes80 to 100%, on macOS 26.4 or later | YesAlso below 80%, and on macOS 12 or later | No | No | No |
| Charge to 100% once | YesOne tap, or by a set time | YesTop Up | No | No | No |
| Switches Low and High Power | YesOr Low Power by itself under a level | YesOn supported MacBooks | NoShows the mode, does not switch it | YesOn supported Macs | No |
| Keeps the Mac awake on demand | YesNo limit, a timer, or while an app runs; a shortcut key | YesSleep Control, with a timer | No | NoIts help says it does not | YesPreset durations, or until switched off |
| Awake only while coding agents work | YesRecognises 13 agents | PartlyA manual timer, no agent detection | No | No | NoNo app triggers built in |
| Record | |||||
| Battery health over time | YesMonth by month, and a report file | YesGraphs of capacity and cycles | YesSaved history; a Lifetime Analyzer | YesHealth, and graphs up to 28 days | No |
| What a night asleep cost | YesCharge lost and wakes | No | No | NoNothing is recorded during sleep | No |
| Price and fit | |||||
| One payment, no subscription | Yes | YesA lifetime licence; a yearly plan too | Yes | YesWeather data is sold separately | Yes |
| Automation from Shortcuts or scripts | YesShortcuts actions and dotwatt:// links | YesShortcuts actions | No | No | YesShortcuts, a URL scheme, a command-line tool |
| Runs on macOS 13 or earlier | NoNeeds macOS 14 and Apple silicon | YesmacOS 12 or later, most Intel MacBooks from 2013 | YesmacOS 12 or later | YesmacOS 13.5 or later | PartlyOlder versions, free, for older macOS |
| Low price for what it does | Yes$7.99 at the regular price, $0.64 a point | Partly$24.99 for a lifetime licence, $2.38 a point | Partly€12.95, €2.35 a point | Partly$11.99, $2.00 a point | Partly$4, $1.14 a point |
| Where the others go further | |||||
| iPhone and iPad battery health | No | No | YesOver USB or Wi-Fi | NoBattery levels of Bluetooth devices | No |
| CPU, memory, disk and network monitors | PartlyProcessor load, heat and fans | No | PartlySSD read and write statistics | YesAnd GPU, sensors, fan control, weather | No |
| ScoreYes counts 1, partly counts ½ | 13.5of 16 | 11of 16 | 6of 16 | 6.5of 16 | 4of 16 |
Checked on 13 November 2026 against each maker's own pages, for the paid edition where there are two. "No" means the maker's pages do not list the feature. Apps change: see their sites for the latest. Low price for what it does: the one-time price divided by the score on the other rows; Yes under $1 a point, Partly up to $2.50.
Price and terms
| Price | Macs per licence | Free to try | Needs | Sold through | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dotwatt | $2.99, one payment. | Up to 3 | 7 days, the whole app. | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon. The charge limit needs macOS 26.4. | This website |
| AlDente Pro | $24.99 for a lifetime licence or $13.99 a year. A free edition has the charge limit and manual discharge. | Up to 3 | The free edition. No trial of Pro is stated. | macOS 12 or later. Apple silicon MacBooks and most Intel MacBooks from 2013. | The maker's website, and Setapp |
| coconutBattery Plus | €12.95 for version 4, or €17.95 with future versions included. The base app is a free download. | "Unlimited devices" | The free edition, and 10 launches in Plus mode. | macOS 12 or later. | The maker's website only |
| iStat Menus | $11.99, or $14.99 for a Family Pack. Weather data is included for 6 months, then sold in packs from $2.49 a year. | Up to 3, or 5 in a household with the Family Pack | 14 days. | macOS 13.5 or later. | The maker's website, the Mac App Store and Setapp |
| Lungo | $4. | Up to 5 computers, with Family Sharing | No trial of its own. | macOS 26 or later. | The Mac App Store, and Setapp |
Prices as shown to a visitor from the United States, before any local tax; coconutBattery is priced in euros. They differ by country.
Which one is right for you?
-
Dotwatt vs AlDente
AlDente Pro is the specialist: charge limits below 80%, Sailing Mode, Heat Protection and Intel support. Dotwatt covers the everyday part of that with the charge control built into macOS, measures what quitting an app gave, and notices coding agents by itself.
Dotwatt and AlDente in detail -
Dotwatt vs coconutBattery
coconutBattery is a diagnostic tool, and the only one here that reads an iPhone's or iPad's battery. Dotwatt keeps the Mac's health record too, and adds the controls: a charge limit, energy modes and staying awake.
Dotwatt and coconutBattery in detail -
Dotwatt vs iStat Menus
iStat Menus is the better choice if you want every number about your Mac in the menu bar. Dotwatt goes deeper on the one number that ends your day: it limits the charge, ranks apps by energy and records what sleep cost.
Dotwatt and iStat Menus in detail -
Dotwatt vs Lungo
Lungo is the simplest way to keep a Mac awake by hand. Dotwatt decides by itself: awake while Claude Code, Codex or Cursor work, asleep five quiet minutes after they stop, and never past the battery level you set.
Dotwatt and Lungo in detail
Sources
- AlDente features (AppHouseKitchen)
- AlDente pricing (AppHouseKitchen)
- AlDente FAQ (AppHouseKitchen)
- coconutBattery (coconut-flavour)
- iStat Menus (Bjango)
- iStat Menus version history (Bjango)
- iStat Menus help: history graphs (Bjango)
- iStat Menus licence agreement (Bjango)
- Lungo (Sindre Sorhus)
- Lungo on the Mac App Store (Sindre Sorhus)
- Sindre Sorhus: questions about the apps (Sindre Sorhus)
AlDente, coconutBattery, iStat Menus, Lungo are the products and trademarks of their makers. Dotwatt is not affiliated with any of them. Found something out of date? Write to support@dotwatt.app and we will correct it.