Comparison
AirBuddy vs MacBookBatteryMonitor
AirBuddy and MacBookBatteryMonitor solve different problems that share the word "battery". AirBuddy is about your other devices. MacBookBatteryMonitor is about your Mac. Here is the split.
What AirBuddy does
AirBuddy, by Sam Eckert, brings the iOS-style battery popup to the Mac. Open your AirPods case near your Mac and you get the native-looking battery sheet. Beyond AirPods, it tracks Beats, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and other nearby Macs, in one ranked menu-bar list with per-device low-battery alerts that sync across machines. It can toggle AirPods listening modes, auto-connect them, and hand Magic peripherals between Macs with one click. It shows the MacBook’s battery percentage as one device in that list, and nothing more about the Mac: no health, no cycle count, no per-app draw, no charge control. It runs on macOS 10.14.6 and up on any Mac with Bluetooth Low Energy, Intel and Apple Silicon, and costs roughly $9.99 to $12.99 one-time with paid major-version upgrades. It is the category leader for accessory battery status.
What MacBookBatteryMonitor does
MacBookBatteryMonitor does not touch AirPods, iPhone, iPad, or accessories. Its entire focus is the MacBook battery itself. It shows real per-app power draw in watts, a component breakdown, battery health and cycle count against the design limit, hidden drain from Docker, cloudflared, and launchd, a 50% to 100% charge limit, Sailing Mode, automated Low Power Mode, and per-app actions including a CPU throttle, an E-core offload toggle, and a one-click kill. It is Apple-Silicon-only on macOS 14.6 and up, and a one-time purchase.
Feature comparison
MacBookBatteryMonitorTry MacBookBatteryMonitor on your own Mac
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Which one should you pick?
These apps are not really competitors. AirBuddy is the right choice, and genuinely the best choice, if you want to see and manage your AirPods, iPhone, iPad, and accessory batteries from your Mac. MacBookBatteryMonitor is the right choice if you want to understand and manage your MacBook battery specifically. If you care about both, they complement each other rather than replace each other.
Frequently asked questions
Does AirBuddy show MacBook battery health or cycle count?
No. AirBuddy shows the MacBook’s charge percentage as one device in its menu-bar list. It has no health percentage, no cycle count, no per-app power, and no charge control for the Mac itself. Its focus is accessories.
Can MacBookBatteryMonitor track my AirPods or iPhone?
No. MacBookBatteryMonitor is entirely about the MacBook battery. If you want accessory and iOS device battery status, AirBuddy is the right tool for that job.
Should I run both?
If you care about both your AirPods and your MacBook battery, yes. They cover non-overlapping ground. AirBuddy for accessories, MacBookBatteryMonitor for the Mac.