What is Tap Zap used for?

Tap Zap is a Mac and Windows utility that filters your display down to red light and offers a PWM-safe dimming mode, sold as a one-time purchase. It is a good fit for using a screen at night with minimal blue light, dimming a laptop panel without PWM flicker and applying one setting across several monitors.

How much does Tap Zap cost?

Tap Zap is a paid product with no free plan. One-time $39 for up to 3 computers with lifetime updates; volume pricing for 5+ seats.

Is Tap Zap open source?

No. Tap Zap is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include MarkerOn, Rectangle and RustCast.

What are some alternatives to Tap Zap?

Other SaaS products in the Productivity category include AI Renamer, Book My Luck and Lucky Dangle.

Tap Zap: features, pricing and alternatives

About Tap Zap

Tap Zap controls screen color and brightness at the system level. Its blue light filter goes beyond a warm tint: at full warmth it removes blue and green and leaves only red wavelengths, which the site says it verified with a spectrometer. PWM-safe mode holds the backlight at full strength and does the dimming in software, so the pulsing that many LED panels use to dim never engages. It lists support for built-in laptop panels on Mac and Windows, most Windows external monitors with DDC/CI, plus Apple's Pro Display XDR and Studio Display.

The app lives in the menu bar with two sliders, three presets and a ZAP button, applies instantly to a second monitor and reverts when quit. It uses less than 1% of the CPU and is built natively for macOS 12 and later and Windows 10 and later. It costs $39 once for up to three computers with lifetime updates and no account or tracking, and Bitcoin and Lightning payment is offered. Teams of five or more can ask for volume pricing.

Key features

Red-only light filtering at full warmth
PWM-safe mode with software dimming
Menu bar sliders and presets
Works across several monitors
Native for macOS and Windows
One-time license with lifetime updates

Good fit for

Using a screen at night with minimal blue light
Dimming a laptop panel without PWM flicker
Applying one setting across several monitors

Tags: blue-light-filter; display; pwm; macos; windows; brightness; eye-comfort; desktop-app

Tap Zap: questions and answers

What is Tap Zap used for?: Tap Zap is a Mac and Windows utility that filters your display down to red light and offers a PWM-safe dimming mode, sold as a one-time purchase. It is a good fit for using a screen at night with minimal blue light, dimming a laptop panel without PWM flicker and applying one setting across several monitors.
How much does Tap Zap cost?: Tap Zap is a paid product with no free plan. One-time $39 for up to 3 computers with lifetime updates; volume pricing for 5+ seats.
Is Tap Zap open source?: No. Tap Zap is proprietary (closed-source) software. In the Productivity category, open-source options include MarkerOn, Rectangle and RustCast.
What are some alternatives to Tap Zap?: Other SaaS products in the Productivity category include AI Renamer, Book My Luck and Lucky Dangle.