Respect where due: batt is excellent free software. Here is what you get — and don't get — with each.
batt is a free, open-source command-line tool that caps charging via the same SMC mechanism. If you live in the terminal and only want a charge limit, it does the job at zero cost.
Battery Autopilot is for people who want the limit plus everything managed for them: a menu bar app with AI power savings verified by measurement, just-in-time full charging before you leave, self-healing guard, automatic updates and visible daily results.
| batt (OSS CLI) | Battery Autopilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (open source) | $3.49/mo · $19.99/yr |
| Charge limit via SMC | ✓ | ✓ |
| Menu bar app / GUI | — | ✓ |
| AI power saving (measured ΔW) | — | ✓ |
| Departure-aware full charge | — | ✓ |
| “+minutes extended” daily results | — | ✓ |
| Self-healing continuity guard | △ | ✓ |
| Automatic updates | Via brew upgrade | Built-in (Sparkle) |
| Setup | Terminal commands | Drag & drop + approve helper |
7-day free trial. Charge guarded at 80%, measured power savings, results in “+minutes extended”.
Download free (macOS)batt is an open-source CLI for Apple Silicon Macs that limits charging by writing SMC keys — the same underlying mechanism used by GUI limiters. You install it from the terminal (e.g. via Homebrew), run commands like batt limit 80, and it quietly enforces the cap. For developers comfortable with the command line who want exactly one feature, it's a solid, honest tool.
Battery Autopilot wraps the same SMC-level control in a menu bar app and then goes beyond charging: its AI applies power-saving actions (brightness, Low Power Mode, throttling background hogs) and measures the actual ΔW on your Mac, keeping only what works. It learns your departure times to deliver 100% exactly when you leave, guards the limit against overrides, updates itself, and reports “+47 min extended today” so you can see the benefit.
In short: batt protects battery health; Battery Autopilot protects health and extends today's runtime, automatically.
Pick batt if: you want free and open source, you're comfortable in the terminal, and a charge cap is all you need.
Pick Battery Autopilot if: you want zero-thought automation, runtime savings on top of wear protection, a UI your non-terminal self (or family) can use, and visible daily results. You can verify the difference yourself during the 7-day free trial.
No — both write the same SMC charging keys. Uninstall or disable one before using the other.
Yes, the same standard SMC keys. On top of that, Battery Autopilot adds a continuity guard that detects outside overrides and restores your limit automatically, plus a failsafe that always charges when the battery is low.
Yes: brew install --cask anysocial-g/tap/battery-autopilot.
7-day free trial. Charge guarded at 80%, measured power savings, results in “+minutes extended”.
Download free (macOS)