Moniswitch vs Twinkle Tray
Both can switch a monitor's input now. Twinkle Tray is the better brightness app, and since version 1.17.1 it can also switch inputs from its tray menu. Moniswitch is built for switching: saved routes for several monitors, one shortcut, and it can take the keyboard and mouse with it.Brightness or input
Twinkle Tray puts a brightness slider for every monitor in the Windows tray, with hotkeys, time-of-day and idle changes, and brightness matched across displays. Since version 1.17.1 (December 2025) its tray menu can also switch a monitor's input.Moniswitch has no brightness control. It reads the inputs each monitor reports, switches them one display at a time, saves multi-monitor routes and puts a two-input quick route on a shortcut.Both rely on DDC/CI. Turn it on in the monitor's own menu, and keep a direct connection: some docks, adapters, capture devices and hardware KVMs block the commands. No software can show an input that has no signal behind it.Switching computers, not just screens
Moniswitch's optional Input Link moves the keyboard and mouse to a Linux PC or a Mac (Mac experimental) on the same shortcut that moves the picture. Twinkle Tray does not share input between computers.Need both jobs? We have not tested the two apps side by side. Both send DDC/CI commands, so check them together on your own monitors.Side by side
| Workflow | Moniswitch | Twinkle Tray |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Monitor input switching, and the keyboard and mouse to the other computer. | Brightness for every monitor from the tray. |
| Price | Free. MIT open source. | Free. MIT open source. |
| Input switching | Built in: reported inputs by name, saved routes, a quick-route shortcut. | From the tray menu, since version 1.17.1 (December 2025). |
| Brightness | Not included. | Per-monitor sliders, hotkeys, time-of-day and idle changes, normalization. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Optional Input Link to Linux or a Mac (Mac experimental). | Not included. |
| Setup | Windows 10 and 11. Download from GitHub Releases; needs the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime. | Windows 10 and 11. Microsoft Store or a GitHub installer. |