BatteryBud is an AirBattery alternative for people who want a record and a warning, not only the levels of the moment. AirBattery is free and open source, and it shows the batteries of your devices in the Dock, the menu bar and a widget. BatteryBud costs $19 once. It adds history charts, alerts at a level you pick, and battery health for your Mac, iPhone and iPad.
If you only want to see the levels, AirBattery does that for free. The facts about AirBattery on this page come from its page on GitHub.
What does AirBattery do?
AirBattery is a Mac app by the developer lihaoyun6. It needs macOS 11 or later. It is published under the AGPL-3.0 license, and you install it from its GitHub releases or with Homebrew.
- Dock and menu bar. It shows your devices in both, or in one of them. The menu bar icon can be a live battery icon.
- Widgets. A widget shows the batteries of your devices.
- iPhone and iPad. The device must trust the Mac, and be connected with a cable at least once while AirBattery runs. After that, both must be on the same network.
- iPhone over Bluetooth. A setting reads an iPhone, or an iPad with cellular, over Bluetooth when it is not on Wi-Fi.
- Apple Watch. Read through its paired iPhone, when that iPhone is found over Wi-Fi or a cable.
- Other Macs. A feature named Nearcast shows the batteries of other Macs on the network, with their accessories.
- Hidden devices. You can hide a device from the Dock or the menu bar.
Where does AirBattery stop?
The differences are in what happens after the level is read.
- History is not listed. AirBattery’s description does not list charts of a device over days or months.
- Alerts are not listed. It does not list a notification when a device drops below a level.
- Battery health is not listed. It does not list maximum capacity or charge cycles.
- Support is community support. Questions go to the issue list on GitHub, which has more than 100 open issues.
AirBattery and BatteryBud compared
| Capability | AirBattery | BatteryBud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $19, paid once |
| Source code | Open source, AGPL-3.0 | Closed |
| macOS | 11 or later | 14 or later, Apple silicon |
| Install | GitHub or Homebrew | Download from batterybud.app. Notarized by Apple |
| iPhone and iPad | Yes. Trust with a cable, then the same network | Yes. One-time setup with a cable, then Wi-Fi |
| iPhone when not on Wi-Fi | Yes. Over Bluetooth, with a setting | No. It shows the last level |
| Apple Watch | Yes, through the paired iPhone | Yes, through the paired iPhone |
| AirPods and Beats | Yes | Yes. Left bud, right bud and case |
| Other Macs | Yes. Nearcast, with their accessories | Yes. Macs on the same network, with a sync code |
| Devices on USB receivers | Not listed | Yes. Logitech, Razer, Corsair, SteelSeries and HyperX |
| Game controllers and a UPS | Not listed | Yes |
| Dock | Yes | No |
| Menu bar | Yes | Yes. All batteries, and you can pin any device |
| Widgets | Yes | Yes |
| Battery history | Not listed | Yes. Every device, by day, week, month and year |
| Charging sessions | Not listed | Yes |
| Alerts | Not listed | Yes. Low battery, charged to a level, not seen, battery health |
| Battery health for Mac, iPhone and iPad | Not listed | Yes. Maximum capacity and charge cycles, charted over time |
| Free trial | Not needed. It is free | No. Refund within 14 days if it does not work on your Mac |
| Account needed | No | No |
Features checked October 9, 2026. “Not listed” means that AirBattery’s page on GitHub does not describe the feature.
Who should use AirBattery
Use AirBattery if any of these is true.
- You want a free app. AirBattery costs nothing, and BatteryBud has no free version.
- You want open source. You can read the code and build it yourself.
- You have an Intel Mac, or macOS 11, 12 or 13. BatteryBud needs macOS 14 and Apple silicon.
- You want batteries in the Dock. BatteryBud has no Dock display.
- Your iPhone is often off Wi-Fi. AirBattery can read it over Bluetooth.
Who BatteryBud suits
- You want a warning. BatteryBud alerts you when a device is low, when it has charged to a level, when it has not been seen for a while, or when battery health drops. See how to get a low battery notification at the level you want.
- You want history. It charts each device by day, week, month and year, and it lists charging sessions. See how to see battery history on a Mac.
- You want battery health. It records maximum capacity and charge cycles for your Mac, iPhone and iPad, and charts them over time.
- You use devices on USB receivers. From version 1.2.0 it shows Logitech and Razer mice and keyboards, gaming headsets, game controllers and a UPS.
- You want an app with support. You can email us, and you get a refund within 14 days if it does not work on your Mac.
BatteryBud has gaps too. It has no free trial. It does not limit charging, and it does not show temperature or energy use per app. For other options, see the best Mac battery apps, sorted by the job and AirBuddy compared with BatteryBud.
How do the prices compare?
AirBattery is free. BatteryBud costs $19, paid once, with no subscription. The price includes one year of updates, and the versions released in that year keep working forever. Another year of updates costs $9. Full details are in the BatteryBud pricing section.