DisplayCAL review
A free, full-featured choice for measured display profiling across three desktop platforms.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
DisplayCAL is desktop software for calibrating and profiling computer displays with supported colorimeters and spectrometers. It is intended for photographers, video professionals, colorists, and other users who need measured display color management. The software supports Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can handle multi-display setups. Its core output is an ICC display profile, supported by calibration and characterization workflows based on measurements from compatible instruments.
As open-source software with a free plan, DisplayCAL provides a broad set of calibration features without a paid tier structure. It can create ICC profiles, load video-card gamma-table calibrations, and generate video 3D LUTs in multiple output formats. Profile verification and measurement reports add a way to review calibration results, while display uniformity measurement extends coverage beyond basic profiling. Synthetic ICC profile creation and HDR-related 3D LUT processing workflows make the feature set relevant to users working across different color-management tasks.
The main practical boundary is the requirement for a supported measurement instrument, so DisplayCAL is not a standalone visual adjustment tool. Its workflow also depends on ArgyllCMS for measurements, calibration, and profile creation. The release information shown lists DisplayCAL 3.8 from 2019, which matters for buyers weighing a mature feature set against more recent software development. Choose DisplayCAL if free, open-source access and detailed profiling features are priorities across Linux, macOS, or Windows. Choose another option if you need calibration without compatible hardware or prefer a product with a more recent release history.
DisplayCAL pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free open-source access with ICC profile creation
- Supports multi-display calibration, LUT generation, and HDR workflows
- Includes verification reports and display uniformity measurement
- Where it doesn't
- Requires a supported colorimeter or spectrometer
- Release information lists DisplayCAL 3.8 from 2019
- ArgyllCMS underpins measurement, calibration, and profile creation
DisplayCAL fact sheet, pricing and score →
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