Yes. The core experience is free forever: battery monitoring, the menu bar widget, the popup dashboard, battery health with cycle count, and the two default Smart Bubbles (Charger Connected and Fully Charged). Pro adds Bluetooth device monitoring, health history, all themes, screen-edge glow, and full notification customization.

Yes — the direct download from this site includes a full 14-day Pro trial. No credit card, no sign-up. After 14 days you simply keep the free version, or unlock Pro with a one-time $9.99 purchase. The App Store version doesn't have a timed trial — instead it lets you live-preview every Pro feature before buying.

ChargePilot supports all MacBooks running macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, including both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

No — by design. ChargePilot is a monitoring app: it never interferes with macOS power management and installs no kernel extensions. Your Mac charges exactly as Apple intended — ChargePilot just makes sure you always see what's happening.

Free solves the core problem: you always know what your battery is doing, beautifully. Pro gives you control and depth — Bluetooth device batteries, health history and trends, every theme plus custom palettes, fully customizable Smart Bubbles with your own thresholds, screen-edge glow, and multi-monitor support.

macOS gives you a tiny icon and settings buried three panes deep. ChargePilot gives you a beautiful popup dashboard with live stats, event-driven Smart Bubbles, screen-edge glow warnings you can't miss, and your Bluetooth devices' batteries — all one click away in your menu bar.

Smart Bubbles are ChargePilot's elegant, non-invasive on-screen notifications. Instead of polling your battery every few seconds like traditional tools, ChargePilot uses an event-driven architecture — it detects state transitions in real time. Two system events are active by default: "Charger Connected" confirms charging has started the moment you plug in, and "Fully Charged" alerts you the instant your battery hits 100%. With Pro, each bubble is individually configurable: color, size, position, display duration, even mouse dodge behavior — plus your own custom level thresholds.

AlDente is a great app that pioneered charge limiting on Mac — it's about controlling how your battery charges. ChargePilot is about seeing and feeling what your battery is doing: event-driven Smart Bubbles instead of standard notifications, screen-edge glow warnings, and a dashboard that feels native to macOS. If you want beautiful, intelligent monitoring rather than charge control, ChargePilot is the better fit — and the core app is free.

No. ChargePilot runs 100% locally on your Mac. No data is sent to any server — ever. Your battery stats, usage patterns, and settings never leave your device. We believe privacy isn't a feature, it's a right.

Of course. If you purchased Pro through the Mac App Store, Apple handles refunds within their standard policy. If you purchased directly from us, we offer a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee.

Not at all. ChargePilot uses virtually zero CPU and less than 20 MB of memory. It's designed to sit silently in your menu bar and do its job without you ever noticing it's there.

No — it's a one-time payment. Pay once, own forever. No recurring charges, no annual renewals. All future updates to Pro features are included.

Absolutely. ChargePilot is notarized by Apple, meaning it has been scanned for malware and verified by Apple's security process. It's also signed with our Apple Developer ID. No data leaves your device — ever.

No. Modern Mac displays (LCD and OLED) are not susceptible to burn-in from software effects. The glow is rendered at safe brightness levels and uses standard macOS rendering. It's no different from any other on-screen content.

Download the DMG file, drag ChargePilot to your Applications folder, and open it. That's it — you'll see the ChargePilot icon appear in your menu bar within seconds. No complicated setup required.

Email us anytime at hello@getchargepilot.app — we typically respond within 24 hours.