Outshine for Mac costs $9.99 in early access and $14.99 after that. You pay once, with no subscription. One license key activates one Mac, and you can try the app free on half the screen for as long as you like.
How much does Outshine for Mac cost?
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Early-access price | $9.99, a third off the regular price |
| Regular price | $14.99 |
| How you pay | Once. No subscription. |
| Updates | Free, with no upgrade fee |
| Macs per license | One at a time. "Deactivate this Mac" frees the key for another Mac. |
| Free trial | Works on the left half of the screen, with no time limit |
| Refunds | No fixed refund window; handled case by case |
| Where to buy | getoutshine.com. Not on the Mac App Store. |
| Seller | Pumpthejuice ApS, Denmark, through Lemon Squeezy |
| Requirements | macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel |
The $9.99 price is for early access. Join the waitlist on getoutshine.com to get it; after that the price is $14.99. Either way it is a single payment for the app, with all four presets (Reading, Outdoor, Blazing and Dark), the intensity slider and the keyboard shortcuts.
What the money buys is time in the sun with a screen you can read. Mickey Switzer, who makes Outshine, describes what working outside can be:
“You can enjoy the best of nature and the outdoors while you deliver on your commitments at work. It's a pleasure, and it feels like a cheat code.”- Mickey Switzer, maker of Outshine for Mac (interview, October 2026, translated from Danish)
Is Outshine a subscription?
No. Outshine for Mac is a one-time purchase. There is no monthly or yearly fee, updates are free, and the app has no analytics, telemetry or crash reporting.
Outshine checks the license key now and then. If the license server can't be reached, for example on a train or a remote terrace with no signal, Outshine keeps working for 7 days after the last successful check.
How does the free trial work?
Without a license, Outshine works on the left half of the screen, with no time limit. Take the Mac outside, turn on Outdoor or Blazing, and compare the left half with the right. When you want the whole screen, choose Unlock in the app; it opens getoutshine.com/unlock.
The trial matters most on a MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro, where the lift is smaller than on a 14-inch or 16-inch XDR MacBook Pro. The page on which Macs work with Outshine shows what to expect on each model.
Can I get a refund?
There is no fixed refund window and no automatic refund. If Outshine doesn't work as expected on your Mac, email us first and we try to fix it; if we can't, a refund is considered case by case. The details are in the Outshine refund policy. The free split-screen trial is there so you can check Outshine on your own Mac, in your own light, before you pay.
Can I move my license to a new Mac?
Yes. One license key activates one Mac at a time. In the app, choose "Deactivate this Mac", then enter the same key on the new Mac. If you want Outshine on two Macs at the same time, you need two licenses.
Who sells Outshine, and how do I pay?
Outshine is made by Pumpthejuice ApS in Denmark and sold through Lemon Squeezy, which acts as the merchant of record. In its own words, that means it handles "payments, merchant fees, fraud and sales tax", and it sends the receipt. You download the app as a DMG from getoutshine.com. It is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, the check Apple runs on Mac apps distributed outside the Mac App Store.
Outshine is not on the Mac App Store, so you buy it on the web rather than with your Apple ID.
The Mac app that handles all of this for you.
Four presets - Reading, Outdoor, Blazing and Dark - for every kind of light. Switch from your menu bar in one click. No settings archaeology.
What does the one-time price include?
| Included | What it means |
|---|---|
| Four presets made for sun | Reading, Outdoor, Blazing and Dark, plus one intensity slider and keyboard shortcuts |
| MacBook Air support | Runs on the Air, with a smaller lift than on an XDR MacBook Pro. Vivid, BrightIntosh and MacBrightness list only MacBook Pros and XDR displays. |
| Free split-screen trial | The left half of the screen, with no time limit, before you pay |
| Free updates | No upgrade fee |
| No subscription | One payment: $9.99 in early access, $14.99 regular |
| No tracking | No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting |
Vivid, BrightIntosh and MacBrightness are built to unlock extra brightness on a 14-inch or 16-inch XDR MacBook Pro. Outshine for Mac is built for reading a MacBook in the sun, and it runs on the MacBook Air too. How it sits next to each of them is in Mac brightness apps compared by need and Vivid vs Outshine.
- Check that your Mac runs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
- Try the split-screen trial outside, on your own Mac, in the light you usually work in.
- On a MacBook Air, expect a smaller lift than on an XDR MacBook Pro.
- One license covers one Mac at a time.
Questions people ask
How much does Outshine for Mac cost?
Outshine for Mac costs $9.99 in early access and $14.99 at the regular price. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and updates are free.
Are updates free?
Yes. Updates to Outshine for Mac are free for everyone who has bought a license. There is no upgrade fee and no subscription.
Is there a free trial of Outshine?
Yes. Without a license, Outshine works on the left half of the screen with no time limit, so you can compare both halves before you buy.
Can I get a refund for Outshine?
Outshine has no fixed refund window and no automatic refunds. If the app doesn't work as expected, contact Pumpthejuice first; if the problem can't be fixed, refunds are considered case by case under the refund policy on getoutshine.com.
Can I use one Outshine license on two Macs?
One Outshine license key activates one Mac at a time. Choose "Deactivate this Mac" to move it to another Mac.
Is Outshine on the Mac App Store?
No. Outshine is sold on getoutshine.com through Lemon Squeezy and downloaded as a DMG that is signed and notarized by Apple.
Read next: Which Macs work with Outshine, Mac brightness apps compared and Vivid vs Outshine.