AlDente

AlDente is AppHouseKitchen's MacBook battery-charge management utility. It lets you choose a charge ceiling while working on external power and inspect charging behavior. It is useful for supported MacBook owners who spend long periods plugged in; it cannot repair a damaged battery or guarantee a particular battery lifespan.

Features and editions

• Free: set a charge limit and manually discharge while connected to power.
• Pro: add automatic discharge and supported clamshell discharge behavior.
• Pro: use Heat Protection and Sailing Mode to manage charging conditions.
• Pro: use Top Up and Calibration Mode when a fuller charge or calibration cycle is needed.
• Pro: schedule actions and use supported Apple Shortcuts integrations.
• Pro: customize menu-bar information and the pop-up interface.

These are edition-specific features. Installing the free download does not unlock all Pro tools. Sailing Mode is not continuous active cycling between two percentages; the publisher explains that external power normally powers the computer while the battery remains near a chosen limit.

Install, permissions and conflicts

Use the official installer or brew install --cask aldente, then complete the app's setup and choose a charge limit. The inventory distributes a DMG containing AlDente.app, while the current website installation guide describes a PKG flow; follow the instructions for the actual distribution you downloaded rather than assuming every package is identical.

Charge control uses a privileged helper. Installation and removal can request an administrator password; authorize only the genuine publisher's software. The cask identifies the helper in /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools and its launch service. This is different from granting blanket Accessibility, Screen Recording or Full Disk Access. Use the documented removal workflow so helper and charging state are handled together, rather than deleting arbitrary system files.

The publisher recommends turning off Apple's Optimized Battery Charging to avoid competing charging controls. On macOS 26.4 and later, its FAQ recommends leaving Apple's manual charge limit at 100% when using AlDente. Other charge-control utilities can also compete for the same hardware settings. Some third-party Thunderbolt docks have reported incompatibilities, including disconnections during discharge; consult the official FAQ for your setup.

Hardware, systems and limitations

Starting with AlDente 1.38, the official supported range is macOS 12 Monterey through macOS 27 Golden Gate; beta macOS versions are not officially supported. Big Sur support ends at AlDente 1.37.3. The official model list covers all Apple Silicon MacBooks and most Intel MacBooks from 2013 onward, including supported 12-inch MacBooks. Check the exact model list rather than treating every Intel Mac or desktop Mac as compatible. This is MacBook hardware software, not a Windows or Linux battery utility. The optional Intel Mode can retain a supported Intel MacBook's charge limit while booting Windows through Boot Camp; that does not make AlDente a Windows application.

AlDente Free cannot reliably control charging while the MacBook sleeps or is shut down. Pro provides documented sleep/app-closed controls, but their behavior depends on hardware and system state. Pro calibration, discharge in certain configurations and Disable Sleep until Charge Limit can temporarily keep the Mac awake. Do not assume it overrides every closed-lid or powered-off condition.

Long periods at a limited charge can disturb the battery's percentage calibration. The official FAQ discusses unexpected shutdowns or inaccurate percentages and recommends calibration cycles; read the relevant guidance before using Calibration Mode. A calibration cycle deliberately charges and discharges the battery, so plan around the time, power and battery reserve needed. Charging reduce available unplugged runtime until topped up. macOS upgrades can temporarily affect charging control, so verify actual behavior after a system update.

Accounts, cost and license

AlDente Free has no paid activation requirement. Pro is paid, with annual subscription and lifetime-license options; Setapp is a separate subscription route. Purchase and activation use an email/license key, and each purchase currently permits up to three macOS user-account activations. Pro must validate its license online at least once every 30 days; if offline longer, it falls back to Free until reactivated. Check current regional prices and renewal terms before purchasing.

Current AlDente Free and Pro are proprietary, not open source. Only early AlDente Classic versions through Classic 2.0 were open source. The public GitHub repository supplies releases and community support and must not be used to imply that the current binary has the old Classic source license. Optional analytics and network license checks have their own privacy implications; review the publisher's settings and privacy policy.

The official GitHub 1.39.4 DMG is 12,208,798 bytes according to release metadata and HTTP HEAD. The cask's apphousekitchen.com DMG endpoint does not expose a size in the checked HEAD responses, so that alternate asset size is not claimed as a verified size of the cask URL.

Sources: Official overview, Features, Compatibility, charging and licensing FAQ, Pricing, Installation guide, Official releases.