Comparison

Dark Mode vs Dark Surf

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Dark Mode

This extension transforms websites into a comfortable dark theme, reducing eye strain in low-light conditions. It offers global dark mode, adjustable brightness and contrast, and easy toggling via the toolbar or keyboard shortcut.

Highlights
  • Global dark mode for any website
  • Adjustable brightness and contrast
  • One-click toggle
  • Keyboard shortcut support
  • Privacy-focused on-device processing
Features
Read full description

Transform your browsing experience with Dark Mode for Safari, the ultimate extension designed to reduce eye strain and provide a comfortable reading environment at night or in low-light conditions. Whether you're browsing news, social media, or documentation, Dark Mode for Safari intelligently darkens web pages, giving you a sleek, cohesive dark theme across the entire web. Key Features - Global Dark Mode: Instantly enable dark mode on any website, even those that don't support it natively. - Adjustable Brightness & Contrast: Fine-tune your viewing experience with precision sliders. Lower the brightness for late-night reading or boost contrast for better legibility. - One-Click Toggle: Easily switch dark mode on or off directly from the Safari toolbar. - Keyboard Shortcut: Use Cmd + Shift + L (Mac) to quickly toggle dark mode without lifting your fingers from the keyboard. - System Integration: Seamlessly integrates with Safari on macOS, respecting your privacy and performance. How to Use 1. Enable the Extension: Open Safari Settings > Extensions and check "Dark Mode". 2. Browse in Comfort: Navigate to any website and watch it transform. 3. Customize: Click the extension icon to adjust settings or toggle the effect. Privacy Focused We believe in privacy. Dark Mode for Safari runs entirely on your device and does not collect or transmit your browsing history. Privacy Policy: https://decisive-store-bd5.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-2eae1846c58e80bc85acc71f1b5b0af6 Terms of Use: https://decisive-store-bd5.notion.site/Terms-Conditions-2eae1846c58e80f1911dc00ef298fda6

About

Dark Surf

Enhance your browsing experience with a customizable dark theme for Safari. Adjust shade, contrast, saturation, and image settings. Schedule dark mode or set it per-site.

Highlights
  • Customizable dark theme
  • Adjustable shade and contrast
  • Saturation and image handling
  • Scheduling for dark mode
  • Per-site theme controls
  • Preset themes (Midnight, Warm, AMOLED, Gray)
Features
Read full description

Dark Surf gives Safari a thoughtful dark mode for every website. Instead of painting over pages, Dark Surf reads each site’s own design and rebuilds it in the dark. Backgrounds and cards turn deep and calm, text stays crisp, and the colors that carry meaning, like buttons, links, warnings and highlights, keep their character. Photos stay natural. SMART BY DEFAULT • Leaves websites that already have a dark design alone • Keeps dark logos, icons and formulas visible • Keeps text on top of photos readable • Handles modern websites built with CSS variables, Tailwind, Bootstrap and web components MAKE IT YOURS • Six themes: Midnight, Ocean, Dim, Warm, Graphite and true-black AMOLED • Build your own palette from any colors • Fine-tune brightness and contrast, and choose how images look • See every change instantly in a live preview that runs Safari’s own Dark Surf engine YOUR RULES • Switch any website between Dark, Invert and Off right from Safari • Keep lists of websites that are always dark, inverted or never themed • Follow a schedule or your device’s Dark Mode, or pause for an hour PRIVATE BY DESIGN Pages are recolored on your device. Dark Surf has no account, no analytics, no ads and no tracking, and never sends the pages you visit to anyone. Dark Surf is a Safari extension. After installing, turn it on in Settings › Apps › Safari › Extensions. The app shows you how.

Screenshots

Dark Mode2 screens
Dark Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dark Mode at 4.3 against Dark Surf's 3.0. Dark Mode also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dark Mode holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Mode ships an update every 6 months, Dark Surf every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Dark Mode versus Dark Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark ModeDark Surf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (3 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB6 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developer裕涛 兰Vali Mikayilov

Customer experience

Dark Mode

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Dark Surf

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Dark Mode

No in-app purchases

None

Dark Surf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dark Mode free?
Dark Mode is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dark Surf free?
Dark Surf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dark Mode or Dark Surf?
Dark Mode is rated higher. Dark Mode averages 4.3 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Dark Surf averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Dark Mode or Dark Surf have ads?
Neither Dark Mode nor Dark Surf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dark Mode or Dark Surf?
Dark Mode ships an update every 6 months, and Dark Surf every 4 months. Most recently, Dark Mode was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dark Surf on October 31, 2026.

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