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Trying to find the best monitor Calibrators? Stop looking. A monitor calibrator is a piece of hardware and a program that work together to change the colors your monitor shows. It does this with the help of a computer program and hardware that connects to your monitor and reads how the colors are shown.
For many people, especially creative people, having the best-looking display can give a more accurate picture of an image on their monitor and help them do their best work. With this in mind, we made a list of the Best Monitor Calibrators for in 2023 to help you choose the best one for your monitor.
Best Monitor Calibrators Comparison Table
Model | Included Components | Power Source | Controller Type | Dimensions | Weight | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Datacolor SpyderX Elite | USB-C cable, Calibration Plate | USB | Advanced | 2.4 x 4.9 x 1.4 inches | 4.8 ounces | $269.99 |
Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro | USB cable, Ambient diffuser, Protective pouch, Quick start guide | USB or AC adapter | Advanced | 2.4 x 2.0 x 0.4 inches | 4.8 ounces | $269.00 |
Datacolor SpyderX Studio | SpyderX Elite, Spyder Cube | USB | Advanced | 2.4 x 4.9 x 1.4 inches | 4.8 ounces | $399.99 |
Datacolor SpyderX Pro | USB-C cable, Calibration Plate | USB | Advanced | 2.4 x 4.9 x 1.4 inches | 4.8 ounces | $169.99 |
Datacolor SpyderX Capture Pro Kit | SpyderX Elite, Spyder Checkr, Spyder Cube, Portable case | USB | Advanced | 9.0 x 6.0 x 2.0 inches | 1.2 pounds | $399.99 |
X-Rite i1Basic Pro 3 Plus | i1Pro 3 Plus Spectrophotometer, Calibration Plate, Accessories | USB or AC adapter | Basic | 3.9 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches | 1.5 pounds | $1,449.00 |
X-Rite i1Studio | i1Studio Spectrophotometer, Calibration Plate, Accessories | USB or AC adapter | Basic | 2.4 x 2.4 x 2.0 inches | 0.9 pounds | $489.00 |
Datacolor SpyderX Elite

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | 2-5 times faster than previous models |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.5 (industry-leading) |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors |
Room Light Monitoring | Yes |
Ambient Light Smart Control | Yes |
Multi-Monitor Support | Unlimited monitors |
The SpyderX Elite looks the same as the cheaper SpyderX Pro, but when you turn on the Elite’s software, you get a lot more features. The most valuable feature is probably being able to calibrate your monitor not only to a standard 2.2 gamma and 6500 K white point, but also to sRGB, Adobe RGB, NTSC, and Rec 709 color space standards.
Since they use the same hardware, it’s not surprising that both the Elite and the SpyderX Pro can be calibrated in under two minutes. Both versions keep their excellent calibration accuracy scores and have almost no change in the Delta-E.
The Good
- A very fast rate of calibration
- Exceptional color accuracy
- Support for as many monitors as you want
- Smart control of room light and light in the environment
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it’s pretty pricey.
Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.2 (industry-leading) |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors, Mobile devices |
Room Light Monitoring | Yes |
Ambient Light Smart Control | No |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 5 monitors |
The great Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro, which used to be called the X-Rite i1 Display Pro, is a monitor calibrator with a lot of features and options. Datacolor’s standard calibrator tool is the SpyderX Pro, but Calibrite saves the “Pro” label for this, its second-best model, which is above the cheaper ColorChecker Display but below the slightly more expensive ColorChecker Display Plus.
This monitor calibrator lets you use your profile on multiple displays and measure the light in your workspace so that you can set up your monitor for the best results. Flare Correct is a technology that will measure and change your display profile if glare on your screen makes the contrast ratios less clear. There are also color standards for video, so video editors can set up their screens for the best results.
The Good
- Exceptional color accuracy
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for mobile devices
- Keeping track of room lights
The Bad
- Only a few monitors can be used.
- No smart control for light in the room
Datacolor SpyderX Studio

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.5 |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors |
Room Light Monitoring | No |
Ambient Light Smart Control | No |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 4 monitors |
If you’re a professional with the money and space for the SpyderX Studio, it’s one of the best purchases you can make. It comes with the SpyderX Elite monitor colorimeter, a SpyderPrint spectrocolorimeter for checking prints, and the SpyderCube, which can be used to calibrate Raw images.
It’s basically an all-in-one kit with everything professional photographers and designers need to make sure every part of their work is calibrated correctly. This means it’s expensive, and since there’s a lot of gear, you’ll need to make sure your office or studio has enough space.
The Good
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for more than one screen
- A reasonable price
The Bad
- There is no room light monitoring or smart control of ambient light
Datacolor SpyderX Pro

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.5 |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors |
Room Light Monitoring | No |
Ambient Light Smart Control | No |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 3 monitors |
SpyderX is the new version of the popular Spyder5 monitor calibrator series from Datacolor. It has a brand-new lens-based sensor system instead of the Spyder5’s old honeycomb baffle. As a result, the calibration accuracy is said to be better, especially in the brightest and darkest parts of the image. The calibration time is also less than 2 minutes, making this the fastest Spyder calibrator ever.
The Spyder X Pro took only 1 minute and 15 seconds to calibrate our test monitor. Since calibrating a monitor isn’t something you only do once, saving so much time is very helpful. Both the Pro and Elite versions of SpyderX have features like ambient light monitoring and support for multiple monitors.
The Good
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for more than one screen
- A reasonable price
The Bad
- There is no room light monitoring or smart control of ambient light
- Only a few monitors can be used.
Datacolor SpyderX Capture Pro Kit

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.5 |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors |
Room Light Monitoring | No |
Ambient Light Smart Control | No |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 3 monitors |
Camera Calibration | Yes (including RAW) |
ColorChecker Target | Yes |
Software | Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom plugins |
This kit has everything you need to calibrate your whole process, from taking pictures to editing them afterward. This kit from Datacolor has everything you need if you’re a serious photographer who wants to improve every part of your work. It comes with a Spyder LensCal, which lets you measure and adjust the autofocus of your DSLR and lens with great accuracy.
It makes it less likely that you’ll miss focus and more likely that the camera and lens will focus where you want them to. Because the main camera sensor is used to focus, there is no need to calibrate a mirrorless camera. But it can tell you if your lens isn’t in the right place. The kit also comes with the SpyderCUBE, which helps you get the right settings for exposure and white balance by giving you the values for white and black.
The Good
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for more than one screen
- Camera calibration support (including RAW)
- ColorChecker target and Adobe software plugins are included.
The Bad
- There is no room light monitoring or smart control of ambient light
- Only a few monitors can be used.
X-Rite i1Basic Pro 3 Plus

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.2 (industry-leading) |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors, Mobile devices |
Room Light Monitoring | Yes |
Ambient Light Smart Control | Yes |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 5 monitors |
Camera Calibration | Yes (including RAW) |
ColorChecker Target | Yes |
Software | i1Profiler |
Serious professionals need to make sure that their whole set is calibrated to make sure it is as accurate and consistent as possible. This X-Rite calibration kit has a lot of great features and accessories to meet those needs. You can calibrate everything in the process, from your camera to your printer, with the software. It has presets that are made for video production.
If you do a lot of color grading on your monitor, this is a great choice. And the XL ruler that comes with it lets you calibrate colors on even big printers. The polarization filter that comes with the camera helps cut down on hot spots on reflective surfaces. This makes blacks look better and colors more vibrant.
The Good
- Exceptional color accuracy
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for more than one screen
- Smart control of room light and light in the environment
- Camera calibration support (including RAW)
- ColorChecker target and i1Profiler software are included.
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it’s pretty pricey.
X-Rite i1Studio

Specification | |
---|---|
Calibration Speed | Fast and accurate |
Color Accuracy | Delta E < 0.3 |
Display Calibration | Monitors, Laptops, Projectors, Mobile devices |
Room Light Monitoring | Yes |
Ambient Light Smart Control | Yes |
Multi-Monitor Support | Up to 4 monitors |
Camera Calibration | Yes |
ColorChecker Target | No |
Software | i1Studio |
The X-Rite i1Studio is a complete set for calibrating your monitor, camera, scanner, or projector. The main unit is made of grey plastic, and the edges are black. It’s mostly square, but the top back corner is rounded, which makes it easy to hold.
Near the top of the front of the housing is a lens for reading the colors on your monitor. You don’t have to hold the calibrator in place when you do this. You can instead put it in the fabric sling that comes with the set. This sling lets it hang from the top of your monitor while you work in the calibration software.
The Good
- Calibration that is fast and right
- Support for more than one screen
- Smart control of room light and light in the environment
- Support for camera calibration; easy-to-use i1Studio software
The Bad
- Not as good as some other models when it comes to color accuracy
- There was no ColorChecker target.
FAQs
Which screen calibration is best?
- Datacolor SpyderX Pro
- Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro
- Datacolor SpyderX Studio
- Calibrite ColorChecker Display
- Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus
- Datacolor SpyderX Elite
- Datacolor SpyderX Capture Pro Kit
- Wacom Colour Manager
Are monitor calibrators worth it?
Having a calibrated monitor makes sure that the colors and “grade” are correct. This means that the finished video will look the same on many different devices. If your monitor isn’t calibrated, you might get a false grade that looks very different on a different screen.
How long do monitor calibrators last?
After a long time and a lot of different experiences at Image Science, we have come to believe that a good monitor calibrator (of the colorimeter type) with standard organic filters will last about three years.
How do I calibrate my monitor for accurate colors?
On a Windows 10 computer, you can calibrate your LCD screen by going to Settings > Display > Calibrate display color. Then follow the steps to set your gamma, brightness, contrast, and colors. You can also calibrate your LCD panel with online tools.