Alternatives to btop
The beautiful terminal resource monitor
btop ranks #4 of 8 in System monitors, with an Alt Score of 55. It is licensed under Apache-2.0, free from Free and available on Linux and macOS. 6 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Developers, sysadmins, and power users on Linux, macOS, or BSD who want a fast, at-a-glance view of what their system is doing without leaving the terminal.
A colorful, mouse-and-keyboard-navigable TUI showing real-time CPU, memory, disk, network, and per-process stats, with a tree view and filtering for processes. It supports GPU monitoring (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Apple Silicon), battery status, and customizable themes and layouts via presets.
Launch btop from the terminal to get a live dashboard of system resources; navigate panels and menus with arrow keys, optional vim bindings, or mouse clicks, and use the built-in options menu to switch themes, presets, or graph symbols.
Where btop stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave btop
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How btop compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| System monitors checklist | btop | Glances | MenuBar Stats | iStat Menus | Stats | CrystalDiskInfo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
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| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| CPU / GPU / RAM / disk | ||||||
| Temperatures & fans | ||||||
| Menu bar / tray widgets | ||||||
| Per-process detail | ||||||
| Terminal UI | ||||||
| Alerts | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| One-time purchase option | ||||||
| Low overhead |
Every fact and feature listed for btop is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Apache-2.0 verified 2026-07-10
Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/LICENSE -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-10
non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/LICENSE -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-10
non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/LICENSE -
Platforms Linux, macOS verified 2026-07-10
No Windows in this repo (btop4win is a separate fork).
Since compatibility with Linux, macOS and FreeBSD are done, the focus going forward will be on new features like GPU monitoring.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
Latest README News entry.
22 March 2026
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
CPU / GPU / RAM / disk Yes verified 2026-07-10
GPU monitoring also added (Linux).
Resource monitor that shows usage and stats for processor, memory, disks, network and processes.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
Temperatures & fans Partial verified 2026-07-10
CPU/core temps only; no fan-speed monitoring.
Show cpu temperature.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
Per-process detail Yes verified 2026-07-10
Function for showing detailed stats for selected process.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
Terminal UI Yes verified 2026-07-10
For the best experience run within a terminal with support for:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/README.md -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-10
Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/LICENSE -
One-time purchase option No verified 2026-07-10
Free OSS; no purchase.
non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aristocratos/btop/main/LICENSE
FAQ
Yes. Glances, Stats and CrystalDiskInfo have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Glances, Stats and CrystalDiskInfo — every license claim links its source.