# Alternatives to HWiNFO

Deep Windows hardware sensors.

HWiNFO ranks #8 of 8 in System monitors, with an Alt Score of 40. It is proprietary, free from Free and available on Windows. 4 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/hwinfo/
Category: System monitors

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: PC enthusiasts, overclockers, system builders, and IT technicians on Windows who need to inspect hardware specs or monitor system health in detail.
- **What you get**: A full breakdown of every hardware component (CPU, GPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, drives) alongside a real-time sensor panel for temperatures, voltages, clocks, fan speeds, power, and load. It supports configurable alerts on any monitored parameter, sensor data logging to file, and report generation for diagnostics or sharing. It does not collect or transmit personal data.
- **How it works**: Launch HWiNFO and it scans the system to display a summary report of detected hardware, then opens a live Sensors window showing continuously updating readings. Users can log this data over time, set alert thresholds, or export system reports for troubleshooting and record-keeping.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Platforms**: Windows
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-10)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Glances](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/glances.md) | 70 | LGPL-3.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| 2 | [MenuBar Stats](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/menubar-stats.md) | 70 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 3 | [iStat Menus](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/istat-menus.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS |
| 4 | [btop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/btop.md) | 55 | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS |
| 5 | [Stats](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/stats.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS |
| 6 | [CrystalDiskInfo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/crystaldiskinfo.md) | 45 | MIT | Windows |
| 7 | [htop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/htop.md) | 45 | GPL-2.0 | Linux, macOS |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| System monitors checklist | HWiNFO | Glances | MenuBar Stats | iStat Menus | btop | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free | One-time | ? | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free | $4.99 USD | ? | Free | Free |
| License | Proprietary | LGPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Platforms | Windows | Linux, macOS, Windows | macOS | macOS | Linux, macOS | macOS |
| CPU / GPU / RAM / disk | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Temperatures & fans | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Menu bar / tray widgets | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes |
| Per-process detail | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Terminal UI | ? | Yes | No | No | Yes | ? |
| Alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | ? |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | ? | Yes | Yes |
| One-time purchase option | ? | ? | Yes | ? | No | No |
| Low overhead | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |

## Sources

Sources for HWiNFO. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: price":"0","priceCurrency":"USD"" — Free on the Store (paid Pro exists for commercial use, not shown here).
- **Starts at**: Free — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: price":"0","priceCurrency":"USD""
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: hwinfo.com Cloudflare-blocked; sourced from Microsoft Store listing.
  - Quote: “Copyright (c)1999-2026 Martin Malik, REALiX s.r.o.”
- **Platforms**: Windows — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Windows 10 version 0.0 or higher”
- **Status**: active — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: lastUpdateDateUtc":"2026-04-06T16:49:52Z","version":"2026.7.2.182""
- **CPU / GPU / RAM / disk**: Yes — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “In-depth Hardware Information”
- **Alerts**: Yes — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Alerting and Extensions”
- **Open source**: No — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Proprietary freeware.
  - Quote: “Copyright (c)1999-2026 Martin Malik, REALiX s.r.o.”
- **Low overhead**: Yes — <https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/xp9cs6fhq00b8j> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Optimized for lowest overhead.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/