# Alternatives to iStat Menus

The Mac menu bar stats standard.

iStat Menus ranks #3 of 8 in System monitors, with an Alt Score of 60. It is proprietary and available on macOS. 6 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/istat-menus/
Category: System monitors

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Mac power users and IT-minded enthusiasts who want continuous, detailed visibility into their system's performance rather than checking Activity Monitor manually.
- **What you get**: Real-time menu bar monitoring of CPU (per-core usage, frequency, top processes), GPU, memory (pressure, compression, swap), disk (space, activity, S.M.A.R.T. status), network (bandwidth, connections, IP info), and sensors (temperature, fan speed, voltage, battery/Bluetooth device charge). Includes customizable notifications for thresholds like high CPU load, low disk space, or IP changes, plus an optional weather module.
- **How it works**: Runs as a set of configurable menu bar items; clicking one opens a dropdown with detailed graphs and stats for that category. Users pick which metrics appear in the menu bar, customize colors and layout, and can combine items into a single compact display.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-10)
- **Pricing model**: ?
- **Starts at**: ?
- **Platforms**: macOS
- **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 | [btop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/btop.md) | 55 | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS |
| 4 | [Stats](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/stats.md) | 50 | MIT | macOS |
| 5 | [CrystalDiskInfo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/crystaldiskinfo.md) | 45 | MIT | Windows |
| 6 | [htop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/htop.md) | 45 | GPL-2.0 | Linux, macOS |
| 7 | [HWiNFO](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/hwinfo.md) | 40 | Proprietary | Windows |

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

## Sources

Sources for iStat Menus. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Platforms**: macOS — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “iStat Menus”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: Proprietary commercial macOS app (Bjango); page states no OSS license.
  - Quote: “Highly detailed CPU info, with current usage for individual cores, history graphs, load averages, uptime, CPU frequency”
- **Status**: active — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “New menu bar modes, including stacked labels and values”
- **CPU / GPU / RAM / disk**: Yes — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “Highly detailed CPU info, with current usage for individual cores, history graphs, load averages, uptime, CPU frequency”
- **Temperatures & fans**: Yes — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “A realtime listing of the sensors in your Mac, including temperatures, hard drive temperatures, fans, CPU frequency, GPU frequency”
- **Menu bar / tray widgets**: Yes — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “New menu bar modes, including stacked labels and values”
- **Per-process detail**: Yes — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “a list of the apps using the most CPU”
- **Terminal UI**: No — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Note: macOS menu-bar GUI app.
  - Quote: “New menu bar modes, including stacked labels and values”
- **Alerts**: Yes — <https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/> (verified 2026-07-10)
  - Quote: “iStat Menus can notify you of an incredibly wide range of events”

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