Better Resource Monitor

Better Resource Monitor

Monitor CPU, memory, GPU, and network from your Mac menu bar.

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Download on the Mac App Store Download macOS on GitHub Releases

Why

Better Resource Monitor is for people who just want a quick, low-noise way to keep an eye on their Mac.

It keeps CPU, memory, GPU, and network usage in the menu bar, so you can catch unusual load without stopping what you’re doing or opening Activity Monitor.

If you’re evaluating an iStat Menus alternative, this is the same place to do it: a lightweight monitor for everyday metrics with low overhead and no telemetry.

IStat Menus alternative FAQ

Can Better Resource Monitor replace iStat Menus?

Yes, when your goals are visibility and daily stability. iStat Menus is excellent for deep system control; Better Resource Monitor is for keeping the core numbers easy to read all day with less setup.

Is it free?

Yes. Better Resource Monitor is free and MIT licensed. The Mac App Store build and GitHub build are the same app.

Does it send telemetry or collect usage data?

No. Better Resource Monitor has zero network requests. No analytics and no telemetry are sent.

Does it run quietly on a battery-powered Mac?

Yes. It is built to sit in the background with very low impact so it stays usable during daily work.

If this is useful, star the repo so other Mac users can find it.

Installation

Get it from the Mac App Store (includes automatic updates) or grab the .dmg from GitHub Releases (no automatic updates; download and update manually each version).

Compatibility

Works on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Ventura 13 or newer.

Build from Source

You’ll need Tauri v2 prerequisites and pnpm.

git clone https://github.com/alexx855/better-resource-monitor.git
cd better-resource-monitor
pnpm install
pnpm tauri build

Development

# Run in development mode with hot reload
pnpm tauri dev

# Run tests
cd src-tauri && cargo test

# Run tests with coverage (requires cargo-llvm-cov)
cargo install cargo-llvm-cov
cd src-tauri && cargo llvm-cov --lib --html --output-dir coverage/

Comparison

Quick starts:

Menu bar monitor comparison
Feature Better Resource Monitor Stats Eul iStat Menus
Mac App StoreYes (full features)NoLimitedLimited
Admin Password / PrivilegesNone (sandboxed)Requires root helperNoneRequires root helper
GPU API StabilityPublic APIPrivate APIPrivate APIProprietary
Memory Footprint~15 MB~50 MB~40 MB~100+ MB
CPU / Energy Impact< 0.1%~1%High (M-series)~1%
App Size< 7 MB~25 MB~5 MB~65 MB
Privacy/Telemetry100% offlineOfflineOfflineAnalytics
StatusActiveActiveUnmaintainedActive
LanguageRustSwift / C++SwiftObj-C / Swift
PriceFreeFreeFree$14.99
LicenseMITMITMITProprietary

Third-party numbers are rough estimates. Your mileage may vary.

Credits

Common questions

What is Better Resource Monitor?
A free, open-source menu bar app that shows CPU, memory, storage, GPU, and network usage on macOS. Written in Rust. Under 0.1% CPU and about 15 MB of RAM.
Which macOS versions has it been tested on?
It works on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Ventura 13 or newer.
Is it free?
Yes. MIT-licensed and free. The Mac App Store and GitHub versions are the same app.
How much CPU and memory does it use?
Under 0.1% CPU and about 15 MB of RAM on an Apple M1. For comparison, Stats uses ~50 MB and iStat Menus uses 100+ MB. The app binary is under 7 MB.
How does GPU monitoring work?
On macOS, it reads device utilization from Apple Silicon GPUs through Apple's public IOAccelerator API. That keeps GPU monitoring available in both the App Store and GitHub versions without relying on private APIs or sudo.
Does it collect any data?
No. Zero network requests, no analytics, no telemetry. Everything stays on your machine. Storage usage is calculated locally from OS-reported total/free capacity for your main storage volume; no file names, contents, external volumes, or per-volume details are read. The source code is on GitHub if you want to verify that yourself.
Does it drain MacBook battery?
No. Monitors that poll fans and thermal sensors keep Apple Silicon from entering deep sleep. This app skips those readings entirely, which is why it sits under 0.1% CPU.
Why not just use Activity Monitor?
Activity Monitor is a full window you have to open. This lives in your menu bar and updates every second. You see the numbers without switching apps.