FAQ

What is Better Resource Monitor?

A free, open-source menu bar app that shows CPU, memory, GPU, and network usage on macOS. Written in Rust. Under 0.1% CPU and about 15 MB of RAM.

Is it free?

Yes. MIT-licensed, no paid tiers, no in-app purchases. 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. No private APIs, no sudo. Both the App Store and GitHub versions include GPU monitoring.

Does it collect any data?

No. Zero network requests, no analytics, no telemetry. Everything stays on your machine. The source code is on GitHub if you want to verify that yourself.

How does it compare to iStat Menus and Stats?

All three show system metrics in the menu bar. The differences: Stats needs a root helper for fan and thermal data. iStat Menus costs $14.99 and also needs root. Better Resource Monitor runs entirely in user space, uses about 15 MB of RAM, and is free. See the Stats and iStat Menus comparison pages for details.

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.