Best Alternatives to Vitals  in 2025

Activity Monitor is Apple's built-in utility for monitoring system processes, CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage. It offers a detailed, process-level view with options to quit or inspect individual processes. While it doesn't group processes by app by default, it's free, deeply integrated into macOS, and trusted by millions. For users who prefer a native solution and don't mind a more technical interface, Activity Monitor is a solid alternative.

iStat Menus is a comprehensive system monitoring tool that lives in your menu bar, providing real-time data on CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, sensors, and more. It offers extensive customization, including dropdown menus and notifications. Unlike Vitals, it focuses on system-wide metrics rather than per-app grouping, but its depth and flexibility make it ideal for power users who want granular control over their monitoring.

Sensei is a performance monitoring and optimization app for Mac that combines hardware and software insights. It displays CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, and battery stats, and includes features like thermal monitoring, fan control, and storage cleanup. Sensei presents data in a sleek, modern interface and offers per-app monitoring, though not as its primary focus. It's a great alternative for users who want both monitoring and maintenance tools in one package.

MenuMeters is a lightweight, open-source menu bar utility that displays real-time system stats for CPU, memory, disk, and network. It's highly customizable and unobtrusive, making it perfect for users who want quick access to key metrics without a full-fledged app. While it doesn't group processes by app, its simplicity and low resource usage appeal to those who prefer a minimalist approach.

Stats is a free, open-source menu bar app that provides detailed system monitoring for CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, battery, and sensors. It's highly configurable, allowing users to choose which metrics to display and how. Stats is similar to iStat Menus but completely free, making it an excellent alternative for budget-conscious users who still want comprehensive monitoring.

htop is a terminal-based process viewer and system monitor that offers a colorful, interactive interface for Unix systems, including macOS (via Homebrew). It shows real-time CPU, memory, and swap usage, and allows process management with keyboard shortcuts. While it's not graphical and doesn't group by app, htop is a powerful, lightweight tool for developers and command-line enthusiasts who want precise control.

XMeters is a menu bar app that displays customizable system metrics such as CPU, memory, disk, network, and battery. It offers a clean, text-based interface and supports multiple displays. XMeters is lightweight and focuses on providing essential information at a glance. It's a good alternative for users who want a simple, no-frills monitoring solution without per-app grouping.