Fastfetch
Fast system information tool written in C
Install with Homebrew
brew install --cask fastfetchQuick Take: Fastfetch
fastfetch is the default neofetch replacement for Mac terminal users in August 2026, fast, maintained, and still shipping meaningful features (interactive config, M5 temps, watch mode). Free, Homebrew-friendly, and excellent on Apple Silicon. Rating is near-perfect for its niche; non-CLI users can ignore it entirely.
Best For
- •Developers who live in the terminal
- •Dotfiles authors and ricing enthusiasts
- •Anyone replacing unmaintained neofetch
What is Fastfetch?
fastfetch is a maintained, high-performance, highly customizable command-line system information tool, spiritual successor to the beloved but unmaintained neofetch. Written primarily in C, it prints OS, hardware, desktop, memory, and dozens of other modules beside an ASCII or image logo. It supports Linux, macOS, Windows, BSDs, and more, making it a staple of developer dotfiles and terminal screenshots. As of August 2026, fastfetch is very much alive. GitHub releases show rapid shipping through the 2.6x series, with 2.67.0 published 6 August 2026 and 2.66.0 on 10 July 2026. Recent highlights include an interactive --gen-config TUI, an experimental WebUI for config editing, -w/--watch as a friendlier dynamic refresh alias, removal of general.preRun for security reasons, and Apple M5 CPU/GPU temperature detection support on macOS. macOS 27 is already recognized in code-name handling ("Golden Gate") in earlier 2.65 notes. Install on Mac with brew install fastfetch or MacPorts. There is no paid tier, fastfetch is free and open source. "Competitors" are other fetch tools (neofetch legacy, machine, macchina, hyfetch) rather than GUI apps. For bundl's Mac audience, fastfetch is the modern default for pretty System Info in Terminal, iTerm2, Warp, or Ghostty. Apple Silicon is fully supported with architecture-specific release archives. For Mac developers assembling a beautiful terminal, pair fastfetch with a GPU-accelerated emulator (iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty, Kitty) and a Nerd Font so logos and icons render correctly. Run it manually, or once per login, rather than on every prompt if you notice any cost on older Intel machines. On Apple Silicon the overhead is usually trivial. When filing hardware support issues, include fastfetch -v and macOS version, maintainers iterate quickly through 2026.
Why Fastfetch Replaced Neofetch
The story of how a C rewrite of a beloved bash script became the standard system info tool across every platform.
History & Background
Neofetch was created by Dylan Araps in 2015 as a bash script that displayed system information alongside an ASCII art logo. It became wildly popular, the default 'first thing I install' tool for Linux and macOS users who wanted to show off their setup. But neofetch had fundamental limitations: as a bash script, it was slow (spawning dozens of subprocesses per run), hard to extend, and increasingly brittle on newer hardware. Araps archived the repository in April 2023 without naming a successor. Fastfetch, which had been in development since 2022, quickly filled the vacuum.
How It Works
Fastfetch takes a fundamentally different approach from neofetch. Where neofetch shelled out to commands like sysctl, system_profiler, and sw_vers and parsed their text output, Fastfetch calls system APIs directly, IOKit on macOS, sysfs on Linux, WMI on Windows. This eliminates the overhead of spawning processes and parsing strings, resulting in execution times measured in milliseconds rather than seconds. The module system is compile-time configurable, meaning unused modules don't even get compiled into the binary.
Ecosystem & Integrations
The Fastfetch ecosystem is centered around config sharing. The GitHub repository's 'presets' directory contains curated configurations for different use cases, minimal, full, hardware-only, developer-focused. The r/unixporn community has embraced Fastfetch as the standard fetch tool, and most rice screenshots in 2026 use it. Third-party tools like fastfetch-themes provide one-command theme installation.
Future Development
Active development continues with a focus on expanding hardware detection (newer GPU families, peripheral devices), improving Windows support, and adding more output formatters. The maintainers have resisted feature creep, Fastfetch remains a system info display tool, not a system monitor, which keeps the binary small and fast.
Key Features
Fast system fetch
Native C implementation keeps fetches quick even with many modules enabled, which matters when the tool runs on every shell prompt. Homebrew keeps upgrades one command away on a Mac.
Huge module library
CPU, GPU, memory, disk, battery, display, shell, terminal font, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, packages, and many more modules can be mixed in JSONC or JSON configs. You turn on only what your screenshot or status line needs.
JSONC configuration
Structured config with schema support makes setups shareable. Community configs for MacBook Pro layouts show up often on GitHub discussions, so you can start from someone else's layout and edit.
Interactive config generation (2.67+)
`--gen-config` opens a TUI wizard (with a non-interactive fallback), and an experimental WebUI project helps edit configs visually if you prefer not to hand-edit JSONC.
macOS hardware depth
Understands Apple Silicon details, battery cycle info, displays, and (as of mid-2026) temperature detection paths for newer chips including M5-class hardware.
Watch / dynamic mode
`-w`/`--watch` refreshes output on an interval for a lightweight live dashboard in a terminal pane, useful when you want hardware stats without a full GUI monitor.
Cross-platform consistency
One tool across Mac, Linux, and Windows helps multi-OS developers keep the same screenshot look and the same scripts on every machine they open.
Who Should Use Fastfetch?
1The Dotfiles Enthusiast
This developer maintains a public dotfiles repository on GitHub and takes pride in a clean, informative terminal setup. They add `fastfetch` to their.zshrc so every new shell session opens with a quick system summary. Because Fastfetch renders in under 30ms, there's zero startup delay. Their config shows OS, shell, terminal, CPU, memory, and package count, just enough to be useful without cluttering the screen. When they screenshot their setup for r/unixporn, the output looks sharp and custom.
2The Multi-Machine Sysadmin
Managing a mix of macOS workstations and Ubuntu servers, this admin SSHes into machines regularly and needs to quickly confirm what they're working on, which OS version, how much RAM is free, what kernel is running, how long the box has been up. They install Fastfetch everywhere via Homebrew (macOS) and apt (Ubuntu) with the same JSONC config in their dotfiles repo. A glance at the output tells them if they're on the right machine before they start running commands.
3The Content Creator / Streamer
A developer who creates YouTube tutorials or streams coding sessions uses Fastfetch at the start of each video to show viewers their setup, 'Here's what I'm running today.' The image logo mode displays their distro or macOS logo in full color, and the module list is trimmed to the essentials: OS, CPU, GPU, RAM, editor, and terminal. It's a professional touch that takes 10 seconds and gives context to the audience.
How to Install Fastfetch on Mac
On macOS the easiest path is Homebrew. GitHub also publishes native aarch64 and amd64 archives for offline or version-pinned installs.
Install via Homebrew
Run brew install fastfetch. This installs the latest stable release as a compiled C binary. No cask needed, it's a CLI tool.
Run It
Type fastfetch in your terminal. You'll see the default output with an Apple logo and your system details. No configuration required for basic use.
Generate a Config (Optional)
Run fastfetch --gen-config to create ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc with all options documented. Edit this file to customize which modules appear, their order, and formatting.
Add to Shell Startup (Optional)
Add fastfetch as the last line of your ~/.zshrc to display system info on every new terminal session. It's fast enough that you won't notice any delay.
Pro Tips
- • Use
fastfetch --list-modulesto see every available module and its configuration keys. - • Try
fastfetch --logo-type kittyin Ghostty or Kitty terminal for a full-color image logo instead of ASCII art. - • Pair with a Nerd Font (like JetBrainsMono Nerd Font) for proper icon rendering in module labels.
Configuration Tips
Minimal Shell Startup Config
For a clean.zshrc integration, create a config that shows only OS, Host, CPU, Memory, and Shell. Set "logo": {"type": "small"} for a compact ASCII logo that takes up 5-6 lines instead of 20. This gives you useful info without taking over the terminal.
Conditional Display Based on Terminal
If your terminal supports the Kitty image protocol (Ghostty, Kitty, WezTerm), use --logo-type kitty for rich image logos. In terminals that don't (SSH sessions, basic Terminal.app), Fastfetch automatically falls back to ASCII. You can also set "logo": {"source": "/path/to/custom.png"} for a personal logo.
Keep the app updated from the right channel
Prefer official downloads or Homebrew over random mirrors. After major macOS upgrades, re-check permissions and login items so menu bar helpers and network extensions come back cleanly.
Measure before you customize
Spend a day with defaults, note what actually annoys you, then change only those settings. Power-user toggles are easier to reverse when you changed two things instead of twenty.
Alternatives to Fastfetch
Fastfetch is the clear successor to neofetch, but there are other tools in the system information space worth knowing about.
neofetch
The classic aesthetic inspiration, largely unmaintained. Prefer fastfetch for security and new hardware support.
macchina
Rust-based fetch alternative with its own style system. Another modern option if you want variety.
Stats / Activity Monitor
GUI monitoring rather than screenshot-oriented fetch. Better for continuous live metrics.
system_profiler / uname
Built-in macOS/CLI facts without pretty logos, useful in scripts when you do not want a dependency.
Pricing
fastfetch is free software. There is no subscription, no freemium module lock, and no paid "Pro" SKU. Install via Homebrew (brew install fastfetch), MacPorts, or GitHub release archives for macOS aarch64/amd64. Optional donations to maintainers may exist outside the tool but are not required for any feature.
Pros
- ✓Actively maintained with frequent 2026 releases, unlike neofetch.
- ✓Extremely fast and scriptable for prompt hooks and setup screenshots.
- ✓Deep macOS module support including modern Apple Silicon details.
- ✓Completely free and open source with Homebrew convenience.
- ✓Flexible JSONC configs and new interactive generators lower the barrier to customization.
Cons
- ✗CLI-only, non-terminal users will prefer System Settings or GUI monitors like Stats.
- ✗Breaking config changes occasionally appear between 2.x minors; read release notes.
- ✗Image logos depend on terminal capabilities and can be finicky in some emulators.
- ✗Easy to over-configure; giant module lists reduce the "clean screenshot" charm.
Community & Support
Fastfetch has a healthy open-source community centered around its GitHub repository (github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch), which has accumulated over 10,000 stars. Issues are responded to quickly, and the release frequency is roughly biweekly. The r/unixporn subreddit remains the primary show for Fastfetch configurations, with many posts including their config.jsonc for others to replicate. There's no official Discord, but GitHub Discussions is the main support channel. When a blog tutorial lags the binary, trust the GitHub README and release tags. Re-check module names after upgrades because defaults shift between versions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fastfetch
About the Author
Productivity & Workflow Analyst
Expert Tips for Fastfetch
Mac ricing and setup threads treat fastfetch as table stakes in 2026, neofetch mentions are usually nostalgia or migration guides.
Maintainers' removal of preRun execution and addition of interactive config show a maturity arc from toy toward safer daily driver.
Related Technologies & Concepts
Related Topics
Sources & References
Fact-CheckedLast verified: Aug 9, 2026
Key Verified Facts
- fastfetch 2.67.0 was released on 6 August 2026 with interactive --gen-config, watch mode alias, and Apple M5 temperature detection support.[cite-2, cite-3]
- macOS users can install fastfetch with Homebrew via brew install fastfetch.[cite-1, cite-4]
- fastfetch is a free open-source neofetch-like system information tool actively maintained for macOS and other platforms.[cite-1, cite-6]
- 1fastfetch GitHub repository
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Project overview, macOS install via Homebrew/MacPorts."
- 2
- 3fastfetch 2.67.0 notes
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Interactive gen-config, watch alias, M5 temperature support."
- 4
- 5fastfetch config discussion (macOS examples)
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Shared macOS configuration examples."
- 6
Research queries: fastfetch Mac 2026 neofetch replacement