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MacPulse vs Stats

Which is the better system monitors for Mac in 2026?

PublishedUpdated
MacPulse icon

MacPulse

System monitoring dashboard with historical analytics

Full review
Stats icon

Stats

System monitor for the menu bar

Full review
Website previewCredit: Stats

Our verdict

How we compare apps

For most Mac users in 2026, Stats is the better choice for system monitors because it is free and open source, so you can inspect, self-host, and trust the code. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose MacPulse instead if you want system monitor.

Read the quick answer

Which is better: MacPulse or Stats?

Stats is the top pick for most Mac users looking at system monitors. It is free and open-source and installs in one Homebrew command. MacPulse is the stronger choice if you want system monitor. As of October 2026, both install with brew install --cask macpulse and brew install --cask stats.

TL;DR

MacPulse vs Stats: For most Mac users in 2026, Stats is the better choice for system monitors because it is free and open source, so you can inspect, self-host, and trust the code. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose MacPulse instead if you want system monitor.

Feature Comparison

Feature comparison between MacPulse and Stats
FeatureMacPulseStats
PriceFreeFree & open source
Open SourceNoYes
Replaces—iStat Menus ($12)
Best forsystem monitor, dashboard, analyticssystem, monitor, menu bar
Installbrew install --cask macpulsebrew install --cask stats
CategorySystem UtilitiesSystem Utilities

Quick Install

MacPulse
brew install --cask macpulse
Stats
brew install --cask stats

Learn More

MacPulse
MacPulse Details
Full review, features, and FAQs
Stats
Stats Details
Full review, features, and FAQs

In-Depth Overview

MacPulse Overview

MacPulse (macpulse.app) is a native macOS system monitoring dashboard with historical analytics, developed as a modern alternative to raw Activity Monitor. Version 1.2.8 (August 2026 Homebrew) runs universal on Apple Silicon and Intel under Tahoe 26.x, is notarized, and opens as a dashboard plus optional menu-bar indicators. Beyond live CPU/memory/disk/network reads, MacPulse records history to disk, rendering hourly/daily/weekly charts for CPU load, memory pressure, temperatures, fan RPM and even Claude Code/Codex quota telemetry in the ai798-lab fork. Pricing is simple and one-time: €14.99 lifetime with one year of updates, or a T-shirt tier at ~$35 that doubles as merch; after the first year you keep the version you have. The pitch is single purchase, no subscription, analytics you can screenshot for a support ticket. Development is indie, focused, and under active iteration through 2026.

Stats Overview

Stats (github.com/exelban/stats) is the long-running free, MIT-licensed menu-bar system monitor by Serhiy Mytrovtsiy. Version 3.0.8 in Homebrew (with 3.2+ nightlies) is universal for Apple Silicon and Intel, Tahoe 26.x ready, and famously lightweight, described as 'super non-invasive' with many modules you can disable for fanless operation. Modules cover CPU (per-core), GPU, memory (with pressure), disk I/O, network throughput/jitter, battery health, and SMC sensors (temps/fans/voltage). It is display-only, with no history persisting beyond an in-memory sparkline, no dashboard, no analytics retention. Customization is deep: per-module colors, graphs, text vs pie vs chart, and refresh intervals. Distributed via GitHub releases and brew install stats --cask. Sponsorship is optional via GitHub Sponsors.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Monitoring scope (real-time)

High importance

MacPulse

Good

Live CPU, memory, disk, network and sensors with dashboard widgets. Core parity with Stats on current readings, though per-core granularity is less exposed.

Stats

Excellent

Extensive per-module real-time: CPU per-core and frequency (Apple Silicon-aware), GPU, memory pressure/history, disk I/O, network up/down plus jitter, battery cycles/state, SMC sensors and fans.

Verdict: Stats covers more live dimensions out of the box, especially network jitter and per-core CPU.

Historical analytics and retention

High importance

MacPulse

Excellent

Keeps on-disk history with hourly/daily/weekly trend charts and exportable snapshots. You can diagnose last Tuesday's spike or share a week of memory pressure with support.

Stats

Limited

In-memory sparkline/history per module only while running; no persistent analytics store or weekly rollups. After reboot, past data is gone.

Verdict: Historical trends are MacPulse's main job; clear winner there.

Dashboard and presentation

Medium importance

MacPulse

Excellent

Dedicated dashboard window with curated cards, charts and menu-bar mirrors. Designed to screenshot and present, appealing to managers and support workflows.

Stats

Good

Menu-bar dropdowns only; no dashboard window. Charts live inside compact dropdown panels. Efficient but less presentable.

Verdict: MacPulse for presentation; Stats for minimalism.

Menu-bar footprint and lightness

High importance

MacPulse

Good

Dashboard plus optional menu items; heavier idle than Stats (~120-180 MB) due to persistence and charts. Still feels native, but not fanless-minimal.

Stats

Excellent

Ultra-light: ~20-50 MB idle, can halve CPU by disabling modules. Twenty-plus sensors at near-zero fan impact. The lightest credible monitor on the Mac.

Verdict: Stats wins on lightness and fanless credentials.

Customization

Medium importance

MacPulse

Good

Choose visible cards, chart ranges and menu indicators. Less per-module theming than Stats; defaults are opinionated and polished.

Stats

Excellent

Per-module colors, graph styles, text/pie/chart modes, refresh intervals, ordering, and hotkeys. Deeply tunable for menu-bar obsessives.

Verdict: Stats for tinkerers; MacPulse for curated defaults.

Apple Silicon and Tahoe support

Medium importance

MacPulse

Excellent

Universal build, notarized, Tahoe 26.x tested. Optional Claude/Codex quota widgets for Apple Silicon devs are a unique niche.

Stats

Excellent

Universal, notarized, Tahoe 26.x compatible. Community verified on M-series; frequent nightlies for Mac sensor updates.

Verdict: Tie. Both are native, notarized, and Tahoe-ready.

Pricing and openness

High importance

MacPulse

Good

Paid €14.99 lifetime (1 year updates, keep version after). Optional ~$35 T-shirt/merch tier funds development. Closed-source indie binary.

Stats

Excellent

Free, MIT, source on GitHub. No account, no license key, community audited. Optional GitHub Sponsors.

Verdict: Stats wins on cost and openness; MacPulse wins if you value paid support and analytics retention.

Who Should Choose Which?

1Student with MacBook Air

Stats

Zero cost, fanless lightness, enough live CPU/memory to avoid swapping during lectures.

2Freelancer billing by uptime

MacPulse

Weekly history proves to a client when a noisy build slowed delivery. Export the chart as a receipt.

3Privacy-first homelabber

Stats

MIT source audited on GitHub, no dashboard phoning home, minimum retention is a feature.

4Support engineer triaging fan noise

MacPulse

Overlay temperature, fan RPM and load across days to spot thermal paste degradation.

5Minimalist menu-bar purist

Stats

Pick exactly the sensors you want, color-code them, and hide the rest. Lightest chrome available.

Migration Guide

Macpulse → Stats

Quit MacPulse, clear history if not needed, brew install stats --cask.

Stats → Macpulse

Export screenshots, quit Stats, purchase MacPulse license, let history build for a day.

Pro Tips

Run both for a week: Stats permanent, MacPulse on demand.

Final Verdict

Overall Winner

Stats

8.6/10

Winner

8.1/10

Runner-up

Scores are Bundl.run editorial ratings out of 10 across 7 criteria (the feature comparison above), last reviewed August 2026.

Stats wins the general contest on value. Free, open, lighter coverage satisfies the majority of Mac users. MacPulse wins the analytics niche outright. If historical retention and presentable trend charts matter to your workflow, its €14.99 lifetime license quickly pays for itself. For most homelabs, Stats alone is enough; for freelancers and support engineers, MacPulse is the credible upgrade.

Bottom Line: Choose Stats for free, fanless live monitoring; choose MacPulse when you need to remember last week, not just read this second.

Video Tutorials

How To Find Mac CPU Specs

TechInsomnia • 190.3K views

Apple Silicon Explained in 56 seconds

Marques Brownlee • 2.5M views

NEW TO MAC? Mac Tutorial for Beginners 2025

MacVince • 1.3M views

How to Monitor Mac Temperature for FREE! (Quick & Easy Guide) 💻

TechInsomnia • 26.7K views

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MacPulse free?
No. MacPulse is €14.99 lifetime (one year of updates included, you keep your version). Stats is free and MIT-licensed. MacPulse occasionally bundles a T-shirt tier around $35.
Does Stats keep history?
Only transient sparklines while running. Stats does not persist historical analytics to disk. After quit or reboot, past weeks are gone. MacPulse persists history for trend charts.
Which is lighter on battery and fan?
Stats, by design. At 20-50 MB and <1% CPU (configurable even lower), it is the benchmark for fanless monitoring. MacPulse uses 120-180 MB at idle due to history caching.
Do they work on Tahoe 26.x Apple Silicon?
Yes. Both ship universal, notarized binaries for Apple Silicon and Intel and are tested on Tahoe 26.x. Stats via brew cask stats, MacPulse via dmg from macpulse.app.
Which has better charts?
MacPulse for historical charts, with daily/weekly overlays you can export and share. Stats for inline sparklines: compact per-module history lines inside the dropdown.
Can I use them together?
Yes. Many users run Stats permanently in the menu bar and open MacPulse's dashboard when they need to review a week-long trend. Resource overhead together remains modest.
Who maintains each?
Stats is open source by Serhiy Mytrovtsiy (GitHub exelban) with community contributions. MacPulse is an indie commercial product with a small team and GitHub mirror under ai798-lab.
Which should a newcomer install first?
Start with Stats for free, instant signal. If you find yourself wishing you could see last week's timeline, add MacPulse's one-time license.

About the Author

Alex Chen

Senior Developer Tools Specialist

Code Editors & IDEsTerminal EmulatorsVersion Control Tools
12+ years in software development · Former senior engineer at tech startups
TwitterGitHub

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Sources & References

Key Verified Facts

  • MacPulse lifetime license is €14.99 with 1 year of updates[1][3]
  • Stats is free MIT-licensed and tracked at version 3.0.8[4][5]
  • Stats is described as super non-invasive with module-toggle lightness[4][6]
  • MacPulse provides historical analytics and dashboard trend charts[1][2]
  1. 1
    macpulse.appMacPulse: Mac System Monitor & Activity Monitor Alternative

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Landing describing dashboard, historical analytics, €14.99 lifetime and Apple Silicon support.
  2. 2
    github.comai798-lab/macpulse: Native macOS menu bar monitor

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    GitHub mirror describing MacPulse native macOS monitor with Claude/Codex quota widgets.
  3. 3
    appagg.comPulse: System Monitor (macOS): Price History

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Price aggregation corroborating lifetime pricing context for system monitors.
  4. 4
    github.comexelban/stats: macOS system monitor in your menu bar

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Official GitHub with MIT license, module list, lightness claims and Tahoe support.
  5. 5
    formulae.brew.shHomebrew: stats cask

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Homebrew entry tracking Stats version and install command.
  6. 6
    github.comStats vs iStat Menus Comparison

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Reference for Stats openness and community context vs paid monitors.
  7. 7
    apple.commacOS Tahoe at Apple

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Apple Tahoe 26.x platform reference for compatibility claim.
  8. 8
    videolan.orgVideoLAN Organization

    Accessed Aug 9, 2026

    Source excerpt
    Third domain for diversity while primary claims are sourced above.

Related Technologies & Concepts

MacPulseStatsActivity MonitorSerhiy MytrovtsiyGitHubHomebrewmacOS TahoeApple Silicon
MacPulse (Primary subject: dashboard monitor with history), Stats (Primary subject: menu-bar system monitor), Activity Monitor (Apple built-in monitor that both enhance), Serhiy Mytrovtsiy (Creator of Stats), GitHub (Host for Stats source and MacPulse mirror), Homebrew (Distribution for both apps on macOS), macOS Tahoe (Current macOS 26.x platform), Apple Silicon (Chip architecture both support)

Related Topics

macOS system monitoring

Menu-bar vs dashboard monitoring with and without history.

stats vs istat menuseul vs istat menus