Honest comparison · Updated 2026-09-18
Vytals vs iStat Menus
iStat Menus is the long-standing default for Mac power users who want deep system stats in their menu bar — sold directly by Bjango for $9.99, not through the App Store. Vytals is a free, simpler, fully on-device alternative aimed at people who want a clean at-a-glance summary rather than a deep customization surface.
Dimension-by-dimension
| Dimension | Vytals | iStat Menus | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth of stats | Live CPU, memory, disk, network, and battery with gauges, sparklines, and per-core load. | Extremely deep and customizable — sensors, fan speed, detailed per-process breakdowns, and years of refinement. | |
| Ease of understanding | Plain-English health summary alongside the graphs, aimed at being understandable at a glance. | Powerful but dense — built for users who want to configure exactly what they see. | |
| Pricing | Free, no account. | $9.99, sold directly outside the App Store. | |
| Alerts | Smart alerts for high CPU, low disk, and low battery. | Highly configurable alerting across many more metrics. | |
| Privacy | Fully local — no accounts, no network, no data collection. | Local system monitoring; no major privacy concerns. | |
| Maturity | New, narrowly scoped app. | Over a decade of development and the default choice for many Mac power users. |
Vytals advantage · iStat Menus advantage · roughly equal
Where Vytals wins
- Free, versus a $9.99 purchase.
- Plain-English summaries, not just raw graphs, for people who want to understand their Mac's health without configuring anything.
- Zero setup — useful stats out of the box.
Where iStat Menus wins
- iStat Menus is the established standard for a reason — the depth of customization and sensor coverage is unmatched.
- Built for power users who want to configure exactly what they monitor and how.
Pick Vytals if…
You want a free, simple, understandable system-health summary in your menu bar without configuring anything.
See VytalsPick iStat Menus if…
You're a power user who wants deep, fully customizable system stats and sensor data — iStat Menus is the mature standard.
Visit iStat Menus siteiStat Menus is the deep, configurable option; Vytals is the free, simple, plain-English one. Pick based on how much you want to tweak.
Frequently asked questions
What's the main difference between Vytals and iStat Menus?+
iStat Menus is the long-standing default for Mac power users who want deep system stats in their menu bar — sold directly by Bjango for $9.99, not through the App Store. Vytals is a free, simpler, fully on-device alternative aimed at people who want a clean at-a-glance summary rather than a deep customization surface.
Should I choose Vytals or iStat Menus?+
Pick Vytals if: You want a free, simple, understandable system-health summary in your menu bar without configuring anything. Pick iStat Menus if: You're a power user who wants deep, fully customizable system stats and sensor data — iStat Menus is the mature standard.
What can Vytals do that iStat Menus can't?+
Free, versus a $9.99 purchase. Plain-English summaries, not just raw graphs, for people who want to understand their Mac's health without configuring anything. Zero setup — useful stats out of the box.
Where does iStat Menus win over Vytals?+
iStat Menus is the established standard for a reason — the depth of customization and sensor coverage is unmatched. Built for power users who want to configure exactly what they monitor and how.
How much does Vytals cost compared to iStat Menus?+
Vytals: Free, no account. iStat Menus: $9.99, sold directly outside the App Store.