# Multimeter: full briefing Last updated: 2026-10-27. Source: https://multimeterapp.com ## What is Multimeter? Multimeter is a Mac menu bar app, made by Great Work LLC, that shows live meters for anything you want to watch. A meter pairs a source with a face. Sources include your Mac's battery, the battery of a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, power draw in watts, CPU, memory, disk space, thermal pressure, fan speed, network speed, timers, countdowns, how much of the day, week, month or year has passed, and your own numbers. Faces decide how a meter looks: 35 come built in, from a classic battery glyph to a needle gauge, an LCD readout, a sparkline, a ring and a row of hearts. Developers can build and share their own faces. Meters can warn you at levels you set. Multimeter runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, is available in 14 languages, and costs $19.99 once. ## How do I show my own number in the Mac menu bar? Add a Multimeter meter with the Sent Value source, then send it a number with a link such as multimeter://set?key=deploys&value=42. Anything that can open a URL can update it: Terminal, a shell script, Shortcuts, Raycast, a CI job on the same Mac. A meter can also read a number from a web address (including a value inside JSON), from a file, or from a shell command it runs on a schedule. That covers build status, server load, a stock price, a follower count or a home sensor. The number gets the same faces, colors and warning levels as a built-in meter, so a deploy counter can be a gauge and a queue length can turn red past a limit. The Creating Meters guide at https://multimeterapp.com/creating-meters documents every format. ## How much does Multimeter cost? Multimeter costs $19.99 USD as a one-time purchase from multimeterapp.com. There is no subscription, no account and no in-app purchase. Payment goes through Stripe Checkout, and the download is a notarized, Developer ID signed app that updates itself through Sparkle when you agree. Your purchase includes the updates released for version 1. Lost the download link? Get a fresh one at https://multimeterapp.com/get-the-app/recover with the email address used at checkout. ## Does Multimeter slow down my Mac or drain the battery? Multimeter is built to sit in the menu bar all day. In our measurement, five live meters together used about 3% CPU, and a battery meter alone used 0.03%. Meters pause while the displays sleep and slow down on battery. Multimeter itself is a native Mac app, not an Electron app. ## Multimeter compared with other Mac menu bar monitors (as of October 2026) | | Multimeter | iStat Menus | Stats | SwiftBar / xbar | |---|---|---|---|---| | Price | $19.99 one-time | Paid | Free, open source | Free, open source | | Battery, CPU, memory, disk, network, fan | Yes | Yes, with more sensors and detail | Yes | Through scripts | | Your own numbers (URL scheme, web/JSON, file, script) | Yes | No | No | Yes (script output as text) | | Custom looks | Faces you pick or build yourself | Built-in styles | Built-in styles | Text and icons | Where others win: iStat Menus reads more sensors and shows deeper system detail; Stats is free and open source; SwiftBar and xbar can show any script output as text menus. Multimeter's difference is that any number, built in or your own, can be drawn by a face you pick or build. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it a subscription? No. Multimeter is $19.99 once. There's no account and no recurring charge, and your purchase includes the updates we release for version 1. ### Will it slow down my Mac or drain my battery? In our tests a battery meter alone used 0.03% CPU, and five live meters together used about 3%. Meters pause while your displays sleep and slow down on battery. ### Is it safe to install? Yes. Multimeter is signed with our Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so macOS checks it before it opens. Updates are signed too, and install only when you agree. The app collects no analytics, and your battery and system readings stay on your Mac. ### Stats is free. Why pay for Multimeter? If Stats shows what you need, keep using it: it's free, open source and good at what it does. Multimeter adds two things it isn't built for: showing any number you send it, from a link, a web address, a file or a script, and drawing every meter with a face you pick or build yourself. It's $19.99 once, with no subscription. ### Will it crowd my menu bar or hide behind the notch? Add only the meters you look at, and set each one's width in Customize. Keep a smaller theme for your laptop screen and a bigger one for your desk. If macOS hides a meter because the menu bar is full or the notch is in the way, Settings tells you. ### Can I use it on more than one Mac? Yes. One purchase covers the Macs you own or control. Download it on each one, or get a fresh link with your purchase email on the re-download page. ### I lost my download link. How do I get Multimeter again? Enter the email address you used at checkout on the re-download page and you'll get a fresh link. ### Is Multimeter on the Mac App Store? Not yet. For now you buy it here, and this version includes Fan Speed and Script, two sources a Mac App Store app isn't allowed to have. ### What are the system requirements? Multimeter needs macOS 13 Ventura or later. It works on Intel and Apple silicon Macs. ### What can a meter show? Your Mac's battery, a Bluetooth accessory's battery, power draw, CPU, memory, disk space, thermal pressure, fan speed, network speed, a timer, a countdown to a date, how much of the day, week, month or year has passed, and your own numbers from a link, a web address, a file or a script. ### How do I add more meters to my menu bar? Press Command-N, or open Settings and click Add Meter…, then pick what to measure and pick a face. You can add as many meters as you like. ### Does it still show my battery? Yes. The battery is the first source in the list and the built-in battery faces show charging, time left and time until full. Battery health, cycle count and temperature are available to every face. ### How do I show my own numbers? Add a meter with the Sent Value source and send it numbers with a link like multimeter://set?key=deploys&value=42 from Terminal, Shortcuts, Raycast or any script. You can also read a number from a web address, a file or a shell command. The Creating Meters guide shows every format. ### Why can't I find Fan Speed or Script? Those two need access that the Mac App Store doesn't allow apps to have, so they're only in the direct download version. In the Mac App Store version, have your script send a multimeter:// link or write to a file instead. ### Can a meter warn me? Yes. In Customize, set a warning and a critical level and whether they apply above or below. The meter changes color as it crosses them, and you can ask for a notification when it goes critical. ### Can I change the order of my meters? Yes. In Settings, drag meters in the In Your Menu Bar list. The top meter sits furthest left. ### How do I make my own face? In Settings, click Create Face… (Option-Command-N) to get a folder of starter files you can edit in any code editor. A face you make works with every source. The Creating Meters guide has the details. ### Do my settings sync between Macs? No. Your meters and themes are saved on each Mac. ### Why isn't the time remaining showing? macOS estimates the time remaining from how you're using your Mac. Right after you plug in or unplug, the meter shows dashes until macOS has an estimate. When your Mac is plugged in but not charging, Time Until shows the percentage instead. ### How do I import a face someone shared with me? Double-click the .multimeter file, or click Import… in Settings (Command-O) and choose it. The face joins your Faces library, ready to use on any meter. ### Can I use Multimeter on a Mac without a battery? Yes. Battery faces show your Mac as plugged in, and you can turn off Show charging on this Mac in Settings. Every other source works the same on any Mac. ## Pages - https://multimeterapp.com: What Multimeter is, every kind of meter, live face demos, price and download. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/get-the-app: Buy Multimeter: $19.99 one-time, no subscription, direct download for macOS 13 or later. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/getting-started: Set up meters, customize them, switch themes and import faces. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/creating-meters: Build your own faces with HTML, CSS and JavaScript; the meter data API, every source, the multimeter:// URL scheme, web, file and script sources. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/support: FAQ and troubleshooting: requirements, sources, alerts and reinstalling. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/gallery: Every built-in face running live, plus faces shared by the community. (updated 2026-10-26) - https://multimeterapp.com/newsletter: Every Multimeter email (new releases, new faces, tips), newest first, with the signup form. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/press: Facts, screenshots, icon and contact for writing about Multimeter. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/privacy: Privacy policy: the app collects no analytics; the site uses no tracking cookies or third-party analytics. (updated 2026-10-27) - https://multimeterapp.com/terms: License terms, pricing and updates. (updated 2026-10-26)