We make Multimeter. We put iStat Menus on this page because people search for both, and we tried to say plainly where iStat Menus is the better choice.
Side by side
| Multimeter | iStat Menus | Stats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 one-time | $11.99 one-time | Free |
| Open source | No | No | Yes, MIT |
| CPU, memory, disk, network | Yes (no per-app lists) | Yes, with per-app CPU, memory and bandwidth | Yes, with per-process lists |
| Temperature sensors and GPU | Thermal pressure only, no temperatures or GPU | Yes, temperatures, voltages, GPU | Yes, temperature, voltage, power, GPU |
| Fan speed | Speed (read only) | Speed and fan control | Fan control, marked not maintained |
| Battery and Bluetooth accessory batteries | Yes, keyboards, mice and trackpads | Yes, AirPods and Magic accessories | Battery and Bluetooth devices |
| Power draw in watts | Yes, on laptops | Yes (sensors: power) | Yes (sensors: power) |
| Timers, countdowns, day progress | Yes | Clocks, world clocks, calendar | Multiple time zone clock |
| Your own numbers (script, web address, file, link) | All four | Not on its feature page | Not in its README |
| Custom looks you can build (HTML/CSS/JS) | 13 built in, build your own | Colors, layouts, combined item | Built-in widget styles |
| Runs on | macOS 13+ | macOS 13.5+ | macOS 12+ |
| Latest release | 1.0.0, October 2026 | 7.5 | v3.0.23, Oct 2026 |
iStat Menus: The long-running, very deep system monitor for the Mac menu bar: CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, fans, battery, clocks and weather. $11.99 one-time (Family Pack of 5: $14.99; upgrade from 6: $9.99, or $12.99 for the family pack), 14-day trial. Also on Setapp and the Mac App Store.. Runs on macOS 13.5 or later (bjango.com). Latest release: 7.5.
Multimeter: Live meters for anything in the Mac menu bar, each drawn by a face you pick or build with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. $19.99 one-time, 30-day refund. Runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Where iStat Menus is better
- Far more sensors: temperatures, voltages, GPU, S.M.A.R.T. disk status and per-app CPU, memory and bandwidth. Multimeter has none of those.
- Fan control, not just fan speed.
- Weather, world clocks and a calendar in the menu bar.
- It costs less: $11.99 one-time against Multimeter’s $19.99, and it has a 14-day trial.
- Rules that notify you about CPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, power and weather.
- Bluetooth battery levels include AirPods, which Multimeter 1.0 does not read.
Where Multimeter is different
- Every Multimeter meter is a small web page you can restyle or replace: 13 built-in faces (needle gauge, LCD readout, sparkline, hearts, laser sword...) and any face you build with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
- Your own numbers: a shell script, a JSON web address, a file, or a multimeter:// link from Terminal, Shortcuts or a build script. iStat Menus’ feature page lists no custom sources.
- Timers, countdowns to a date, and day, week, month and year progress as meters.
- Light on the Mac: five live meters use about 2% to 3% CPU in our tests, a battery meter alone 0.03%, and every face shares one WebKit process.
Which one to pick
Choose iStat Menus if you want the most complete hardware picture of your Mac: temperatures, GPU, per-app usage, fan control and weather. For that, iStat Menus is the better tool and the cheaper one.
Choose Multimeter if you want a handful of numbers drawn the way you like them, including ones that aren’t about hardware: a build status, a countdown, a number from a JSON API, or the output of a script. Browse the 13 built-in faces to see what they look like.
Moving from iStat Menus
- Write down the four or five iStat Menus items you look at every day. That’s your list; leave the rest.
- In Multimeter, add one meter per number: CPU, Memory, Network (download or upload), Disk Space, Power Draw, Fan Speed, Battery, Bluetooth Accessory.
- Pick a face for each. Needle Gauge and Sparkline read fastest for CPU and network; Label & Value is the closest to plain text.
- Set warning and critical levels in Customize This Meter… and turn on the notification for the ones you’d want to hear about.
- If you relied on temperatures, GPU or per-app lists, keep iStat Menus for those. The two run side by side fine.
More detail in switching to Multimeter from another menu bar monitor.
Questions
Is Multimeter cheaper than iStat Menus?
No. As of October 2026 iStat Menus costs $11.99 one-time direct from Bjango (or $14.99 for a family pack) and Multimeter costs $19.99 one-time. Both are one-time purchases with no subscription. iStat Menus is also included in Setapp.
Can Multimeter show CPU temperature like iStat Menus?
No. Multimeter shows thermal pressure (Nominal, Fair, Serious, Critical), which is what macOS uses to decide when to slow down. It does not read individual temperature sensors. If you need degrees, iStat Menus or Stats will show them.
Can iStat Menus show my own numbers, like build status?
Bjango’s feature page for iStat Menus 7 doesn’t list script, web address or custom value sources, as of October 2026. Multimeter has four: a multimeter:// link, a web address (plain or JSON), a file and a shell script.
Does Multimeter use less energy than iStat Menus?
We haven’t benchmarked iStat Menus, so we won’t claim that. What we measured for Multimeter: five live meters use about 2% to 3% CPU, and a battery meter alone about 0.03%, on our test Mac.
How we checked
We make Multimeter, so read this with that in mind. Competitor facts come from each maker’s own site, README or store listing, checked on October 25, 2026, and are linked below. "Not on its feature page" means we looked and didn’t find it, not that it can’t be done. Multimeter’s numbers are measured on our own Macs. Spot something out of date? Email hello@greatwork.company and we’ll fix it.
- iStat Menus: bjango.com/mac/istatmenus (features, version, macOS)
- iStat Menus: Bjango’s Paddle checkout prices (US, before tax)
- iStat Menus: Weather data packs help page
- iStat Menus: Mac App Store listing ($11.99 US)
- Stats: github.com/exelban/stats (README, license, stars)
- Stats: Stats releases