btop
Terminal-based resource monitor showing CPU, memory, disk, network, and process stats.
HN commenters like btop for its modern, informative interface123, which shows CPU, GPU, network and disk stats in one place45, and for how well it fits terminal-centric workflows.67 The main caveats are a reported memory leak during long uptimes8 and limited GPU monitoring, with only basic GPU load and no GPU usage on macOS.910
Why people recommend it
Terminal workflow fit · 3
Commenters run it alongside other TUI tools in tmux or zellij splits.
“Using things like k9s / btop / lazygit / lazydocker helm / stern”
“splits btop and a dedicated GPU monitoring tool”
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“Every tool it shows you (zellij, yazi, btop, gping, ctop, rclone)”
Liked interface · 3
Commenters say they love it and call its interface modern, useful and informative.
“I've relatively recently migrated over to using btop[0], and it's the kind of modern interface, useful and informative, that I needed.”
“I love btop.”
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“I do love btop.”
All-in-one stats · 2
It shows CPU, GPU, network, disks and power use in a single view.
“I've relatively recently migrated over to using btop[0], and it's the kind of modern interface, useful and informative, that I needed.”
“currently I use btop which shows basic gpu load along with cpu, network, etc.”
Caveats and dissent
Memory leak · 1
One user stopped running it continuously after it consumed gigabytes of RAM over a day or two.
“btop leaks memory like crazy”
Limited GPU support · 3
GPU monitoring is basic, missing on macOS, and some users pair it with a dedicated GPU tool.
“currently I use btop which shows basic gpu load along with cpu, network, etc.”
“I do love btop.”
Show 1 more
“splits btop and a dedicated GPU monitoring tool”
Missing features · 1
One user wants per-core clocks, multiple separately sorted process panes and better UPS/battery support.
“I love btop.”
Often compared with
Threads where it came up
- Btop: A better modern alternative of htop with a gamified interface 4 mentions
- Phosphor Deck – one zellij session your phone and laptop share 1 mention
- Explanation of everything you can see in htop/top on Linux 1 mention
- Why TUIs Are Back 1 mention
- Perfmon – Consolidate your favorite CLI monitoring tools into a single TUI 1 mention
- Zml-smi: universal monitoring tool for GPUs, TPUs and NPUs 1 mention
Data: btop.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 9
“Every tool it shows you (zellij, yazi, btop, gping, ctop, rclone)”
“I've relatively recently migrated over to using btop[0], and it's the kind of modern interface, useful and informative, that I needed.”
“Using things like k9s / btop / lazygit / lazydocker helm / stern”
“splits btop and a dedicated GPU monitoring tool”
“currently I use btop which shows basic gpu load along with cpu, network, etc.”
“btop leaks memory like crazy”
“I love btop.”
“Is btop basically just extending where it can run?”
“I do love btop.”