Glances vs HWiNFO
Glances
nicolargo.github.ioHWiNFO
hwinfo.comSide by side
| Figure | Glances | HWiNFO |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 8 |
| Spec score · Hardware Monitoring Software | 8.9 (#6) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Spec score · Hardware monitoring tools | 8.6 (#12) | 9.1 (#1) |
| Remote monitoring | Client/server mode supports monitoring a remote host through the terminal, web UI, or APIs. | Non-Pro remote sensor monitoring is limited to 12 hours; Pro supports more connections by license. |
| Support channels | The project directs users to Read the Docs, its GitHub wiki, GitHub Discussions, Reddit, Gitter, and a mailing list. | The site provides a forum, SDK resources, and help and support links. |
Plans
HWiNFO
- Pro Subscription (starting price)Priced on request
- Pro Subscription (starting price)Price not published
- Pro Lifetime (starting price)Priced on request
- Pro Lifetime (starting price)Price not published
- Subscription Pro$29 a year
- Lifetime Pro$199, paid once
- Commercial evaluationFree
- Personal non-commercialFree
In their own words
Glances
Glances is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool for monitoring real-time system statistics and running processes. Its listed coverage includes CPU, memory, load, processes, network, disk I/O, sensors, filesystems, containers, alerts, and uptime. Client/server mode enables remote monitoring through a terminal, web interface, or API, while its built-in web UI lets users view a system from a browser-equipped device. Statistics can be exported to CSV or JSON files, databases such as InfluxDB and Prometheus, brokers such as RabbitMQ and Kafka, or a REST endpoint. The project documents Docker and Podman support and describes Docker and LXC container monitoring in its README. Installation options include pip, pipx, Homebrew, Linux and FreeBSD packages, and Docker images. Glances 4 requires Python 3.10 or higher. Its default installation does not include web interface dependencies; separate extras cover features such as web, GPU, containers, exports, and MCP. Version 4.5.1 and higher can provide an MCP server for AI assistants. The project uses the LGPL version 3 license.