Glances vs System Informer
Glances
nicolargo.github.ioSystem Informer
system-informer.comSide by side
| Figure | Glances | System Informer |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Spec score · Process Monitoring Software | 8.9 (#3) | 7.3 (#22) |
| Platforms | The project documents GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, macOS and Windows support; it also gives installation instructions for rooted Android devices using Termux. | The downloads page lists Windows 10 and Windows 11, in 32-bit or 64-bit versions. |
| Process monitoring | Glances provides a process list for viewing running workloads. | Graphs and statistics help track resource-heavy and runaway processes. |
| Support | The project directs users to its manual, official Reddit forum and GitHub Discussions for help. | The project directs users to GitHub to ask questions, report bugs, or suggest features. |
Plans
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.
System Informer
System Informer has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.