GNU gprof vs VisualVM
GNU gprof
sourceware.orgVisualVM
visualvm.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | GNU gprof | VisualVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Profiling Software | 7.8 (#12) | 7.4 (#23) |
| Purpose | GNU gprof analyzes profiling data to show which parts of a program take the most execution time. | VisualVM integrates command line JDK tools with lightweight profiling for Java application troubleshooting in development and production. |
Plans
In their own words
GNU gprof
GNU gprof has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
VisualVM
VisualVM is a free standalone tool for troubleshooting Java applications in development and production. It combines JDK command-line tools with monitoring for CPU use, garbage collection, heap and metaspace memory, loaded classes, and running threads. Sampling and instrumentation profilers help analyze performance and memory use. For diagnostics, it can capture thread dumps, browse heap dumps, analyze core dumps, and save application data for offline review. VisualVM can list remote Java applications when jstatd runs on the remote host, or connect to applications manually through JMX. Official and third-party plugins extend the tool, and a Security plugin provides a GUI for SSL/TLS settings. The site documents integrations or launchers for Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and Visual Studio Code, plus a third-party NetBeans profiler. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and is distributed as a ZIP archive and a macOS application bundle. The download page lists Oracle JDK and OpenJDK versions 8–26 and GraalVM versions 19–JDK 26. Some third-party plugins may not work after changes introduced in VisualVM 2.0.