Pokesensor vs Sidebar Diagnostics

Pokesensor is a local hardware-monitoring app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It shows live CPU, GPU, memory, and disk readings, with one-second sensor graphs and an always-on-top mini overlay. Desktop alerts can notify users when readings move outside a configured range, and session logs export to CSV or JSON. The free plan includes live monitoring, the overlay, alerts, and support for all three platforms. Graphs can show a configurable history window up to 24 hours; VIP++ adds 30-day logging, while VIP Super+ includes unlimited logging history. The app runs without cloud services, accounts, telemetry, or sending hardware data. Its default polling interval uses well under 1% CPU, and its install footprint is 18 MB. Monthly plans are VIP at $5.00 USD, VIP+ at $10.00 USD, VIP++ at $20.00 USD, and VIP Super+ at $30.00 USD. Fan control depends on what the motherboard and operating system expose.

Sidebar Diagnostics is a free Windows desktop sidebar for viewing hardware diagnostic information. It monitors CPU, RAM, GPU, network, and logical drives, and can graph those measurements. The sidebar can show a clock and supports alerts, hotkeys, and monitors with different DPI settings. The project describes extensive customization, with hardware data supplied by Libre Hardware Monitor. The README lists Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 as supported systems. Releases include an installer and a standalone ZIP; the standalone build does not update automatically. The application must be run as administrator. The GitHub repository identifies it as GPL-3.0 software and provides an issue template for reporting problems. The author says it will always be free on GitHub and invites donations. The Free plan costs nothing. Remote monitoring is not supported.