Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

API Monitor VS Process Monitor

Compare API Monitor VS Process Monitor and see what are their differences

API Monitor logo API Monitor

API Monitor is a software that monitors and displays API calls made by applications and services. Its a powerful tool for seeing how Windows and other applications work or tracking down problems that you have in your own applications

Process Monitor logo Process Monitor

Monitor file system, Registry, process, thread and DLL activity in real-time.
  • API Monitor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-20
  • Process Monitor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03

API Monitor features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    API Monitor provides a comprehensive toolset for monitoring API calls made by applications, allowing developers to capture details such as function calls, parameters, and return values.
  • Real-Time Surveillance
    It allows users to intercept and display API activity in real-time, which can be beneficial for debugging and understanding how applications interact with the operating system or other software components.
  • Customizable Filters
    Users can set up filters to monitor specific APIs or applications, enhancing the focus and efficiency of the monitoring process.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface and setup of API Monitor are user-friendly, making it accessible to a wide range of users, from beginners to advanced developers.
  • Detailed API Information
    Offers detailed information about API functions, including their parameters and modules, which helps in thorough analysis and development.

Possible disadvantages of API Monitor

  • Windows Exclusivity
    API Monitor is designed for Windows operating systems, limiting its use for applications or developers working on other platforms like macOS or Linux.
  • Resource Intensive
    Monitoring extensive API activity in real-time can be resource-intensive, potentially affecting the performance of the system being monitored.
  • No Source Code
    Being a proprietary tool, it does not provide access to its source code, which may be a downside for developers looking for open-source alternatives.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, users may still face a learning curve when understanding how to effectively use all the features and interpret the data provided.
  • Limited Documentation
    Some users report that the documentation is not as comprehensive as they would like, which can hinder new users from fully utilizing the tool's capabilities.

Process Monitor features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Process Monitor provides detailed real-time data on process, file system, registry, and network activity. This allows for in-depth analysis and troubleshooting.
  • Advanced Filtering
    Users can apply complex filters to focus on specific events or processes, which helps in pinpointing issues more efficiently.
  • Event Highlighting
    The tool supports highlighting rules that can be used to visually differentiate events of interest, making it easier to identify key activities.
  • Boot Time Logging
    It can be configured to record events during the boot process, which is invaluable for diagnosing startup issues.
  • Integration with other Sysinternals Tools
    Seamless integration with other Sysinternals tools allows for a more comprehensive diagnostic toolkit.

Possible disadvantages of Process Monitor

  • Resource Intensive
    Process Monitor can consume significant system resources, especially when monitoring extensive activities, which might affect system performance.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its wide range of features and the detailed information it provides, new users might find it challenging to navigate and use effectively.
  • Overwhelming Data
    The volume of data generated can be overwhelming, making it difficult to isolate relevant information without proper filtering.
  • No Native Support for Non-Windows Systems
    As a tool originally designed for Windows, it does not support non-Windows operating systems natively.
  • Potential for Information Overload
    The granular level of detail provided can lead to information overload, particularly for users unfamiliar with interpreting the data.

API Monitor videos

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Process Monitor videos

Process Monitor, powerful tool to troubleshoot applications and Windows.

More videos:

  • Review - Process Monitor: Basic Operation
  • Review - Malware Analysis - Tools - Process Monitor Basic

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to API Monitor and Process Monitor)
Monitoring Tools
12 12%
88% 88
APIs
100 100%
0% 0
Command Line Tools
0 0%
100% 100
API Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare API Monitor and Process Monitor

API Monitor Reviews

The 5 Best Reverse Engineering Software for 2022
API Monitor includes individual versions for monitoring both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, with definitions for over 15,000 APIs, 1,800 COM interfaces, and almost 200 DLL files. The latest version supports breakpoints, structural decoding, arrays, unions, and enumerated data types. API Monitor runs on both Windows Desktop and Server and includes a portable version that...
Source: online.yu.edu

Process Monitor Reviews

We have no reviews of Process Monitor yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Process Monitor seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 184 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

API Monitor mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of API Monitor yet. Tracking of API Monitor recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Process Monitor mentions (184)

  • TaskExplorer
    Don't agree. It's just as complex (may be a bit more) as ProcessMonitor by Sysinternals https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Why did Windows 95 setup use three operating systems?
    Https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon Windows does a tonne of things in the background, yes. If I run that and let it monitor everything, things will happen even if I do nothing. It is an OS and complex. >It is shown instantly, fully rendered, in the next video frame. There is no delay THIS is true and also crazy to me. I forgot how fast XP was. Especially on modern hardware. I... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • DLLs in Rust🦀
    To be sure that our exe is actually looking for the DLL, fire up the SysInternals' Process Monitor. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • can't get PTAT to run on RPL-U i7-1365URE eval board
    Don't know what PTAT stands for, but whenever I have issues with windows software running properly I pull out Process Monitor to log what that program was doing at the time of the error message. Sometimes there is a clue such as not being able to find a particular file, or registry key, or something else crashing etc. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Software developer looking to experiment with SCCM
    This might be a bit advanced but if it was me I would probably get frustrated and use SysInternals specifically procmon Https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing API Monitor and Process Monitor, you can also consider the following products

Valgrind - Valgrind is an instrumentation framework for building dynamic analysis tools.

Process Explorer - The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'l…

perf - Perf is a simple app monitoring solution paired with meaningful alerts.

htop - htop - an interactive process viewer for Unix. This is htop, an interactive process viewer for Unix systems. It is a text-mode application (for console or X terminals) and requires ncurses. Latest release: htop 2.

strace - Trace system calls and signals. A diagnostic, debugging and instructional userspace utility.

Windows Task Manager - Need assistance with your Microsoft product? Find helpful articles for Windows, Office, Microsoft Account, Microsoft Store, Xbox, and more.