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Bashtop VS Process Explorer

Compare Bashtop VS Process Explorer and see what are their differences

Bashtop logo Bashtop

Linux/OSX/FreeBSD resource monitor

Process Explorer logo 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…
  • Bashtop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-09
  • Process Explorer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21

Bashtop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Bashtop features an intuitive and visually appealing user interface that makes it easy to monitor system resources like CPU, memory, and processes in real-time.
  • Feature-Rich
    The tool offers a wide range of functionalities including process management, detailed stats on system performance, and customizable options, making it versatile for various needs.
  • Ease of Installation
    Installing Bashtop is straightforward on most Linux distributions, as well as macOS and even Windows via WSL, with clear instructions provided in the documentation.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Despite its graphical interface, Bashtop is relatively lightweight and does not consume a significant amount of system resources, which is ideal for maintaining system performance while monitoring.

Possible disadvantages of Bashtop

  • Bash Dependency
    Being a bash script, Bashtop requires GNU Bash shell to run, which might not be as efficient as applications written in compiled languages for high-performance monitoring tasks.
  • Compatibility Limitations
    While Bashtop runs on various systems, there are occasional compatibility issues or platform-specific bugs that can affect its performance or usability.
  • No Longer Maintained
    Development of Bashtop has been discontinued in favor of Bpytop, a Python-based version, which means users may not receive updates or support for newer systems and bugs.
  • Terminal Based
    Since it runs in the terminal, users who prefer or require graphical user interfaces for system monitoring might find Bashtop less convenient compared to other available GUI-based system monitors.

Process Explorer features and specs

  • Detailed System Information
    Process Explorer provides in-depth information about system processes, including detailed CPU and memory usage stats.
  • Hierarchical View
    It shows processes in a tree structure, making it easy to understand parent-child relationships between processes.
  • Advanced Diagnostic Capabilities
    The tool offers advanced features like DLL and handle viewing, allowing detailed investigation of system issues.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    It allows real-time monitoring of system performance, including CPU, GPU, and I/O activity, which is critical for diagnosing performance bottlenecks.
  • Integration with VirusTotal
    Process Explorer can integrate with VirusTotal to check the safety of running processes, adding an extra layer of security.
  • Free to Use
    Process Explorer is part of the Sysinternals suite, which is freely available for use, making it accessible for both individual users and organizations.

Possible disadvantages of Process Explorer

  • Complexity
    The extensive features and detailed information can be overwhelming for novice users who may find the interface complex to navigate.
  • Resource Intensive
    While generally lightweight, the comprehensive monitoring features can consume a noticeable amount of system resources, which might affect performance on older or less powerful systems.
  • Windows Only
    Process Explorer is designed specifically for Windows operating systems, limiting its use for those who work in cross-platform environments.
  • No Built-In Reporting
    The tool does not offer built-in reporting capabilities, requiring users to manually capture and document information.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its advanced features and detailed information, new users might face a steep learning curve before being able to fully utilize all its capabilities.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there are some resources available, the documentation can be sparse, making it difficult for users to find solutions to specific problems.

Analysis of Bashtop

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Bashtop is considered good by many users due to its comprehensive feature set and ease of use. It offers detailed information and a clean interface, enhancing the user experience significantly. It receives positive feedback for its performance and adaptability.

Why this product is good

  • Bashtop is a resource monitor that provides a visually appealing interface and real-time insights into system performance. It is user-friendly, highly customizable, and supports multiple platforms, making it a popular choice for users who want to monitor CPU, memory, disk usage, and network activities closely. Bashtop also allows for a quick glance at running processes, making it accessible for users who appreciate efficiency and an intuitive layout.

Recommended for

    Bashtop is recommended for system administrators, developers, and tech-savvy users who need to monitor system performance regularly. It's also suitable for users who appreciate visually engaging terminal applications and those accustomed to working with command-line tools.

Analysis of Process Explorer

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Process Explorer is generally regarded as a good and reliable tool by both system administrators and other IT professionals. It is frequently recommended for its depth of features, ease of use, and the detailed process information it provides.

Why this product is good

  • Process Explorer is considered a valuable tool because it offers comprehensive insights into system processes, threads, and resource usage. It provides detailed information about which files and directories individual processes have open, the DLLs they have loaded, and more. Its ability to offer real-time data and powerful searching capabilities makes it invaluable for troubleshooting and performance monitoring.

Recommended for

  • System administrators
  • IT professionals
  • Software developers
  • Anyone interested in detailed system diagnostics
  • Users troubleshooting application issues

Bashtop videos

Bashtop Is An Htop Alternative Written In Bash

More videos:

  • Review - Top Guides - Bashtop Themeable CLI System Monitor

Process Explorer videos

Sysinternals Process Explorer Review + download link and method

More videos:

  • Review - Scan for Malware Using Process Explorer and Virus Total
  • Review - What Is?: Process Explorer?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Bashtop and Process Explorer)
Monitoring Tools
14 14%
86% 86
Command Line Tools
14 14%
86% 86
Performance Monitoring
16 16%
84% 84
DevOps Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Process Explorer seems to be a lot more popular than Bashtop. While we know about 289 links to Process Explorer, we've tracked only 22 mentions of Bashtop. 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.

Bashtop mentions (22)

  • BPYTOP - a fun HTOP alternative :-)
    Check out btop. It’s a rewrite of bpytop in C++. Both are from the same author. FYI, bpytop is also a rewrite of bashtop in python. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Btop looks great
    As far as I remember, the guy made first the bashtop, that was slow as molasses but looks cool. Then he made bpytop that is the same idea but ported to python, and then finally ported to C++ and we got just btop. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Share your greatest free tools
    Bashtop - Seriously, I my brain can't follow columns without some kind of order to the madness. Ty bashtop. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How to return current and average cpu utilization, maybe the top process name too?
    There is https://github.com/aristocratos/bashtop with prettier and more readable output compared to top, in my opinion. It also has a port on python and c++. Source: over 3 years ago
  • My fans go brrrrrr
    🤔 I've found that the data Vitals reports isn't always correct, not to mention it uses far to much system resource for what it does. Have you tried bashtop? Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Process Explorer mentions (289)

  • Stats – macOS system monitor in your menu bar
    Unclear what you mean by programmable, but https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer is the bee's knees and you can set an option to have it take over taskmon.exe, launch on login, and put as many of the widgets in the taskbar as you fancy. I love it I've heard about running them directly from SMB but have never been the kind of person to try out such a stunt... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: What tools do you recommend for working on Windows?
    Always put all your portable programs in the "A:\MyPC\Programs\" folder. Always put all your documents in the "A:\MyPC\Documents\" folder. Put driver files and runtime libraries in the "A:\MyPC\Install\" folder. For all three, feel free to create subfolders as needed, either per topic, per group, or however your brain envisions data trees. You can find plenty of portable windows software in the links provided... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Hidden dependencies in Linux binaries.
    On windows, this is Dependency Walker versus ProcExp. Similar eye-goggling results. https://www.dependencywalker.com/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Windows Explorer and Desktop Window Manager high RAM usage
    If you run Process Explorer (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer) and enable process tree view, you can see what processes are running under explorer.exe. That should give you a better idea of what's consuming that memory if you're genuinely concerned about this. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Roblox doesn't launch for months on PC
    If you have any suspicious processes running onto your computer, close them IMMEDIATELY. I suggest using Process Explorer, as it has a Virustotal which submits all Executables to virustotal under 70+ antiviruses. If any of the processes have 3+ detections, Close them down as anticheats will detect it and stop you from running Roblox. Source: over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Bashtop and Process Explorer, you can also consider the following products

nmon - This systems administrator, tuner, benchmark tool gives you a huge amount of important performance...

Process Monitor - Monitor file system, Registry, process, thread and DLL activity in real-time.

psutil - psutil is a module providing an interface for retrieving information on all running processes and...

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.

gtop - System monitoring dashboard for terminal

Autoruns - See what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots and you login.