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GKrellM VS Quickshell

Compare GKrellM VS Quickshell and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

GKrellM logo GKrellM

GKrellM is a single process stack of system monitors which supports applying themes to match its...

Quickshell logo Quickshell

A Flexible toolkit for making desktop shells with QtQuick, targeting Wayland and X11.
  • GKrellM Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
Not present

GKrellM features and specs

  • Customizable
    GKrellM allows users to customize the appearance and functionality, offering various themes and configuration options to fit different preferences and needs.
  • Lightweight
    The application is known for its low resource consumption, making it suitable for systems with limited resources.
  • Real-time Monitoring
    GKrellM provides real-time monitoring of various system metrics such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk activity, network traffic, and more.
  • Plugin Support
    The software supports various plugins, allowing users to extend its functionality according to their requirements.
  • Cross-Platform
    GKrellM is available for multiple operating systems, including Linux, BSD, Solaris, and Windows, providing flexibility for users on different platforms.

Possible disadvantages of GKrellM

  • Obsolete Design
    The user interface of GKrellM may appear outdated compared to modern applications, which might deter some users looking for a contemporary look.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find it challenging to get used to the configuration and customization options without prior experience or guidance.
  • Limited Support
    Since the software appears to be less actively maintained, users might face difficulties finding up-to-date support and documentation.
  • Dependency Issues
    On certain operating systems, users might encounter dependency issues when installing GKrellM, potentially complicating the setup process.
  • Limited Features Compared to Modern Tools
    Some modern system monitoring tools offer more advanced features and integrations, which may not be available in GKrellM.

Quickshell features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Quickshell is designed to simplify the shell experience, making it more user-friendly for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Customization
    The platform offers various customization options that allow users to tailor the interface and functionality to their specific needs.
  • Integration
    Quickshell integrates well with other tools and services, providing a seamless workflow for users who rely on multiple applications.
  • Performance
    It is optimized for speed and efficiency, ensuring that users can perform tasks quickly without unnecessary lag.

Possible disadvantages of Quickshell

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While it is user-friendly, Quickshell may lack some of the advanced features that experienced developers might require.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its ease of use, there might still be a learning curve for users who are completely new to shell environments.
  • Platform Dependency
    It might depend on specific platform requirements or compatibility, which could limit its usability across different systems.
  • Pricing
    If there is a cost associated, price could be a barrier for users looking for a free alternative.

Analysis of GKrellM

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GKrellM is a good system monitoring tool.

Why this product is good

  • GKrellM is a highly customizable and efficient system monitor that provides detailed information about various system resources like CPU, memory, disk, and network usage. It supports themes and third-party plugins, making it versatile and appealing for users who want to track their system's performance in real time.

Recommended for

  • Users who enjoy customizing and theming their desktop environments.
  • System administrators who need a lightweight and real-time monitoring tool.
  • Advanced users looking for a detailed view of their system resources.
  • Linux users, as GKrellM is most commonly used in Unix-like operating systems.

Analysis of Quickshell

Overall verdict

  • Quickshell is a solid, flexible toolkit for building custom desktop shells and widgets on Wayland (and X11) compositors using QtQuick/QML, making it a strong choice for Linux power users who want full control over their desktop environment.

Why this product is good

  • Built on QtQuick/QML, giving you a powerful and declarative way to design custom UI components
  • Designed to work with Wayland compositors like Hyprland, Sway, and others, filling a gap for customizable shells on modern Linux setups
  • Highly modular and hackable, letting you create bars, launchers, widgets, and other shell elements exactly how you want
  • Live-reloading and a developer-friendly workflow make iterating on your configuration faster
  • Open source and community-driven, with active development and documentation

Recommended for

  • Linux power users who want to build a fully custom desktop shell
  • Hyprland, Sway, and other Wayland compositor users seeking customizable bars and widgets
  • Developers comfortable with QML/QtQuick who enjoy tinkering with their environment
  • Ricing enthusiasts who want deep control over their desktop's look and behavior

GKrellM videos

+ Add

Remembering & Rediscovering Gkrellm on FreeBSD 12

More videos:

  • Review - Ubuntu : GKrellM Desktop Themes
  • Review - Gkrellm Theme Downloader

Quickshell videos

+ Add

Is Quickshell Worth It?

More videos:

  • Review - End4 Hyprland Quickshell Rewrite is cool! | CachyOS | Hyprland |

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GKrellM and Quickshell)

GKrellM

Quickshell

Monitoring Tools
100 100%
Monitoring Tools
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
Productivity
100% 100
Command Line Tools
100 100%
Command Line Tools
0% 0
App Launcher
0 0%
App Launcher
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GKrellM and Quickshell. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GKrellM seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 11 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.

GKrellM mentions (11)

  • Hard disk LEDs and noisy machines
    I always wanted more feedback, so that even in the mechanical disks and lots of fans era my desktop has always shown more data with GKrellM plus some of its plugins, namely multiping to show the status of my NAS and router, and bubblefishymon for a funny but very effective and immediate way to show that system load is growing suspiciously before fans start screaming. http://gkrellm.srcbox.net/ As for servers,... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Cool but Obscure X11 Apps
    Possibly not old enough to be included in that list, but my oldest piece of desktop software I always run on my main machine is GKrellm with BubbleFishyMon as system load monitor. http://gkrellm.srcbox.net/. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Any alternatives to Gnome extensions to display CPU load and such?
    That doesn't always give correct readings depending on the chipset on your MB. There was a driver missing for like IT87 that returned voltage and temps to psensor. I finally gave up trying. gkrellm can monitor cpu, and many other things. You can add what you want. Source: about 4 years ago
  • sysinfo-gui: A gui app based on sysinfo
    Gkrellm was not really part of GNOME or KDE, but it was one of the best tools and there was recently talk about porting it to modern GTK releases. Source: over 4 years ago
  • New to mint, i really dont like system monitor so what is a good alternative.
    OP: Another option is GKrellM. It has not been updated in a couple of years, but it still appears in Software Manager. It should work with the current versions of LM. I used it for a while on LM 17.2 because I wanted a desktop system monitor and I was too lazy to mess with Conky - I stopped using it when I moved to LM 18.1 and eliminated eye candy. Http://gkrellm.srcbox.net/. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

Quickshell mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Quickshell yet. Tracking of Quickshell recommendations started around Jun 2025.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GKrellM and Quickshell, you can also consider the following products

Conky - Latest commit 262a292 on Dec 7, 2017 brndnmtthws Add missing build dep. Conky is a free, light-weight system monitor for X, that displays any kind of information on your desktop.

ironbar - Customisable Wayland gtk bar written in Rust.

Desktop Info - This little application displays system information on your desktop in a similar way to some other...

Yambar - Modular status panel for X11 and Wayland, inspired by polybar.

Bginfo - This fully-configurable program automatically generates desktop backgrounds that include important information about the system.

nwg-panel - Nwg-panel is a GTK3-based panel for sway and Hyprland Wayland compositors. The panel is equipped with a graphical configuration program that frees the user from the need to manually edit configuration files.

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