Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

KillSwitch VS Open Hardware Monitor

Compare KillSwitch VS Open Hardware Monitor and see what are their differences

KillSwitch logo KillSwitch

KillSwitch is an advanced system monitoring tool that is apart of

Open Hardware Monitor logo Open Hardware Monitor

Monitors temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load and clock speeds, with optional graph.
  • KillSwitch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01
  • Open Hardware Monitor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31

KillSwitch features and specs

  • Real-time Monitoring
    KillSwitch provides real-time monitoring of active processes and network connections, allowing users to quickly identify suspicious activities.
  • Detailed Process Information
    The tool offers detailed information about each running process, including their origin, which helps in identifying potentially dangerous software.
  • Comprehensive Threat Detection
    KillSwitch is part of Comodo Cleaning Essentials, which includes a comprehensive threat database to detect rootkits and other advanced threats.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for users of varying technical expertise.
  • Portable Tool
    As a portable tool, KillSwitch does not need installation, allowing users to run it directly from a USB drive.

Possible disadvantages of KillSwitch

  • Limited to Windows
    KillSwitch is designed to work on Windows operating systems, limiting use for users with other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Dependency on Comodo's Database
    The effectiveness of its threat detection relies heavily on Comodo’s database being up-to-date.
  • Potential for False Positives
    As with many security tools, there's a risk of false positives, where legitimate processes may be mistakenly flagged as threats.
  • Requires Technical Knowledge
    While the interface is user-friendly, understanding the implications of certain actions, like terminating processes, requires technical knowledge.
  • Limited Additional Features
    Compared to full-fledged security suites, KillSwitch offers limited additional features outside of process and network monitoring.

Open Hardware Monitor features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Open Hardware Monitor is available for free and its source code is open to the public, allowing for transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    The software supports a broad range of hardware devices including CPUs, GPUs, hard drives, and motherboards, making it versatile for various monitoring needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application features a straightforward and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize the display and logging options to fit their specific needs, providing flexibility in how data is monitored and recorded.
  • Portable
    Open Hardware Monitor can be used without installation, allowing it to be run from a USB drive or other portable media.

Possible disadvantages of Open Hardware Monitor

  • No Official Support
    Since it is an open-source project, there is no official customer support, which can be a disadvantage for users needing immediate assistance.
  • Limited Development Updates
    The project development and updates have slowed down, making it potentially less reliable for the latest hardware and operating systems.
  • Windows-Centric
    While primarily designed for Windows, its functionality on other operating systems like Linux and macOS can be limited or require additional configuration.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    Certain newer or less common hardware components may not be fully supported, leading to incomplete or inaccurate monitoring data.
  • No Integrated Alerts
    The software does not offer built-in alert systems for critical hardware statuses, necessitating manual monitoring and intervention.

Analysis of Open Hardware Monitor

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Open Hardware Monitor is a reliable and efficient tool for system monitoring. However, it might lack some advanced features found in professional-grade software. Still, it is an excellent choice for those who need a straightforward and cost-effective solution.

Why this product is good

  • Open Hardware Monitor is considered good by many users due to its open-source nature, allowing users to access the source code and contribute to its development. It's also praised for its simplicity, offering a user-friendly interface that provides comprehensive monitoring of various hardware components such as CPU, GPU, and temperature sensors. Another advantage is its compatibility with a wide range of hardware and that it does not require installation, which makes it highly accessible.

Recommended for

    Open Hardware Monitor is recommended for tech enthusiasts, system builders, and casual users who need an open-source and easy-to-use tool for monitoring their system's hardware performance. It's particularly suitable for those who appreciate the ability to customize and contribute to open-source software.

KillSwitch videos

The NEW KILLSWITCH for Steam Deck | Revised Model Review

Open Hardware Monitor videos

open hardware monitor video, dawnload and tutorial.wmv

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KillSwitch and Open Hardware Monitor)
Monitoring Tools
19 19%
81% 81
Command Line Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Device Management
0 0%
100% 100
OS & Utilities
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 KillSwitch and Open Hardware Monitor

KillSwitch Reviews

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Open Hardware Monitor Reviews

HWMonitor Review & Alternatives for 2023
Open Hardware Monitor is an on-device utility for PCs running Windows. The tool reports on the hardware statuses on the computer on which it is installed, which means that it doesn’t operate as a remote monitoring system. However, this software is available for use free of charge.
Top 8 BEST NZXT CAM ALTERNATIVES
The Open Hardware Monitor supports most hardware monitoring chips present on today’s mainboards. The core temperature sensors on Intel and AMD processors can be used to monitor the CPU temperature. The temperature of AMD and Nvidia visual cards and the temperature of SMART hard drives can be viewed. The monitored values can be presented in the main window, a desktop gadget,...
Source: gisuser.com
10 Best Nzxt CAM Alternatives
The Open Hardware Monitor interface is like a directory. It’s not as optimized as the Nzxt CAM interface, but it’s much easier to use. Just click on a specific hardware and get all the information about it.
11 Best CPU Temperature Monitor For Windows PC To Check Accurate CPU Temp Readings
The Open Hardware Monitor is a free open source tool that monitors CPU temperature, fan, and clock speeds, and voltages of a PC. Due to its lightweight and simplicity, it is one of the best PC temp monitoring software. You can easily check CPU temperature and maintain it under optimal limits.
Source: www.softlay.com
20 Programs to Analyze and Benchmark Your Hardware
If you're after a monitoring program for a Linux computer, your options are unfortunately rather limited. However, for 10 years, software developer Michael Möller has been running an open source project to help fill this niche -- meet Open Hardware Monitor.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Open Hardware Monitor seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 154 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.

KillSwitch mentions (0)

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

Open Hardware Monitor mentions (154)

  • Game freezes every few minutes or so
    Https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ this tells you your temps Https://www.geeks3d.com/20211115/gpu-caps-viewer-1-54-released/ This cranks your gpu to max Https://www.jam-software.com/heavyload this cranks your CPU to max. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Free Tech Tools and Resources - Hardware Monitor, Offboarding Script, WiFi Scanner & More
    Open Hardware Monitor tracks critical system metrics, including temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load, and clock speeds. Monitored data can be displayed in the primary application window, a customizable desktop gadget, or the system tray. -SPOF recommends it for "real-time monitoring of CPU, GPU, and hard drive temperatures, as well as fan speeds and voltages.". Source: over 1 year ago
  • My multi-monitor desktop setup (not pretty but useful)
    Programs (mostly free/sharewares): Google desktop apps: Google Chrome or MS Edge or whatever you use as a browser. And if you're lazy: https://chromeless.app/ to create the apps. Microsoft PowerToys: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/ Total Commander: https://www.ghisler.com/ ContaCam: https://www.contaware.com/contacam.html Open Hardware Monitor: https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ Stickies:... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Game crashing every match.
    Game crashes all the time and you already did all of the above = all aboard the diagnostics train as it may be a number of things, from bad graphics card driver all the way overheating problems or malfunctioning components. Do the easy steps first (clean reinstall of the graphics driver + checking temps, under heavy load, and googling what's the maximum safe temperature for your processor + graphics card, it... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Why is my PC unbearably feeble despite having decent specs?
    Open Hardware Monitor is pretty simple and solid. Just look through all the statistics for anything that's a temperature and make sure none of them are higher than, say, 50c when idle, or ~80c when you're doing something. Laptops have a slightly wider range of acceptable temperatures so there wouldn't be any immediate cause for alarm if it was slightly hotter than that, as long as you were doing something... Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing KillSwitch and Open Hardware Monitor, you can also consider the following products

Kiwi application monitor - Kiwi application monitor is a small program which lets you monitor your applications/processes, Windows and User activity.

SpeedFan - Hardware monitor for Windows that can access digital temperature sensors located on several 2-wire SMBus Serial Bus. Can access voltages and fan speeds and control fan speeds. Includes technical articles and docs.

Battle Encoder Shirase - Software that controls per-process CPU usage: an “active” software CPU cooler.

CPU-Z - CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system : Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels.

Security Process Explorer - Security Process Explorer Give you detailed information about each and every process.

AIDA64 - AIDA64 is a system information, diagnostics and benchmarking solution for Windows PC.