Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MagicMirror VS Conky

Compare MagicMirror VS Conky and see what are their differences

MagicMirror logo MagicMirror

MagicMirror is a photo distorting software that allows users to distort photos of any format.

Conky logo 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.
  • MagicMirror Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-15
  • Conky Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21

MagicMirror features and specs

  • Customizable
    MagicMirror allows users to customize the display to show various widgets such as time, weather, calendar, news feeds, and more, making it versatile for personal use.
  • Community Support
    MagicMirror has an active user community and extensive documentation. This makes it easy for users to find help, share modules, and improve their setup.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source platform, MagicMirror allows users to contribute to the development and modification of the software, increasing transparency and flexibility.
  • Modular Architecture
    The modular design enables users to add or remove functionalities easily, permitting enhanced control over the mirror's features and appearance.

Possible disadvantages of MagicMirror

  • Technical Setup
    Setting up MagicMirror requires some technical skills and familiarity with Raspberry Pi or similar hardware, potentially posing a challenge for non-technical users.
  • Limited Interactivity
    While MagicMirror displays information, its interactivity is limited unless additional hardware or software extensions are used, which might complicate the setup further.
  • Hardware Cost
    To fully utilize MagicMirror, users must invest in hardware like a Raspberry Pi, a monitor, and other components, which can add up in cost.
  • Maintenance
    Continuity and smooth operation might require regular maintenance and updates, demanding more time and effort from the user compared to a plug-and-play system.

Conky features and specs

  • Customization
    Conky allows for extensive customization. Users can create their own themes and widgets, which can display a wide variety of system information.
  • Lightweight
    Conky is known for being lightweight and efficient, consuming minimal system resources compared to other system monitoring tools.
  • Flexibility
    The application supports numerous outputs like text, graphs, and bars, allowing users to choose how they want their data visualized.
  • Community Support
    Conky has a strong community and a wealth of user-contributed templates and scripts, making it easier for new users to get started.
  • Integration
    It can be integrated into various desktop environments and window managers, making it a versatile tool across different Linux distributions.

Possible disadvantages of Conky

  • Complexity
    The high level of customization can make the initial setup process complex and daunting for new users.
  • Configuration Format
    Conky uses its own configuration format, which can be difficult to learn and understand for those who are not familiar with it.
  • Stability
    Sometimes Conky can be less stable, especially when running complex scripts or on less common desktop environments.
  • Documentation
    While there is community support, the official documentation can be somewhat lacking, making it difficult to troubleshoot certain issues.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    Conky is primarily designed for Linux and UNIX-like systems, making it less useful for users on Windows or macOS.

Analysis of Conky

Overall verdict

  • Conky is generally considered a good tool for users who appreciate customizable system monitoring solutions. Its versatility and lightweight design make it a favorite among those who enjoy tweaking and optimizing their desktop environment.

Why this product is good

  • Conky is a highly configurable system monitor software for Linux and BSD that allows users to display various system status information on their desktop in a visually appealing manner. It is popular due to its lightweight and efficient nature, consuming minimal system resources while providing a wide range of customization options for users to tailor the appearance and information displayed according to their needs.

Recommended for

    Conky is recommended for advanced users who are comfortable with configuring software through text files and those who desire a personalized and detailed view of their system’s performance metrics. It is particularly suited for Linux and BSD users looking to enhance their desktop aesthetics with dynamic system information.

MagicMirror videos

No MagicMirror videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Conky videos

Conky System Info for Ham Radio Digital Operators

More videos:

  • Review - LEGO Conky Robot MOC Review from Pee-Wee's Playhouse #ToyReplay
  • Review - Making Linux Look Good - Conky First-Time Setup - Live Stream

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MagicMirror and Conky)
Command Line Tools
20 20%
80% 80
Monitoring Tools
18 18%
82% 82
Tool
36 36%
64% 64
Log Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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

Based on our record, Conky seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 42 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.

MagicMirror mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MagicMirror yet. Tracking of MagicMirror recommendations started around Jun 2021.

Conky mentions (42)

  • An app to count down till certain day
    Maybe put something like echo $(($(date -d 24-Dec +%j) - $(date +%j))) days into your bashrc. Conky should be able to display it nicely on the desktop. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Do you plan on adding widgets to your desktop in Sonoma?
    What I could go for is something like Conky (https://github.com/brndnmtthws/conky). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Give Wayland a shot, don't base your opinion off of 2013 articles!
    Funny meme btw. Personally, I use xorg with 3 displays. Fortunately, the resolution is same on all screens (full HD). I use Komorebi for live wallpapers and conky for sidebar. It works flawlessly. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Issue in hyprland
    If you are using Wayland, then you may want to do some searches related to "wayland conky transparency" and see what results. Also, if you are using wayland, you will want to be sure you are using the latest possible version of conky, as close to 1.18.x or 1.19.2 as possible, as wayland support is a relatively new addition to conky. If you are on the latest or a late version and are also using the wayland video... Source: about 2 years ago
  • I need a small tool to monitor the CPU temperature and Fans RPM in Fedora 38
    Conky is the best.... you can set whatever info you like and display the info in many style..... Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing MagicMirror and Conky, you can also consider the following products

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

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

Rainmeter - Rainmeter is a desktop customization platform.

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

Cysboard - A lightweight conky alternative that uses HTML/CSS for themes.

Nerdtool - NerdTool is a GeekTool-like application that displays information directly on your desktop.