Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Process Explorer VS Process Tamer

Compare Process Explorer VS Process Tamer and see what are their differences

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…

Process Tamer logo Process Tamer

Freeware Microsoft Windows utility that monitors the CPU use of applications, alerts when they use too much, and reduces their priority to keep your PC fast.
  • Process Explorer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21
  • Process Tamer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-03

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.

Process Tamer features and specs

  • Automatic CPU Usage Management
    Process Tamer automatically monitors and adjusts the priorities of running processes to prevent any single process from monopolizing the CPU, ensuring smoother multitasking and system responsiveness.
  • Custom Priority Rules
    Users can define specific rules to set priorities for processes based on their needs, providing flexible control over process management.
  • Low Resource Consumption
    The application is lightweight and consumes minimal system resources, ensuring that it doesn’t add to the problem it aims to solve.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Process Tamer offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to configure and manage process priorities without needing advanced technical knowledge.
  • Freeware with Donation Option
    The software is available for free with an optional donation model, making it accessible to users without mandatory payments.

Possible disadvantages of Process Tamer

  • Limited Features Compared to Competitors
    While effective for basic process management, Process Tamer lacks some of the advanced features found in other process management tools, such as detailed process analysis and reporting.
  • Windows Only
    The tool is designed specifically for Windows operating systems, which limits its availability to users on other platforms like macOS or Linux.
  • User-Reported Update Frequency
    Updates and bug fixes may not be as frequent as some users might prefer, potentially impacting the long-term reliability and compatibility with newer Windows versions.
  • Initial Configuration Required
    To fully benefit from the tool, users need to spend time configuring custom rules, which could be a hassle for those looking for a one-click solution.

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

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?

Process Tamer videos

Cara Mengatasi CPU Usage 100% Dengan Process Tamer

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Process Explorer and Process Tamer)
Monitoring Tools
84 84%
16% 16
Command Line Tools
92 92%
8% 8
OS & Utilities
0 0%
100% 100
Performance Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Process Explorer seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 289 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.

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
View more

Process Tamer mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

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

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

SysGauge - SysGuage is a responsive software utility that monitors the memory status, CPU usage, as well as network and disk activities of your system.

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.

Big Meter Pro - Big Meter Pro is a utility that monitors the disk and memory of your CPU.

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

AMD64 CPU Assistant - AMD64 CPU Assistant