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Process Explorer VS ProcessActivityView

Compare Process Explorer VS ProcessActivityView and see what are their differences

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…

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Alternatives Is it good?
ProcessActivityView

ProcessActivityView creates a summary of all files and folders that the selected process tries to...

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RealUptime.io
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Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Process Explorer seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 289 times since March 2021.

social mentions
289 vs 0
Monitoring Tools popularity
98% vs 2%
alternatives listed
170 vs 6

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Process Explorer
ProcessActivityView
Website learn.microsoft.com nirsoft.net
Company Startup from the United States —
Listed in
Monitoring Tools Command Line Tools Performance Monitoring Device Management +1
Monitoring Tools Device Management Command Line Tools System Information +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Process Explorer 6 features
ProcessActivityView 0 features
  • 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

  • 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.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Process Explorer
ProcessActivityView

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

Overall verdict

  • ProcessActivityView is a solid, lightweight free utility from NirSoft that effectively tracks and displays process activity (CPU, disk, network, memory usage over time) on Windows systems, making it useful for troubleshooting and monitoring without the overhead of larger tools.

Why this product is good

  • Completely free with no installation required, just a portable executable
  • Lightweight and consumes minimal system resources while running
  • Provides detailed historical view of process resource usage (CPU, memory, disk I/O) over time
  • Simple, no-frills interface that's easy to navigate for both technical and semi-technical users
  • Comes from NirSoft, a reputable source known for reliable, malware-free Windows utilities
  • Allows exporting data to CSV/HTML for further analysis or reporting
  • Useful for diagnosing performance issues by seeing when specific processes spiked resource usage

Recommended for

  • IT professionals and sysadmins troubleshooting performance issues
  • Power users wanting to monitor which processes are consuming resources over time
  • Developers debugging application resource usage
  • Users on older or resource-constrained machines who need a lightweight monitoring tool
  • Anyone who prefers portable, no-install utilities for diagnostics
  • Technical support staff diagnosing client performance complaints remotely

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Process Explorer 3 videos + Add
ProcessActivityView 0 videos + Add

Sysinternals Process Explorer Review + download link and method

More videos

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

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

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Process Explorer
ProcessActivityView
98% 98%
Monitoring Tools
2% 2%
97% 97%
Command Line Tools
3% 3%
100% 100%
Performance Monitoring
0% 0%
0% 0%
Device Management
100% 100%

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Process Explorer 289 mentions
ProcessActivityView 0 mentions
  • 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... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year 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... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years 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 / over 2 years ago

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Tracking ProcessActivityView since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Process Explorer and ProcessActivityView

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

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