100 of 100 left at $4.99 · then $9.99
iKnowMyMac turns 1,000 processes into the apps you know, then tells you in one line what's slowing your Mac down and what to do about it.
Activity Monitor vs iKnowMyMac
Activity Monitor lists every helper on its own line. iKnowMyMac puts each one under the app it belongs to — every Chrome renderer under Chrome, every Electron helper under its app — and adds them up.
Illustrative figures from an example Mac with 64 GB of memory.
| Feature | Activity Monitor | iKnowMyMac |
|---|---|---|
| One-line verdict on what's wrong | No | “Memory pressure is high” (Yes) |
| Helpers grouped under their app | Tree by parent process (Partly) | Every helper, with totals (Yes) |
| History | While it's open (Partly) | 30 days, scrubbable (Yes) |
| “Why is my Mac slow?” diagnosis | No | Ranked causes, on-device (Yes) |
| Dev servers and ports by project | Per process, via Inspect (Partly) | Idle servers, port conflicts (Yes) |
| Sleep and overnight drain | “Preventing Sleep” column (Partly) | What kept it awake, why it woke (Yes) |
| Alerts when an app misbehaves | No | Built in, plus your own rules (Yes) |
| Menu bar | Dock icon graph (Partly) | 4 display modes and a popover (Yes) |
| Share card | No | Yes |
| Per-app network and GPU figuresActivity Monitor wins | Network tab, % GPU column (Yes) | System totals only (Partly) |
| PriceActivity Monitor wins | Free and built in (Yes) | $4.99 once (Partly) |
Last checked 2026-09-27.
Full comparisonAsk an assistant to compare the two. The prompt is neutral and asks what each one does better.
Activity Monitor tells you what's running. iKnowMyMac tells you why it's slow.
Everything else you'd expect
CPU, memory, GPU, disk, network and battery, each with its own tab of apps sorted by that metric. Every feature is included in the one purchase.
Four display modes and a popover with every metric, the busiest apps, and idle dev servers. Try them:
A tiny live graph next to the figure.
Six cards with live sparklines, memory by app, and the busiest apps right now.
Built-in rules, your own custom rules, and a heads-up when your Mac is thermally throttled.
Expand any app to see its processes and PIDs. The list holds still while your pointer is over it.
CPU and GPU temperatures and fan speeds, validated on M1 Pro. Other chips show the thermal state.
Battery levels for your Bluetooth accessories, next to your Mac's own.
Install it only if you want to. It reads, it can't run commands or change anything.
Every chart goes back a month: 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days.
Right from the app row, always with a confirmation first.
A clean image of your Mac's state for a post or a bug report, or copy the dashboard as text.
A short summary of your Mac's week, once a week.
Performance
A tool that watches your Mac should be accurate and light. These are the figures we have measured; we publish new ones only after measuring them.
Pricing
Every feature is in the one license, with free updates. No subscription, no account, no trial: if it isn't for you, get a full refund within 14 days.
One key, one activation
$4.99. $4.99 instead of $24.99 · Save 80%
100 of 100 left at $4.99
Then $9.99
macOS 15 Sequoia or later · Apple silicon
Secure checkout by Dodo Payments, the Merchant of Record
No account and no telemetry in the app. Licenses move between Macs from Settings.
Post about it, get 50% backReach 2,000 views within 21 days of buying. How it worksFAQ
Something else? Email support@iknowmymac.com.
Activity Monitor lists every process and shows live figures. iKnowMyMac groups those processes into the apps you know, keeps 30 days of history, and tells you in one line what's slowing your Mac down, with a ranked diagnosis, developer tools, and sleep and battery forensics. Activity Monitor is free and built in, and it shows per-app network and GPU figures, which iKnowMyMac doesn't (it shows system totals).
Full comparisonIt's a native Swift app, a 4.2 MB download. It samples once a second while its window or popover is open and every five seconds in the background, and 30 days of history for 80 apps takes about 94 MB of disk.
No. iKnowMyMac is built for Apple silicon only and needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
No. Try the live demo on this page, and if the app isn't right for you, you have a 14-day refund.
Refund policyThe privileged helper is optional and read-only. It can read system information that needs extra permission, but it can't run commands or change anything on your Mac. Everything else works without it.
About the helperThe app has no account, no analytics and no telemetry. It makes exactly three kinds of network request: an update check, license activation and validation with Dodo Payments, and crash reports only if you turn them on (they're off by default).
Privacy policyYes. It's a one-time purchase that includes every feature and free updates, delivered through the app's built-in updater.
Yes. Your license isn't tied to one machine forever; the support page walks through moving it.
Moving a licenseBuy a bundle: one key with several activations. 2 Macs $49.98, 5 Macs $84.99, 10 Macs $149.99, 25 Macs $339.99, 50 Macs $599.99.
See pricingThe App Store sandbox doesn't allow an app to read other apps' processes, which is the whole job. iKnowMyMac is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple instead, and updates itself.
Email support@iknowmymac.com within 14 days of buying to ask for a refund. Payments are handled by Dodo Payments, our Merchant of Record.
Refund policyNo. iKnowMyMac shows you what's using your Mac and why it's slow, and lets you quit apps or stop idle dev servers with a confirmation. When it finds reclaimable developer disk space, it moves files to the Trash; it never deletes anything itself.
One purchase, every feature, free updates. 14 days to change your mind.
100 of 100 left at $4.99 · then $9.99
macOS 15 Sequoia or later · Apple silicon
