iStat Menus Updated With New Look, History Views, and Bandwidth Monitor - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iStat Menus Updated With New Look, History Views, and Bandwidth Monitor

by

iStat Menus by Bjango has been updated to version 4, adding a new look and new features. Among other things, the app now shows a historical chart of various system metrics looking at the past hour, 24 hours and week. It also adds a Little Snitch-esque look at which processes are using up network bandwidth.

istatmenu

Bjango has now come out with iStat Menus 4, and the new version has some interesting and, for me, welcome changes. Aside from the usual bug fixes, Retina support and better Mountain Lion compatibility, iStat Menus 4 introduces a refreshed look that brings consistency with Bjango’s other iStat app, iStat 2. iStat Menus now features the same style for graphs and charts as iStat 2, and, even better, it comes with the same History menu to view a component’s performance over time. For instance, you can mouse over the CPU’s main graph and check out a second menu with History for the past hour, 24 hours, and 7 days. There are more time-related view options available, and there’s more to customize in the app’s Preferences (which have also been redesigned, and it took me a while to get used to them at first). I appreciate the consistency with iStat 2, and I like History because it lets me easily check my network’s conditions over time.

iStat Menus 4 is available for $16 via Bjango's online store. It's $9 for current iStat Menus 3 owners.

Top Rated Comments

larrylaffer Avatar
180 months ago
This may be me, but it looks really messy and ugly to me. Having your internet speed and CPU usage showing all the time is a unnecessary distraction and goes against the 'it just works' Mac philosophy. It's all a bit linux-sy!

This post makes me sad.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bjango Avatar
180 months ago
Still shows that all GPU memory is used. :mad:
This is a known issue. OS X 10.8 introduced some changes for some graphics cards that meant memory usage isn't reported correctly. At this point we believe it's a driver issue and one we can't fix at our end.

iStat Pro for Dashboard is gone, no more. You can find a few thread on if here, one thread has been updating it and fixing some of the incompatibilities it has with Mountain Lion, but overall, its donezo.
That's correct — we kept the iSlayer website and all the widgets around for several years after we ceased development of them. If you'd like to download one of the widgets, I can provide a link.

I just upgraded. It's buggy. Clicking to next month takes me to December 2013. Clicking the heading to return to current month takes me to October 2012.
This is a known issues that some users (definitely not all) are seeing. We're working hard on a fix right now (we think we have it solved, but are still doing some testing).

The text indicator for upload/download speeds stays stuck at 0.0b/s.
Do you have the Primary Interface set to Automatic? It's possible you're monitoring an interface that's not the one you're using for internet.

Those disk space indicator bars and most of the other graphs are UGLY.
Ugly in which way? We're definitely going to make some design changes as version 4 progresses.

The text in the menus is way too large and makes my sensors menu extend WAY off screen.
Which Mac model do you have? The text is already smaller than Apple's standard menus. I'm not sure we'd want to go much smaller.

I'll stick with version 3.
We're totally fine with that and hope you're enjoying iStat Menus 3.

I just bought v3 three days ago. Complained yesterday when I saw the new version, and they sent me a new registration for v4 five minutes later.
November 12 is the cut off. If anyone purchased iStat Menu on or after November 12, please get in touch and we'll give you an upgrade.

Not sure if v3 had info about which processes was consuming the most bandwidth, but very nicely done in v4 (no need for little snitch).
That's new for iStat Menus 4. :)

At least there is upgrading pricing.

If it were on the MAS (BTW, I think app store restrictions make it impossible) what would happen is the old version would get pulled and everyone would have to pay full price. :rolleyes:

Relevant, Bjango's take on the app store. (http://bjango.com/articles/hotdogapplife/)
Yep. We've been able to do a few nice things like upgrade pricing, a 14 day trial and we've been able to upgrade people who bought recently. All not possible if we were on the Mac App Store. (Not that iStat Menus could be on the Mac App Store anyway.)

Well for one, it's fugly.

I never thought I'd say this, but I downloaded the trial, and absolutely fell in love with it. I too wish it was on the mac app store, but oh well.
Thank you. Please see above regarding Mac App Store. Not possible for iStat Menus without drastically changing the functionality, unfortunately.

Again, it's been 31 months since I purchased 3.0 and they've constantly upgraded the product through various Apple system upgrades to maintain compatibility. This product is a steal at the price. Don't begrudge the authors for wanting to make a little profit. They have a nice suite of integrated products at reasonable prices. It would be nice if there were more small developers like them.
We've updated iStat Menus 3 twenty times since the initial release, plus added new features and support for new Macs. To add support for new Macs, we typically have to buy every single model. We often sell the Macs not long after, but it's a huge app to maintain and develop. Thank you for your comments — this definitely hasn't been a trivial endeavour for us and we still have lots of things planned for 4.x.



If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely fashion.

Cheers,
Marc
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
What's wrong with MenuMeters? It's free.

http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/menumeters/
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Quu Avatar
180 months ago
I actually purchased iStat Menus 3 when it released but I don't think I'm going to pay for this new version. I don't see why I would pay to get what is essentially a Retina Graphic update. The new features are pretty worthless.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
Why do they keep charging for every version? Its so annoying once a new version comes out and then it either bugs you to update or if you update it by accident it will tell you now you need to buy it. Its still the same app just with some new graphics.

They need to put it on the app store and give free updates. Just my opinion. I know developers need to get paid too, but I don't think a few new icons is worth the money.

You've got to be kidding me. I bought v3.0 in May 2010 for $16. More than two and a half years later I can get an upgrade for $9. That's less than three lattes at Starbucks. It really isn't that much money. I have to say I use iStat menus a lot. I like to see the network speed when I am transferring files around the house and I like to see the CPU temp and activity levels - especially when I am doing video encoding. It's a very useful application.

The developers have to make some money, they really can't just give the product away for free. They aren't out there monetizing the thing every twelve months. Again, it's been 31 months since I purchased 3.0 and they've constantly upgraded the product through various Apple system upgrades to maintain compatibility. This product is a steal at the price. Don't begrudge the authors for wanting to make a little profit. They have a nice suite of integrated products at reasonable prices. It would be nice if there were more small developers like them.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
I actually purchased iStat Menus 3 when it released but I don't think I'm going to pay for this new version. I don't see why I would pay to get what is essentially a Retina Graphic update. The new features are pretty worthless.

Yeah, I don't see any reason to upgrade either.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Siri AI Settlement Website Now Live: Apple to Pay Some iPhone Owners

Sunday September 20, 2026 7:24 pm PDT by
In May, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a U.S. class action lawsuit over Siri AI's delayed launch, and the settlement website is now live. Apple will pay an estimated $25 per eligible iPhone to eligible customers, who can submit a claim via the settlement website between September 21 and December 21 of this year. The exact payment may be higher or lower than $25 depending on the...
iphone 18 pro max prepare

iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping

Friday September 18, 2026 4:27 pm PDT by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity over 20 watt-hours, which means there are additional shipping requirements. If an iPhone 18 Pro Max needs to be shipped somewhere, its maximum battery capacity has to be limited through firmware. According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an "innovative battery-firmware solution" that limits battery capacity to below 20Wh between when the...
iphone duo weather

Apple Exec Says 'Hold Us Accountable' on iPhone Duo Crease

Friday September 18, 2026 9:51 pm PDT by
Apple hardware engineering VP Tom Marieb spoke with TechRadar and shared some candid thoughts about Apple's upcoming iPhone Duo. The iPhone Duo uses a matte nano-texture display, which is meant to cut down on glare and minimize the visibility of the crease. When asked if the iPhone Duo's crease would be more visible over time, as that's what tends to happen on other foldables, Marieb said...
Latest Stories
Beats 360 Deliver Customizability and a Revamped Over-Ear Headphone Design
Beats 360 Deliver Customizability and a Revamped Over-Ear Headphone Design
26 minutes ago
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro, Save Up to $600 on Amazon
Massive Discounts Hit 2026 MacBook Pro, Save Up to $600 on Amazon
49 minutes ago
Apple Planning to Bring iPhone Duo Display Tech to Pro in 2029
Apple Planning to Bring iPhone Duo Display Tech to Pro in 2029
59 minutes ago
Apple Announces 'Tap to Pay on iPhone' Availability in 8 More Countries
Apple Announces 'Tap to Pay on iPhone' Availability in 8 More Countries
1 hour ago
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Now Available for Same-Day Pickup at Apple Stores
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Now Available for Same-Day Pickup at Apple Stores
2 hours ago
Apple Still Working on Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen iPhones
Apple Still Working on Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen iPhones
3 hours ago
Apple Quietly Excludes Older iPhones From New Camera Feature
Apple Quietly Excludes Older iPhones From New Camera Feature
4 hours ago
App Switcher Returns in watchOS 27.2 Beta With New Launch Gesture
App Switcher Returns in watchOS 27.2 Beta With New Launch Gesture
6 hours ago
Apple Music Hall Spatial Audio Venue Opens in Battersea Power Station
Apple Music Hall Spatial Audio Venue Opens in Battersea Power Station
6 hours ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
Apple CEO John Ternus Talks iPhone Duo Design, Siri AI, and Becoming CEO
15 hours ago
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
You Can No Longer Downgrade From iOS 27 to iOS 26
16 hours ago
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
macOS 27.2 Beta Brings New Volume and Brightness Sliders
16 hours ago
GM Wants You to Know It Still Plans to Ditch Apple CarPlay in Future EVs
GM Wants You to Know It Still Plans to Ditch Apple CarPlay in Future EVs
19 hours ago
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?
20 hours ago
Apple Seeds Second macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Beta to Developers
Apple Seeds Second macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Beta to Developers
21 hours ago
Apple Releases Second iOS 27.2 Beta
Apple Releases Second iOS 27.2 Beta
21 hours ago
Apple Releases Second watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Betas
Apple Releases Second watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2 and visionOS 27.2 Betas
21 hours ago
M4 iPad Air Now Starting at $649 on Amazon, Save Up to $149
M4 iPad Air Now Starting at $649 on Amazon, Save Up to $149
21 hours ago
New Mac Mini Reviews: A Good But No Longer 'Insanely Great' Deal
New Mac Mini Reviews: A Good But No Longer 'Insanely Great' Deal
21 hours ago
Some iPhone 18 Pro Users Experiencing Face ID Issues
Some iPhone 18 Pro Users Experiencing Face ID Issues
22 hours ago
Pin Music to the Top of Your Apple Watch Music Library
Pin Music to the Top of Your Apple Watch Music Library
22 hours ago
Apple Smart Home Display Coming as Soon as Next Month
Apple Smart Home Display Coming as Soon as Next Month
23 hours ago
OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
1 day ago
New Mac Studio's Biggest Upgrade Isn't the M5 Ultra Chip, Review Says
New Mac Studio's Biggest Upgrade Isn't the M5 Ultra Chip, Review Says
1 day ago
How to Force Quit Apple Watch Apps in watchOS 27
How to Force Quit Apple Watch Apps in watchOS 27
1 day ago
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Launch Tomorrow
New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Launch Tomorrow
1 day ago
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 May Have Hidden Flash Storage
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 May Have Hidden Flash Storage
1 day ago
iPhone 20 Pro Display Sizes Leak Ahead of 2027 Launch
iPhone 20 Pro Display Sizes Leak Ahead of 2027 Launch
1 day ago
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Owners Report Unexpected Reboots
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Owners Report Unexpected Reboots
1 day ago
iFixit Shares iPhone 18 Pro Teardown With Inside Look at New Features
iFixit Shares iPhone 18 Pro Teardown With Inside Look at New Features
1 day ago