# Vitals vs MacPulse

Canonical page: https://vitalsmac.com/vs/macpulse

By Atta Ur Rehman Shah, maker of Vitals. MacPulse checked on its maker's site September 22, 2026.

**Short answer:** Vitals is the better choice if you want to know which app is using your Mac. It lists every app with its helper processes counted in, keeps 30 days of history per app, and finds dev servers and the ports they hold. MacPulse is a history-first monitor with plain-English insights, fan control and CSV export, and a good pick if you want those or are on macOS 14.

| | Vitals | MacPulse |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An Activity Monitor replacement with a menu bar item | A system monitor that explains performance in plain English |
| List of what is running | Every app, with its helper processes counted in | Top 5 processes by CPU and memory, top 10 for network and disk |
| Helper processes counted under their app | Yes | Not stated |
| History | 30 days for every metric, per app | 30 days, system-wide and per process (per process in the direct version only) |
| Alerts | When an app keeps the CPU busy, keeps growing in memory, or hammers the disk or network | CPU, memory pressure, temperature, GPU, battery, fan failure and network changes |
| Temperatures and fans | Temperatures and fan speed, no fan control | Yes, with fan control (direct version) |
| Dev servers and open ports | Grouped by project, idle ones pointed out | Not stated |
| Quit and force quit | An app or a single process, after a confirmation | Not stated |
| Export | A share card or dashboard image | CSV |
| Mac App Store version | Not on the Mac App Store; one full version, sold direct | Leaves out sensors, fan control and top processes |
| Price | $5 during the launch, $29 after, once | €14.99 once for 1 Mac, €49.99 for 5 |
| Trial | None, a 14-day refund | 14 days |
| Requirements | macOS 15 or later | macOS 14 or later |

## Choose Vitals if

- You want every app on the Mac listed, not only the top five processes
- You want the helpers of Chrome or Xcode counted under the app
- You run dev servers and lose track of what is holding a port
- You want to quit an app or a stuck process from the same window

Vitals website: [vitalsmac.com](https://vitalsmac.com/)

## Choose MacPulse if

- You want plain-English explanations of how your Mac has been
- You want fan control or CSV export
- You are on macOS 14
- You want to try it before you pay

MacPulse website: https://www.macpulse.app/

## How we compared

The MacPulse column comes from its maker's own site on September 22, 2026. Where the site does not say whether it does something, the cell says "Not stated". If a cell is out of date, email hi@vitalsmac.com and we will fix it.

See [all 10 Activity Monitor alternatives](https://vitalsmac.com/best-activity-monitor-alternatives), [Vitals vs iStat Menus](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/istat-menus), [Vitals vs Stats](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/stats), [Vitals vs iStatistica Pro](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/istatistica), [Vitals vs ProcXray](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/procxray), [Vitals vs Sensei](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/sensei), [Vitals vs CleanMyMac Menu](https://vitalsmac.com/vs/cleanmymac).