TrafficMonitor is what NetSpeedMonitor fans found after Microsoft stopped letting third-party gadgets dock to the Windows taskbar. zhongyang219 rebuilt the idea in C++ for modern Windows: a small floating window or pinned taskbar widget that shows network speed, CPU, RAM, and (since version 1.80) hardware temperatures. It uses around 10 MB of RAM, idles at near-zero CPU, and is free under GPL-3.0. The catch is what TrafficMonitor does not do. It does not log historical bandwidth in a way that survives reboots well. It does not break down per-process network usage. It does not gate or alert on network spikes. People searching for TrafficMonitor alternatives usually want either a deeper system monitor or a real network-usage analyzer.
We tested seven TrafficMonitor alternatives for Windows in 2026, some lighter, some heavier, all aimed at the same problem of knowing what your PC and your network are actually doing.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainmeter | Customizable system dashboards | Free, open source | Skinnable, modular widgets |
| NetWorx | Bandwidth tracking and quotas | Paid, free trial | Long-term usage history |
| GlassWire | Visual firewall and monitor | Free / paid | Per-process bandwidth alerts |
| DU Meter | Classic floating bandwidth meter | Paid | Forecasting and alerts |
| Open Hardware Monitor | Detailed temp and voltage | Free, open source | Sensor-level read-outs |
| Process Lasso | Process priority and stats | Free / paid | CPU throttling on top of monitoring |
| Sniffnet | Modern network-traffic analyzer | Free, open source | Rust-based, clean UI |
Why TrafficMonitor users start looking around
The complaints are consistent. The taskbar widget sometimes detaches itself after a Windows feature update and needs to be re-added through the right-click menu. Skin support is fine but the bundled skins look dated and most community skins target Windows 10 styling. The historical bandwidth log resets in ways that frustrate users who want to track monthly data usage.
For network-traffic visibility specifically, TrafficMonitor is intentionally shallow, it shows speed, not what is using the network. If you want to know why your upload is pegged, you need a tool that breaks down usage by process or by destination.
And for system monitoring beyond network and basic CPU/RAM, TrafficMonitor’s hardware-temperature support is workable but newer than the rest of the codebase, and not everyone’s hardware reports cleanly through its sensors.
Rainmeter
The build-your-own-dashboard platform that has been a Windows customization fixture for fifteen years. Includes network, CPU, RAM, temperature, disk, and visualizer widgets through community skins. The most flexible option in this list.
Where it falls short: Configuration is a learning curve. Skin quality varies. Background memory is higher than TrafficMonitor.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Vs TrafficMonitor: Rainmeter is a platform; TrafficMonitor is a finished app. Use TrafficMonitor for plug-and-play, Rainmeter when you want to design the look.
Download: rainmeter.net
NetWorx
A focused bandwidth-tracking utility from SoftPerfect. Logs network usage over months, supports usage quotas with alerts, and exports reports. The right pick when monthly bandwidth caps or ISP data accounting actually matter.
Where it falls short: Paid. Newer UI is fine but feels enterprise.
Pricing: Paid one-time license, free trial.
Vs TrafficMonitor: NetWorx logs and analyzes; TrafficMonitor shows the instant. Different jobs.
Download: softperfect.com/products/networx
GlassWire
A visual firewall, bandwidth monitor, and alerting tool. Shows per-process network usage in a clean timeline view, flags new connections, and lets you block apps from the network in one click.
Where it falls short: Free tier is limited (no remote monitoring, fewer alerts). Some users feel the UI takes more screen than it needs.
Pricing: Free base tier. Paid Personal and Pro tiers from ~$39.
Vs TrafficMonitor: GlassWire answers “what is using my bandwidth”; TrafficMonitor answers “what is my current speed”.
Download: glasswire.com
DU Meter
The classic floating bandwidth meter that pre-dated NetSpeedMonitor and outlived it. Shows real-time upload and download as a small graph, supports alerts, and forecasts monthly usage.
Where it falls short: Paid. UI looks dated compared to modern alternatives.
Pricing: Paid one-time license.
Vs TrafficMonitor: DU Meter is the paid classic; TrafficMonitor is the modern free heir. Feature overlap is significant.
Download: hageltech.com/dumeter
Open Hardware Monitor
A free, open-source hardware-sensor tool focused on temperatures, voltages, fan speeds, and load per core. Pair it with TrafficMonitor for full system coverage, Open Hardware Monitor for the deep sensor data, TrafficMonitor for the taskbar speedometer.
Where it falls short: UI is utilitarian. Project has slowed; LibreHardwareMonitor is the more actively maintained fork.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Vs TrafficMonitor: Different layer. TrafficMonitor’s hardware-temp feature uses LibreHardwareMonitor under the hood. If you want the source, use it directly.
Download: openhardwaremonitor.org
Process Lasso
A power-user tool that monitors processes and lets you adjust their priority, affinity, and power profile in real time. Not a network monitor, but a credible CPU/RAM monitor with an action layer on top.
Where it falls short: Free tier limits configuration. Easy to over-tweak and create unintended throttling.
Pricing: Free base tier. Paid Pro for full features.
Vs TrafficMonitor: Process Lasso watches and intervenes; TrafficMonitor only watches.
Download: bitsum.com
Sniffnet
A modern, Rust-based network-traffic analyzer with a clean UI. Shows per-protocol breakdowns, top connections, and historical charts. The right pick if you want to actually look inside the traffic rather than just measure its speed.
Where it falls short: Newer project, smaller community. UI is more analytical than glanceable.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Vs TrafficMonitor: Sniffnet analyzes; TrafficMonitor displays. They solve different parts of the network-visibility problem.
Download: sniffnet.net
How to choose
Pick Rainmeter if you want a customizable dashboard and you are willing to invest time in skinning.
Pick GlassWire if you want to know which process is eating your bandwidth and you want to block it.
Pick NetWorx if you have a monthly data cap and need real usage tracking.
Pick Open Hardware Monitor (or LibreHardwareMonitor) if temperatures and sensors are what you care about most.
Pick Sniffnet if you want to understand the traffic shape, not just the speed.
Stay on TrafficMonitor if a tidy taskbar widget showing network speed, CPU, and RAM is exactly what you wanted. For that job nothing in this list is dramatically better, and TrafficMonitor is free and open source.
FAQ
Is TrafficMonitor safe to install?
Yes. It is open source under GPL-3.0 with the source on GitHub, and the installer is small and reproducible.
Does TrafficMonitor work on Windows 11?
Yes. The current builds target Windows 10 and 11 and survive most feature updates with minor re-pinning required.
What is the best free TrafficMonitor alternative for system monitoring?
Rainmeter for customization, Open Hardware Monitor for deep sensor data.
Can I track per-app bandwidth with TrafficMonitor?
No. TrafficMonitor shows total network speed. Per-process usage requires GlassWire or Sniffnet.
Does TrafficMonitor support GPU monitoring?
Through the LibreHardwareMonitor integration in 1.80 and later, basic GPU temperature and load are available when your hardware reports them.
