---
title: These 6 Linux apps let you monitor system resources in style
source: https://www.howtogeek.com/these-linux-apps-let-you-monitor-system-resources-in-style/?utm_source=HTG-NL&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=HTG-202512180620&user=aXNoZW53ZWlAZ21haWwuY29t&lctg=a39708f4c0642e1c00f17eb5bc4da266eebe6f612af6132e145b5ba877adfec8
author: shenwei
published: 2025-12-16
created: 2025-12-18
description: Track system performance, kill tasks, and more with these beautiful resource monitors.
tags: []
---


### Summary

- I prefer TUI monitors: they're snappy, SSH-friendly; btop++ is my top pick.
- htop for minimal process detail; glances for lightweight speed; bottom for live graphs.
- Want GUIs? Mission Center is Task-Manager-like; Stacer is feature-packed for tweaking and maintenance.

Most popular Linux desktop environments come with their own resource managers, but if you don't like those defaults, you can always install an alternative manager. You can also replace those full-fat GUI resource managers with a lightweight command-line-based alternative.

## Btop++

[TUI (text user interface) apps](https://www.howtogeek.com/types-of-linux-terminal-programs-do-you-know-them-all/) make the best resource monitors, in my opinion. They're snappy and responsive, even when the GUI is lagging. You can even access them directly when you [SSH](https://www.howtogeek.com/114812/5-cool-things-you-can-do-with-an-ssh-server/) into a system. Btop++ is my favorite TUI monitor. You can install it directly from the official repos if you're using Pacman or grab the Snap package if you're on Debian or Ubuntu.

Launch it by opening the terminal and entering 'btop.'

```
btop
```

- ![Installing Btop++ using the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162246.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=2)

- ![Installing Btop++ using the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162246.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Launching Btop++ from the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170045.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![Installing Btop++ using the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162246.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1917&h=985&dpr=2)
- ![Launching Btop++ from the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170045.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1148&h=784&dpr=2)

- ![Installing Btop++ using the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162246.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Launching Btop++ from the terminal.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170045.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

The interface is split into different panels. You can see the CPU activity on the top, processes on the right, and memory, storage, and networking on the left.

The process menu is interactive and functional. You can press 'f' to search through the processes. Alternatively, you can use the mouse wheel or the arrow keys to scroll through the processes. Once you've selected a target process, you can send signals to the process. Press 't' to terminate a process (which sends a normal termination signal that lets the application save data before quitting) or press 'k' to instantly [kill a process without warning](https://www.howtogeek.com/413213/how-to-kill-processes-from-the-linux-terminal/). You can send other signals by typing 's' and choosing from the menu. Btop++ even lets you [set a priority level for the processes using Nice values](https://www.howtogeek.com/411979/how-to-set-process-priorities-with-the-nice-and-renice-commands-in-linux/).

- ![The Btop++ dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162407.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=2)

- ![The Btop++ dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162407.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Renice processes with Btop++.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162632.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![The Btop++ dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162407.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1892&h=985&dpr=2)
- ![Renice processes with Btop++.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162632.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1903&h=1030&dpr=2)
- ![Btop++ process signals.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162633.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1596&h=825&dpr=2)
- ![Changing Btop++ skins.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162929.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1909&h=1019&dpr=2)
- ![Btop++ theme settings.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-163009.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1867&h=1004&dpr=2)

- ![The Btop++ dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162407.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Renice processes with Btop++.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162632.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Btop++ process signals.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162633.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Changing Btop++ skins.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-162929.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Btop++ theme settings.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-163009.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

Also, you can change the theme and color scheme from the menu.

## Htop

Like btop, htop is also a TUI resource monitor, but it takes a more minimal approach. Try Htop if you want a monitor that focuses more on the running processes. It's mostly keyboard-driven via function keys. You can press F3 to search processes or use arrow keys to scroll through them. F9 force quits or kills the selected process, and you can change its assigned priority levels using F7 and F8.

- ![Htop in action.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201019.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=2)

- ![Htop in action.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201019.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Adding meters to the Htop interface.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170255.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![Htop in action.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201019.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1919&h=987&dpr=2)
- ![Adding meters to the Htop interface.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170255.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1919&h=1023&dpr=2)
- ![Chaing the Htop theme.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170332.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1919&h=879&dpr=2)

- ![Htop in action.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201019.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Adding meters to the Htop interface.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170255.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Chaing the Htop theme.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-170332.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

By default, Htop shows the memory and CPU core meters, but you can enter the setup (F2 key) and add more meters if you like. There, you can add battery, clock, and networking meters to the layout with a single click.

## Glances

Glances is even more lightweight and entirely keyboard-driven, but it's really zippy. You can install it directly from the Arch and Debian repos, but can also get it as a [Snap package](https://www.howtogeek.com/apt-vs-snap-vs-flatpak-ubuntu-package-managers-explained/) if you're on Debian/Ubuntu. Launch glances by opening a terminal and entering the following command.

```
glances
```

- ![The Glances dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171648.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=2)

- ![The Glances dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171648.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Glances shortcuts.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171634.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![The Glances dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171648.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1917&h=915&dpr=2)
- ![Glances shortcuts.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171634.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1543&h=842&dpr=2)

- ![The Glances dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171648.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Glances shortcuts.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-171634.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

The monitor shows you the networking stats, the CPU usage, memory, and file storage at a glance. The biggest panel is the process monitor, which you can browse using the arrow keys. Press 'h' to see all available commands. You can quickly kill a process by pressing 'k.'

## Bottom

If you want a closer look at the CPU, network, and memory usage, try Bottom. It focuses more on graphing the live performance stats and less on the processes. It's not interactive, so you can't use it as a task manager. Bottom is purely a resource monitor. It can show the processes in different views too, including a tree view that connects related processes.

![Bottom resource monitoring dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-173931.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2)

It's not available in the Debian/Ubuntu repos, but you can install it as a Snap package. It's available in the official Arch repos, so you can install it directly using Pacman.

## Mission Center

The resource monitors I've listed so far are all TUI applications, but if you're looking for a full-fledged GUI app, Mission Center has got you covered. It's polished and packed with every feature you could ask for. You can install it directly from the Arch repos, but it's only available as a Snap package for Debian/Ubuntu systems.

```
sudo snap install mission-center
```

- ![Mission Center performance tab.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-181257.png?q=70&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=1)

- ![Mission Center performance tab.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-181257.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Mission Center apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201613.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![Mission Center performance tab.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-181257.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1113&h=785&dpr=2)
- ![Mission Center apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201613.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1090&h=796&dpr=2)
- ![Mission Center active services.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201625.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1063&h=777&dpr=2)

- ![Mission Center performance tab.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-181257.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Mission Center apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201613.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Mission Center active services.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-201625.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

The app has three tabs: performance, apps, and services. It's a lot like the Windows Task Manager with its graphical performance charts, where you can see the real-time CPU and memory usage. On the Apps tab, you'll see active apps and processes. Right-click on any of these apps to terminate them or force kill them. You can also view resource usage details for the processes. The Services tab shows user and system services, which you can stop or restart with one click.

## Stacer

Stacer is another GUI-based resource manager and monitor. It offers more features than any other app on this list. The dashboard has visual meters for CPU, memory, and disk usage. You can see a detailed graphical history of the CPU and memory loads in another tab. There is a tab for reviewing processes and ending them. You can also disable or enable services on the Services tab.

- ![Stacer dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194026.png?q=70&fit=contain&w=750&h=422&dpr=1)

- ![Stacer dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194026.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer startup apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194035.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=167&h=93&dpr=2)

- ![Stacer dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194026.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1160&h=808&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer startup apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194035.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1037&h=699&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer cache cleaner.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-195228.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1919&h=1019&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer processes.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194014.png?q=49&fit=contain&w=1846&h=974&dpr=2)

- ![Stacer dashboard.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194026.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer startup apps.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194035.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer cache cleaner.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-195228.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)
- ![Stacer processes.](https://static0.howtogeekimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ksnip_20251212-194014.png?q=49&fit=crop&w=145&h=85&dpr=2)

Beyond the standard resource monitoring, you can also configure startup apps, uninstall packages, and [add repos for the APT package manager](https://www.howtogeek.com/add-a-repository-on-debian/). If you're using the GNOME desktop environment, Stacer lets you reconfigure window settings and tweak the desktop experience. Finally, there's a button for auto-clearing junk files and cache.

---

Out of all the TUI resource managers I've tried, Btop++ always gets my vote. It features a nice balance between usability and aesthetics. If you want extra features, try Stacer and if you want something close to the Windows Task Manager, Mission Center is your friend.