bottom (btm) review
A free, open-source monitor for interactive local system and process visibility.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
bottom (btm) is an open-source, terminal-based graphical process and system monitor for developers, system administrators, and command-line users. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with views for CPU, memory, swap, network, temperature, disk I/O, disk capacity, and battery information. Its process table includes CPU, memory, I/O, user, state, and uptime data, while process tree mode helps show relationships between running processes. The free distribution includes prebuilt binaries and package-manager installation options.
The strongest fit is interactive, local host monitoring. Users can sort, group, filter, and search processes, inspect them in a tree, and terminate selected processes with kill-signal controls. System information appears through configurable widgets and graphs, and command-line or configuration-file customization supports tailored layouts, themes, filters, and widget arrangements. These capabilities make bottom (btm) particularly suitable when visibility and direct process control matter more than centralized administration.
Its scope is narrower than a monitoring system designed for alerting or fleet operations. The product focuses on the current host rather than remote monitoring, integrations, or verified alert workflows. Documentation describes configurable historical graph ranges, but the product is best understood as an interactive terminal monitor rather than a long-term observability platform. Choose bottom (btm) for free, cross-platform process inspection and customization; choose another product when remote visibility, connected services, or alert-driven monitoring are central requirements.
bottom (btm) pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Open-source monitoring across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Graphs, widgets, filters, process trees, and configurable layouts
- Process sorting, search, grouping, and termination controls
- Where it doesn't
- No verified alerting capabilities
- No remote monitoring or integrations
- History is configurable by graph range rather than retention period
bottom (btm) fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update