Name: Vitals Buddy
Price: 5.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (186 reviews)
Author: Vitals Buddy

Question 1

How is Vitals Buddy different from Activity Monitor?

Accepted Answer

Activity Monitor lists processes, about a thousand on a working Mac. Vitals Buddy lists apps. Every helper is added to the app that launched it, so each app has one figure for memory, CPU, energy, disk and network. Vitals Buddy also keeps 30 days of history, sends a notification when an app misbehaves, lives in the menu bar, and finds dev servers left running.

Question 2

Does it replace Activity Monitor completely?

Accepted Answer

For everyday questions, yes: what is using the memory, what is draining the battery, what is slowing the Mac down. You can quit or force quit an app or a single process from Vitals Buddy. Activity Monitor still has a few specialist tools, such as sampling a process, that Vitals Buddy does not copy.

Question 3

Does it slow my Mac down?

Accepted Answer

With no window open it samples every five seconds and uses about a tenth of a percent of one core. It samples faster only while you are looking at it.

Question 4

Which Macs does it run on?

Accepted Answer

macOS 15 Sequoia or later, on Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 chips) and Intel. Power and temperature figures are most detailed on Apple silicon.

Question 5

Can I arrange the menu bar like iStat Menus?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every readout can be its own menu bar item, a value, a graph or both, and you ⌘-drag them into any order. The dropdown and the window are yours to arrange too: choose the tabs, and show, hide or reorder the sections on each.

Question 6

Does it live in the Dock or the menu bar?

Accepted Answer

Both, if you like. It is always in the menu bar. Turn on Show in Dock and it stays in the Dock like Activity Monitor; opened by hand it shows its window, and at login it stays in the menu bar.

Question 7

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

The regular price is $29 for one Mac. During the launch it is $5 for the first licenses, and the price goes up as they sell. It is one payment, not a subscription. The count on this page comes from our licensing server, so it is the real number.

Question 8

Do I pay again for updates?

Accepted Answer

No. Every update is included for life. There are no paid upgrades and no renewal.

Question 9

How many Macs can I use it on?

Accepted Answer

As many as you pay for. One license covers one Mac, and two Macs cost twice that. For more, pick 5, 10, 25 or 50 Macs on the pricing card. You get one license key that works on that many Macs, and each Mac costs less as the bundle gets bigger: $99 for 5, up to $699 for 50. During the launch, a bundle costs the launch price for each Mac if that is less. Move a license to a new Mac whenever you like, with no account and no email to support.

Question 10

How does the 50% back offer work?

Accepted Answer

Buy Vitals Buddy, post about it on X, Reels, TikTok or Shorts, and email us the link. At 2,000 views we refund half of what you paid, and at 20,000 views we refund all of it. On X it takes 10,000 and 50,000 impressions. You keep your license. The cash back page has the rules.

Question 11

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

No, but there is a 14-day refund. If Vitals Buddy is not for you, email us and we refund the payment.

Question 12

How do I get the app after paying?

Accepted Answer

The download link is on the page you land on after checkout. Your license key arrives by email within a minute. If you lose either, enter your key on the download page to get the link again.

Question 13

Why is it not on the Mac App Store?

Accepted Answer

The App Store sandbox stops an app from reading other apps' processes, which is the one thing an activity monitor has to do. Vitals Buddy is signed with our Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens like any other app.

Question 14

Does it send anything about my Mac anywhere?

Accepted Answer

Nothing about what you run. Your apps, your history and your project names stay on the Mac. Vitals Buddy goes online only to check for updates and to check your license. Activating sends the key, the Mac's name and an anonymous ID, so you can tell your Macs apart when you move a license.

Question 15

What is the optional helper?

Accepted Answer

macOS only lets an app read your own processes. To include the system's, you can enable a small helper. It answers one question, how much these processes are using, takes no commands, changes nothing, and quits when Vitals Buddy closes. Vitals Buddy works without it.

Question 16

Can Vitals Buddy quit apps on its own?

Accepted Answer

No. It only quits an app, a process or a dev server when you ask, and it shows a confirmation first.

Privacy Policy

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