Rainmeter vs Stats (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Stats grades higher than Rainmeter: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Stats grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Rainmeter if
- Fits if you want live system stats on a custom Windows desktop
- Works for hobbyists who like editing their own skins
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are on Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
- Not for you if you want a finished look out of the box, as only a few starter skins ship with it
- Watch out: skins from outside rainmeter.net are downloaded at your own risk, the site warns
- Too light for support, as help comes from forums and Discord
Pick Stats if
- Fits if you want CPU, memory and network readings in the Mac menu bar at no cost
- Works for Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 12 or newer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to control your fans, since that part is in legacy mode with no updates or fixes
- Not for you if you run macOS betas, which aren't supported, or Windows or Linux
- Too light for anyone who needs a support line, as one solo developer handles problems through GitHub issues
- Watch out: the Sensors and Bluetooth modules are the least efficient, and turning them off can cut its CPU use by up to 50%
How we grade them
| 2.6GPARainmeterGood | 2.8GPAStatsGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, open source under GPL v2 since 2001, under 60% of the cheaper quarter. | AFree and open source under the MIT licence, a download anyone can run, with no subscriptions and optional donations. System Stats, a separate remote monitoring service from the same developer, is where the paid plans are. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free, with no paid edition listed. | AAll 9 modules and 13 widget styles are free, as a direct download or through Homebrew. Nothing in the app is held back for paying users. |
| Features | CSkins, hardware meters and a skin language. The finished look depends on skins you find or write, so it is a toolkit more than a finished product. | CMenu bar readings are its one job and it covers them: CPU load and temperature with the hungriest processes, GPU, memory pressure, disk and SMART health, network speeds, sensors, battery cycles, Bluetooth levels. Fan control is the hole: the listing says it's legacy, with no updates or fixes. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. The site says a finished look usually means finding or building skins and tweaking them by hand. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and the readings appear in the menu bar. A tip from the developer, turning off the Sensors and Bluetooth modules can cut its CPU use by up to 50% in some cases. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows 7 or above only. No Mac, Linux or phone version. | DMac only, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 12 or newer. Beta versions of macOS aren't supported. The one hook-up is System Stats, for watching a Mac from another device. |
| Best for | custom desktop skins on Windows | free system readings in the Mac menu bar |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Rainmeter and Stats. How we grade
Price against what you get
Rainmeter has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stats has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Stats scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Rainmeter for less, and none scores higher than Stats for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Stats also covers menu bar app.
In commonFree planOpen sourceWorks offlineSystem monitor
At a glance
| Rainmeter | Stats | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The full app is free, open source software under the GNU GPL v2 license. | The whole app is free and open source, with no subscriptions. System Stats, a separate remote monitoring service from the same developer, has paid plans. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Rainmeter | exelban |
| Price read from | rainmeter.net | mac-stats.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Rainmeter
- Windows 7 or above only.
- Skins from sources other than rainmeter.net are downloaded at the user's own risk, as the site warns.
- Beyond a few starter skins, getting a finished look usually means finding or building skins and tweaking them by hand.
Stats
- macOS only. It supports macOS 12 Monterey and newer, and beta versions of macOS are not supported.
- Fan control is in legacy mode and receives no updates or fixes.
- The Sensors and Bluetooth modules are the least efficient; the developer says disabling them can cut the app's CPU use by up to 50% in some cases.
- It is maintained by a solo developer, and the FAQ points users with problems to the project's GitHub issues.
Key features
Rainmeter
- Desktop skins
- Displays customizable skins directly on the desktop, such as clocks, weather, system meters and audio visualizers.
- Hardware usage meters
- Skins can read system statistics like CPU, memory and network use.
- Own skins
- Skins are written in a simple language, so users can modify existing ones or build new ones.
- Community skin library
- The vendor points to DeviantArt, Reddit, its own forums and Discord as places to find skins.
- Light resource use
- The site says it uses very little hardware resources on Windows 7 through Windows 11.
- Documentation
- A getting-started guide and a documentation site cover the skin language and the app.
Stats
- CPU and GPU
- Real-time CPU load, frequency and temperature with a list of the most demanding processes, plus GPU utilization, memory and temperature for Intel, AMD and Apple silicon graphics.
- RAM and disk
- Memory pressure, used and free RAM, swap and the top memory-consuming apps, along with free and used disk space, read and write activity and SMART health for each drive.
- Network
- Upload and download speeds, total data usage, and local and public IP addresses.
- Sensors, battery and Bluetooth
- Temperature, voltage, power and fan-speed sensors, battery charge, health and cycle count, and the battery levels of connected Bluetooth devices.
- 13 widget styles
- Each module can appear in the menu bar as a chart, a number, a gauge or a dot, and widgets can be combined, reordered and recolored.
- Remote module
- Stats can stream metrics to System Stats, a separate web dashboard service from the same developer, so a Mac can be monitored from another device.
Plans
Rainmeter
Free$0
Open source under the GNU GPL v2 license; no paid edition is listed.
Stats
Stats$0
All 9 modules and 13 widget styles, as a direct download or through Homebrew. Open source under the MIT license; donations are optional.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Rainmeter or Stats?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Rainmeter and Stats are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Rainmeter or Stats?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Rainmeter and Stats have a free plan.
Which platforms do Rainmeter and Stats run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Rainmeter lists a Windows app and only Stats lists a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.