Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HWiNFO VS Open Hardware Monitor

Compare HWiNFO VS Open Hardware Monitor and see what are their differences

HWiNFO logo HWiNFO

Professional System Information and Diagnostics. Comprehensive Hardware Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting for Windows and DOS. FREEWARE. download. Advertisements.

Open Hardware Monitor logo Open Hardware Monitor

Monitors temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load and clock speeds, with optional graph.
  • HWiNFO Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-25
  • Open Hardware Monitor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31

HWiNFO features and specs

  • Comprehensive Hardware Monitoring
    HWiNFO provides detailed information about system hardware, including CPU, GPU, motherboard, RAM, and more, which helps users monitor and diagnose hardware components easily.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    The software offers real-time monitoring of system sensors, such as temperature, voltage, and fan speeds, allowing users to keep an eye on critical system parameters.
  • Custom Alerts
    HWiNFO allows users to set custom alerts for various hardware parameters, ensuring they are informed of any abnormal conditions promptly.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface is intuitive and provides detailed yet organized information, making it accessible for both novices and advanced users.
  • Free for Personal Use
    HWiNFO is free for personal and non-commercial use, providing powerful tools without the need for a financial investment.

Possible disadvantages of HWiNFO

  • Overwhelming Amount of Information
    For users who are not technically savvy, the extensive amount of data provided can be overwhelming and potentially confusing.
  • Limited Logging
    The software's logging capabilities are somewhat limited, which might not meet the needs of users requiring extensive and long-term data logging.
  • No Mac Version
    HWiNFO is not available for macOS, limiting its use to Windows and DOS platforms only.
  • Basic Graphical Presentation
    The graphical presentation of data, such as charts and graphs, may appear basic and less visually appealing compared to some other monitoring tools.
  • No Built-in Stress Testing
    Unlike some competitors, HWiNFO does not include built-in stress testing tools, so users need additional software for stress testing purposes.

Open Hardware Monitor features and specs

  • Free and Open Source
    Open Hardware Monitor is available for free and its source code is open to the public, allowing for transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    The software supports a broad range of hardware devices including CPUs, GPUs, hard drives, and motherboards, making it versatile for various monitoring needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The application features a straightforward and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize the display and logging options to fit their specific needs, providing flexibility in how data is monitored and recorded.
  • Portable
    Open Hardware Monitor can be used without installation, allowing it to be run from a USB drive or other portable media.

Possible disadvantages of Open Hardware Monitor

  • No Official Support
    Since it is an open-source project, there is no official customer support, which can be a disadvantage for users needing immediate assistance.
  • Limited Development Updates
    The project development and updates have slowed down, making it potentially less reliable for the latest hardware and operating systems.
  • Windows-Centric
    While primarily designed for Windows, its functionality on other operating systems like Linux and macOS can be limited or require additional configuration.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    Certain newer or less common hardware components may not be fully supported, leading to incomplete or inaccurate monitoring data.
  • No Integrated Alerts
    The software does not offer built-in alert systems for critical hardware statuses, necessitating manual monitoring and intervention.

HWiNFO videos

HWiNFO Walkthrough

More videos:

  • Review - Product Review - HWiNFO - Professional System Information and Diagnostics
  • Review - HWiNFO - an introduction of THE Monitoring Tool

Open Hardware Monitor videos

open hardware monitor video, dawnload and tutorial.wmv

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HWiNFO and Open Hardware Monitor)
Monitoring Tools
48 48%
52% 52
Device Management
52 52%
48% 48
System Information
60 60%
40% 40
Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare HWiNFO and Open Hardware Monitor

HWiNFO Reviews


8 Best SpeedFan Alternatives for Computers for Windows and Mac
They have got a bunch of add-ons, which will increase the usability of the platform. HWiNFO has a system health monitor. It can alert you when something goes south. Mac users may be disappointed to know that it’s only available for Windows. Another best feature we liked about the software is its ability to export overviews into XML, HTML, and CSV formats.
Source: xtendedview.com
HWMonitor Review & Alternatives for 2023
There are also add-ons to enhance the core monitoring experience of HWiNFO. Add-ons available for HWiNFO include RivaTuner/MSI Afterburner/EVGA Precision On-ScreenDisplay, Rainmeter plug-in, HWiNFOMonitor, LCDHost plug-in, and more. Each add-on adds a new feature to the program. For example, the HWiNFOMonitor extension adds a customizable sidebar that adds additional graphs...
7 Best Speedfan Alternatives for 2023
There are also a number of plugins you can download for HWiNFO to monitor your system even better. For a free application, it offers a lot and many people donate to the developers because they like it so much. Unfortunately, HWiNFO is not compatible for mac users.
11 Best CPU Temperature Monitor For Windows PC To Check Accurate CPU Temp Readings
HWiNFO is another CPU temperature monitor for Windows PC to check CPU temp, GPU temp, CPU load, frequency, and fan speed. This system information tool displays tons of info about your PC hardware. If you simply want to monitor CPU temp then HWiNFO is not your choice because the way this tool shows data might confuse you.
Source: www.softlay.com
20 Programs to Analyze and Benchmark Your Hardware
If HWinfo shows far too much detail for you, then there's always Speccy. This little program is made by the developers of CCleaner and it's essentially a system summary. There is some sensor logging built in, as you can see in the image below: the little green bar graphs actively plot temperature values or amount of RAM, storage, etc used.

Open Hardware Monitor Reviews

HWMonitor Review & Alternatives for 2023
Open Hardware Monitor is an on-device utility for PCs running Windows. The tool reports on the hardware statuses on the computer on which it is installed, which means that it doesn’t operate as a remote monitoring system. However, this software is available for use free of charge.
Top 8 BEST NZXT CAM ALTERNATIVES
The Open Hardware Monitor supports most hardware monitoring chips present on today’s mainboards. The core temperature sensors on Intel and AMD processors can be used to monitor the CPU temperature. The temperature of AMD and Nvidia visual cards and the temperature of SMART hard drives can be viewed. The monitored values can be presented in the main window, a desktop gadget,...
Source: gisuser.com
10 Best Nzxt CAM Alternatives
The Open Hardware Monitor interface is like a directory. It’s not as optimized as the Nzxt CAM interface, but it’s much easier to use. Just click on a specific hardware and get all the information about it.
11 Best CPU Temperature Monitor For Windows PC To Check Accurate CPU Temp Readings
The Open Hardware Monitor is a free open source tool that monitors CPU temperature, fan, and clock speeds, and voltages of a PC. Due to its lightweight and simplicity, it is one of the best PC temp monitoring software. You can easily check CPU temperature and maintain it under optimal limits.
Source: www.softlay.com
20 Programs to Analyze and Benchmark Your Hardware
If you're after a monitoring program for a Linux computer, your options are unfortunately rather limited. However, for 10 years, software developer Michael Möller has been running an open source project to help fill this niche -- meet Open Hardware Monitor.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Open Hardware Monitor seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 154 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

HWiNFO mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of HWiNFO yet. Tracking of HWiNFO recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Open Hardware Monitor mentions (154)

  • Game freezes every few minutes or so
    Https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ this tells you your temps Https://www.geeks3d.com/20211115/gpu-caps-viewer-1-54-released/ This cranks your gpu to max Https://www.jam-software.com/heavyload this cranks your CPU to max. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Free Tech Tools and Resources - Hardware Monitor, Offboarding Script, WiFi Scanner & More
    Open Hardware Monitor tracks critical system metrics, including temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load, and clock speeds. Monitored data can be displayed in the primary application window, a customizable desktop gadget, or the system tray. -SPOF recommends it for "real-time monitoring of CPU, GPU, and hard drive temperatures, as well as fan speeds and voltages.". Source: about 1 year ago
  • My multi-monitor desktop setup (not pretty but useful)
    Programs (mostly free/sharewares): Google desktop apps: Google Chrome or MS Edge or whatever you use as a browser. And if you're lazy: https://chromeless.app/ to create the apps. Microsoft PowerToys: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/ Total Commander: https://www.ghisler.com/ ContaCam: https://www.contaware.com/contacam.html Open Hardware Monitor: https://openhardwaremonitor.org/ Stickies:... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Game crashing every match.
    Game crashes all the time and you already did all of the above = all aboard the diagnostics train as it may be a number of things, from bad graphics card driver all the way overheating problems or malfunctioning components. Do the easy steps first (clean reinstall of the graphics driver + checking temps, under heavy load, and googling what's the maximum safe temperature for your processor + graphics card, it... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Why is my PC unbearably feeble despite having decent specs?
    Open Hardware Monitor is pretty simple and solid. Just look through all the statistics for anything that's a temperature and make sure none of them are higher than, say, 50c when idle, or ~80c when you're doing something. Laptops have a slightly wider range of acceptable temperatures so there wouldn't be any immediate cause for alarm if it was slightly hotter than that, as long as you were doing something... Source: over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing HWiNFO and Open Hardware Monitor, you can also consider the following products

CPU-Z - CPU-Z is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system : Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels.

SpeedFan - Hardware monitor for Windows that can access digital temperature sensors located on several 2-wire SMBus Serial Bus. Can access voltages and fan speeds and control fan speeds. Includes technical articles and docs.

Speccy - Speccy - find the details of your computer's specs. Great for spotting issues or finding compatible upgrades. Download the latest version free.

AIDA64 - AIDA64 is a system information, diagnostics and benchmarking solution for Windows PC.

iStat Menus - "An advanced Mac system monitor for your menubar."

Neofetch - Fancier version of Screenfetch that displays colors and supports more platforms.