Conky
Conky is a free desktop system monitor for Linux and other listed systems. It can place system information on the desktop or in a separate window, showing details such as uptime, CPU and memory use, disks, processes, and network activity. Its built-in objects can present information as text, progress bars, or graph widgets, with adjustable fonts, colors, alignment, borders, and window dimensions. Conky can also display data gathered by scripts and external programs. It includes IMAP and POP3 mail support and integrations with MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious music players. Lua scripts and hooks are available when the build has Lua support enabled. The project lists Linux, BSD variants, macOS, and other systems; Wayland use has caveats. Output can go to a console, file, or HTTP. Many package managers offer Conky, and the project also lists an AppImage and Nix flake. The AppImage may need extra runtime libraries. Its Docker guide warns that displayed information may describe the container rather than the host.
Who it is for
Conky suits people who want configurable system information on a desktop and are comfortable using configuration, scripts, or programs. It also supports users who want mail, music-player, or feed and calendar information in their monitor.
What is good
- Free software with no free-trial requirement.
- Shows CPU, memory, disk, process, and network statistics.
- Supports text, progress bars, and graph widgets.
- Includes IMAP and POP3 mail support.
- Can output to console, file, or HTTP.
What to know first
- Wayland use comes with caveats.
- Lua features require Lua-enabled builds.
- AppImage may need extra runtime libraries.
- Container values may reflect the container, not host.
Verdict
Conky offers a configurable way to keep system information visible, with multiple display formats and script support. Its setup and runtime caveats matter, especially for Lua builds, Wayland use, and Docker.
Compared on system information software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- cross_platform
- Widget categories
- text, progress bars, graph widgets, RSS feeds, calendar events
- System monitoring
- Yes
- Custom layouts
- Yes
- Weather widgets
- No
- Calendar widgets
- Yes
- Feed widgets
- Yes
