Skada

Skada is a free World of Warcraft combat meter for players who want live performance data, reusable fight history, and control over how that information appears. It is best for players who are comfortable managing an addon and, when needed, adding plugins; those wanting a game-agnostic desktop meter should choose another tool.

Overview

Skada combines a live overlay with session history, so you can monitor a current encounter and later switch to saved segments for closer inspection. Its modular design supports multiple windows and several presentation styles, while the project targets efficient memory and CPU use. That combination makes it a practical choice for raid, dungeon, and tank-performance review inside World of Warcraft, but it remains tied to Blizzard’s game and version ecosystem.

Key features

Configurable displays

Bar, Inline, and Data Text windows cover full rankings, compact readouts, and text-oriented interface layouts. Multiple windows can run together, allowing a detailed combat panel alongside a smaller persistent summary. Window customization and theme-string import or export help players preserve a preferred interface rather than rebuild it manually.

Segments and detail

Saved fight segments let you revisit individual encounters instead of relying only on the current session. You can inspect more or less detail according to whether you need a quick result or a deeper combat breakdown. Live overlay and session-history support make Skada useful for both in-fight awareness and post-fight review.

Midnight and integrations

The Midnight edition targets World of Warcraft 12.0 and later and uses Blizzard’s session-based combat systems. It adds UI presets, animated visual elements, and a built-in theme engine. Data Text also works with LDB display addons such as Titan Panel, ChocolateBar, and ElvUI, which is valuable if those already anchor your interface.

Plugins and extension

Third-party plugins provide graphs, tank-performance views, friendly-fire damage, and other metrics. The API allows developers to create additional plugins, giving advanced users room to extend the meter. The trade-off is that specialized analysis may require finding, installing, and maintaining separate additions.

Pricing

Skada costs nothing. The free plan covers the World of Warcraft Retail, Mists of Pandaria Classic, and Classic versions, with no paid tier or seat charge stated. Choosing the correct edition matters: Midnight is for WoW 12.0 and later, while the classic version serves older releases. GitHub Sponsors is suggested as a way to support development, not as a required purchase.

Platforms

Skada supports macOS and Windows through World of Warcraft. CurseForge lists Retail, Mists of Pandaria Classic, and Classic addon flavors. Its MIT license permits the project’s stated open-source distribution, and CurseForge lists an update dated July 23, 2026.

Who it's for

Choose Skada if you play World of Warcraft and want customizable combat windows, saved encounter segments, a live overlay, and optional metrics for damage or tank evaluation. It especially suits interface-focused players who already use LDB displays or are willing to add plugins. It is less suitable if you need a standalone analyzer across multiple games, a browser-first workflow, or a single package with every specialized metric built in.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free across listed WoW flavors: Retail, Mists of Pandaria Classic, and Classic editions are covered without a paid tier.
• Strong display control: Three window types, multiple simultaneous windows, theme exchange, and Midnight presets support varied layouts.
• Useful history: Saved segments and adjustable detail make encounter review more actionable than a single live number.
• Expandable analysis: Plugins and an API add graphs, tank metrics, and other specialized views.

Cons

• World of Warcraft only: It cannot serve as a general-purpose combat meter for other games.
• Edition management matters: WoW 12.0+ and older releases use different listed versions.
• Advanced metrics may require extras: Specialized displays depend on third-party plugins rather than the core addon.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of options, browse Game Damage Meters.

• Elite Insights is a free, MIT-licensed option for Linux, macOS, Windows, or self-hosted use.
• EQ Zera is a free web or Windows tool with no purchase, account, or sign-in requirement and no locked features.
• eqdps is free on Linux and Windows, with optional EQLDB uploads.
• Advanced Combat Tracker is free Windows desktop software.
• AwowLab Overlay offers a free Windows core experience without a paid tier.
• Combat Metrics is a free ESO addon, though required libraries are separate downloads.
• CombatDash is a free Windows community plugin focused on Creep classes in The Lord of the Rings Online.
• EQL Meter is a free MIT-licensed macOS and Windows app with no account or cloud backend.

Verdict

Skada is a strong pick for World of Warcraft players who want free, configurable combat tracking with saved segments and an extensible plugin model. Choose it for interface flexibility and version-specific WoW support; look elsewhere if you need a standalone, multi-game analyzer or prefer specialized metrics without managing add-ons.