Side by side
Autoruns vs htop
Both stand on system information software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Windows
Choose Autoruns if you need a free Windows tool to inspect startup items across many system locations and manage their configurations. Its Autorunsc companion adds command-line output and offline scanning. Look elsewhere if you need a non-Windows platform or official Microsoft support.
Visit Autoruns
Free plan LinuxMac
htop provides a terminal-based way to view processes, with controls for I/O priority and CPU affinity. Keep in mind that it does not report SWAP use per process.
Visit htopThe facts
| Autoruns | htop | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Windows | Linux, Mac |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | learn.microsoft.com | htop.dev |
| On system information software | #7 of 34 | #11 of 34 |
Autoruns: what it does well
- Reports startup entries across folders, Registry keys, services, tasks, and more.
- Can hide signed Microsoft entries to focus on third-party items.
- Supports disabling or deleting startup configuration entries.
- Autorunsc can export CSV or tab-delimited data and scan offline systems.
- Free to use on devices owned or supported, with no use limit.
What to know first
- Runs on Windows only.
- VirusTotal features require accepting VirusTotal's terms.
- Microsoft provides no official support for Sysinternals tools.
- Redistribution requires a license.
htop: what it does well
- Free, with source code and distribution binaries.
- Supports Linux, BSD systems, macOS, and Solaris.
- Offers Unicode graphs and a tree view.
- Can configure I/O priority and CPU affinity.
- Customizable header meters and terminal color themes.
What to know first
- Requires ncurses and a text-mode terminal.
- No per-process SWAP column is provided.
Alternatives to Autoruns Alternatives to htop The whole list