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Bandwidth Monitor vs bwmon

Both stand on bandwidth monitoring software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Bandwidth Monitor

Free plan APIiPhoneLinux+4

Pick Bandwidth Monitor if you want a free, self-hosted Linux dashboard with traffic views, network diagnostics, and an API. Look elsewhere if you need a daemon that runs on macOS, Windows, or iOS, or cannot grant the required network permissions for some functions.

Visit Bandwidth Monitor

bwmon

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

bwmon combines live process visibility with spike records and six months of local history for a single host. Its Linux, root-access, and interface limits make it a focused self-hosted option.

Visit bwmon

The facts

Bandwidth Monitorbwmon
Free planYesYes
Open sourceNot publishedNot published
Runs onAPI, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, WindowsAPI, Linux, Self-hosted, Web
Lowest paid planNot publishedFree or on request
Plans publishedNone1
MakerNot publishedNot published
Websitegithub.comgithub.com
On bandwidth monitoring software#7 of 33#3 of 33

Bandwidth Monitor: what it does well

  • Free and open source under GNU AGPL v3.0.
  • Shows interface rates, top talkers, host details, and traffic history.
  • Includes network diagnostics such as traceroute and DNS checks.
  • Optional integrations cover DNS and WiFi services.
  • Provides JSON endpoints and a live Server-Sent Events stream.

What to know first

  • The dashboard daemon runs on Linux only.
  • Some statistics require CAP_NET_ADMIN or root.
  • Some capture and diagnostic functions require CAP_NET_RAW or root.
  • The iOS client requires a reachable running instance.

bwmon: what it does well

  • Live receive and transmit rates refresh every second.
  • Records process attribution when traffic spikes.
  • Keeps five-minute samples for six months.
  • Licensed under MIT.

What to know first

  • Monitors only one network interface.
  • Requires Linux kernel 4.0 or later and root access.
  • Other distributions need manual dependency installation.
  • Internet-exposed installs need authentication precautions.

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