Live speeds in the menu bar
Download and upload rates update every 1, 2 or 5 seconds in a monospaced-digit label that does not jitter. Show both directions, or just one.
Open source · macOS 14+ · Universal binary · System Monitoring
Your network speed,
always in the menu bar
NetPulseBar shows live download and upload rates in your menu bar. Click it for a 60-second graph, your active interface and IP, and usage totals for today, this month and all time.
Free & MIT licensed · Apple Silicon & Intel · Latest release
Features
Small app, accurate numbers.
Everything you need to watch your connection, and nothing that leaves your Mac.
Bytes or bits, your choice
Switch between bytes per second and bits per second, and choose whether the menu bar shows download, upload or both.
Sparklines and usage totals
The popover charts the last 60 seconds for download and upload, and tracks bytes used today, this month and all time with a Reset Counters button.
Counts the right interfaces
Wi-Fi, Ethernet and tethering are counted by default. VPN tunnels, bridges and AirDrop links are off to avoid double counting, and you can toggle each one.
Connection details at a glance
See the active interface name, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and your local IPv4 address. The label reads Offline when there is no connection.
Private and dependency-free
Built with Swift, SwiftUI and AppKit with no third-party packages. No packets are inspected and nothing leaves your Mac.
Screenshots
See it in action.
Install
Up and running in a minute.
NetPulseBar is open source and not notarized with a paid Apple Developer ID, so macOS needs one extra step the first time.
- Download NetPulseBar-macOS.zip and unzip it.
- Move NetPulseBar.app to your Applications folder.
- Clear the quarantine flag once, then right-click the app and choose Open:
xattr -cr /Applications/NetPulseBar.app
- No special permissions are required if you enable Launch at login, macOS may ask you to approve it in System Settings General Login Items.
Download
Get NetPulseBar for macOS
Free, forever. Built for macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Not notarized: on first launch right-click NetPulseBar.app → Open.
- macOS 14 Sonoma+
- Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel)
- MIT licensed · open source
- No ads, no accounts, no telemetry
- Built with Claude Code · how and why
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is NetPulseBar free and open source?
Yes. It is free to use and released under the MIT license, with the full source on GitHub. If it is useful to you, there is an optional Support button that links to Ko-fi.
What permissions does it need?
None. It reads interface byte counters, watches connectivity and looks up interface names without any privacy prompt. The only system interaction is the optional Launch at login toggle, which macOS may ask you to approve in Login Items.
Where is my data stored?
Daily totals are saved as JSON at ~/Library/Application Support/NetPulseBar/usage.json and kept for 400 days. Nothing is sent anywhere, and the Clear History button in Settings deletes it.
Why isn't the app notarized?
Notarization requires a paid Apple Developer account, which this free project does not have. Right-click the app and choose Open once to launch it, or build it yourself from source with Xcode and XcodeGen.
Was this written by AI?
Yes. NetPulseBar was generated by Claude Code from a written spec as a clean-room reimplementation, with no code or assets from any commercial app. The full source is on GitHub under MIT, so you can read every line before you run it. It has had less human review than a hand-written app, so bug reports are welcome.
Support ❤️
Built by one person, given away for free.
NetPulseBar is a free, open-source alternative to paid utilities. If it earns a spot on your Mac, a coffee keeps the updates coming.
☕ Support Or on Ko-fi