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Can anyone introduce me a Mac OS X application that monitors all network activity such as what applications are now connected to the internet and how much bandwidth they use (I mean show bandwidth separately for each application)?

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same question on stackoverflow: stackoverflow.com/questions/101474/… –  Cawas Nov 19 '10 at 0:42

10 Answers 10

If you don't want to buy any fancy GUI software, you can try nettop in Terminal.app

Use the arrow keys or w or s keys for scrolling. Use -n option to disable IP address reverse resolution.

Example of an output:

                                                               interface           state      packets in        bytes in
iTunes.35506                                                                                           0           0 B
    tcp6 *.3689<->*.*                                                             Listen
    tcp4 *:3689<->*:*                                                             Listen
    tcp4 *:57929<->*:*                                                            Listen
Last.fm.35511                                                                                          0           0 B
    tcp4<->*:*                                       lo0          Listen
    tcp4<->*:*                                       lo0          Listen
Spotify.35589                                                                                        380         227 KiB
    tcp4<->                     en1     Established             194          34 KiB
    tcp4 *:57621<->*:*                                                            Listen
    tcp4 *:49858<->*:*                                                            Listen
    tcp4<->                      en1     Established             186         192 KiB
    tcp4<->*:*                                        lo0          Listen
    tcp4<->*:*                                        lo0          Listen

Pretty awesome right? Best of all, nettop is embedded in OSX (well at least in Mountain Lion).

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This is perfect, and if you press the <kbd>d</kbd> key, you can toggle between cumulative totals and the "diff" mode (how much each app used in the last second). –  Tom Panning Jan 14 '13 at 17:00
press c-for simplified view for more help h –  netsmertia Apr 2 at 18:38
Is there any way nettop can real-time sort such that processes using the most (current snapshot instead of historical) bandwidth are listed first? –  Johnny Utahh Nov 17 at 14:39

Rubbernet looks good.


enter image description here

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This app is exactly what the OP is asking for. It works. –  Mark Beaton Apr 25 '12 at 6:19

Try LittleSnitch:


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I have LittleSnitch but it just show what application use internet don't show BW for each application –  Am1rr3zA Oct 3 '09 at 21:12
it does show which apps are currently using bandwidth which at times is enough... –  rogerdpack Jan 15 '12 at 1:47

Rubbernet is something that does everything you ask for. HOWEVER be warned. It is expensive, and it does not come with the features you'd expect for in basic freeware, let alone an expensive piece of software for monitoring usage. Limitations include:

  • loses all measured data when laptop sleeps
  • loses all measured data when VPN status changes
  • no "total measure" on the summary page: only the individual amounts used per app
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Furthermore, the support is non-existent. No documentation, no response to tickets... –  GreenAsJade Oct 29 '12 at 20:58

If you have some Command Line know how, there are some Unix tools you may be able to take advantage of.

iftop: Won't give you a per application breakdown but it will give you a breakdown by remote host. This means that you can at least see who you're sending information too and how much. It's also installable via DarwinPorts.

nethogs: This one may not run on OS X, though it would be more informative. Unfortunately, it's probably a moot point.

You can also check out this other question for more information: Bandwidth Usage in Linux.

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nethogs on ubuntu is my best friend... I am searching similar for mac. –  netsmertia Apr 2 at 18:40

In OSX 10.9 simply use the built in Activity Monitor:


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As of version 4, iStat Menus shows the bandwidth usage of the top 5 applications.

enter image description here

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Hard to use, originally called Ethereal, there's Wireshark.

I never used it myself, but I've tried in the past and it does just about anything.

If you want just to see general bandwidth, use Activity Monitor.

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I just tried out Little Snitch, having the same basic problem (it seems) as the OP, and having been so disappointed with rubbernet (I weep for my $40).

Little Snitch is exactly what the OP asks for, and has every feature I can dream of in exploring related problems to those implied by the OP's question.

It does report the total bandwidth used by each application individually, and even presents a graph of any selected application or group of applications! Once you realise that you can select one or more rows in the Network Monitor graph, and ask for the collated info of those by presing the info button, it is simple to use. It survives changes of network status seamlessly.

It has a demo that lasts 3 hours, so you can't go wrong.

I think it is the perfect answer to the OP's question.

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Incidentally, it's "outbound firewall" feature just showed me that I am running an app that is phoning home rather unexpectedly! –  GreenAsJade Oct 31 '12 at 1:52

If you are using Lion or Mountain Lion I would suggest Icefloor


If you are using Snow Leopard I would suggest NoobProof


They are both free to use and will accomplish your needs

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The description doesn't look like these show individual applications' bandwidth. Can you confirm this feature exists, maybe post a screenshot? –  Daniel Beck Dec 16 '12 at 12:58
@Daniel Beck - In the Noobproof description it states you can tune the bandwidth manage black lists and create self-configuration tools called injectors. –  Simon Dec 16 '12 at 13:10
I only found "Limiting bandwidth" which is different from "showing actually used bandwidth", which is what the OP asks for. Could you please be more specific? –  Daniel Beck Dec 16 '12 at 13:12
@Daniel Beck - In the 1st paragraph 7th line down it states you can tune the bandwidth –  Simon Dec 16 '12 at 13:13
Tuning here means you can set how much network bandwidth can be used by a process I think. That has nothing to do with showing how much a process naturally uses, for instance to see if a certain application is very active when not be explicitly used, or to search for a rootkit/virus/malware. –  Gregg Leventhal May 30 at 22:55

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