Live in the menu bar
Watch upload and download speed update every second, without opening a thing.
Menu bar network monitor for macOS
The network speed
The network speed
monitor for Mac,
live in your menu bar.
NetSpeed is a free macOS menu bar app that shows your live upload and download network speed, updated every second. It reads your Mac's own interface counters — so the numbers reflect what's actually moving, right now.
- Native Swift
- Sends nothing anywhere
- Sips CPU
↑ 1.2 MB↓ 8.4 MB
9:41
Upload
0.00 MB/s
Peak today 9.7 MB/s
Download
0.00 MB/s
Peak today 52.3 MB/s
Last 5 minutes
Up
Down
Live throughput
NetSpeed at a glance: refresh interval, graph window, and privacy
0s
Refresh interval
0 min
Rolling graph window
0
Bytes sent off-device
Wi-Fi+Eth
Interfaces watched
Features
Network monitoring features, right in the menu bar
Everything you need to read your connection at a glance — and nothing you don't.
Today's peaks
NetSpeed tracks your highest upload and download throughput for the day.
Rolling 5-minute speed graph
A Swift Charts graph shows the last five minutes of network activity at a glance.
Not a speed test
It measures real traffic passively — no servers pinged, nothing to run.
Stays on your Mac
Reads only local interface stats. No accounts, no tracking, nothing sent anywhere.
Light and native
A lightweight network monitor built in pure Swift — it reads counters and sips CPU, with no Dock icon and no clutter.
Auto-scaling KB/s · MB/s · Kb/s · Mb/s
One-line or two-line display
Launch at login, one toggle
Wi-Fi, Ethernet & more
How it works
Passive measurement — not a speed test
No servers pinged. No traffic generated. Just an honest read of what's already flowing through your Mac.
01
Reads the counters
NetSpeed continuously reads the byte counters your Mac already keeps for each active interface.
02
Computes the delta
Every second, it compares the new totals to the last reading to calculate true throughput.
03
Shows it in the menu bar
That live figure lands in your menu bar — and feeds today's peaks and the rolling graph.
Why passive wins. A speed test gives you a one-tap snapshot against a far-off server. NetSpeed gives you a continuous, honest read of your real-world throughput during downloads, calls, streaming, and backups — the speeds that actually matter.
Where it fits
NetSpeed vs a speed test vs a full system monitor
Three different jobs. NetSpeed is a focused, passive menu bar bandwidth monitor — not a speed test, and not a heavy system monitor suite.
| NetSpeed | Speed test app | Full system monitor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it measures | Passive — reads your Mac's own interface byte counters | Active — generates traffic to a remote server | Varies — usually passive system metrics |
| What you see | Real-time upload & download speed in the menu bar, every second | A one-off max-speed snapshot when you run it | CPU, memory, disk, network and more |
| Always on | Yes — live, plus today's peaks & a 5-minute graph | No — only while a test runs | Yes — but heavier and broader in scope |
| Footprint | Lightweight Swift agent, no Dock icon, sips CPU | Light, but only runs on demand | Larger — many modules running at once |
| Privacy | Reads only local stats, sends nothing, no accounts | Connects to external servers to test | Varies by app |
Want a true max-speed reading? Run a speed test. Want to know what your connection is actually doing right now? That's NetSpeed.
Why use it
A real-time bandwidth monitor that earns its menu bar spot
Spot a slow connection
See at a glance whether the network is the bottleneck — or something else entirely.
Confirm a big download is moving
Watch real bandwidth climb so you know the transfer is actually running.
Watch throughput during calls & streaming
Keep an eye on usage while you're on video or watching something live.
Know your peak
See the fastest your connection has actually delivered today.
Privacy
Your network data never leaves your Mac
NetSpeed reads only the local interface statistics already on your machine, and sends nothing anywhere. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking — just numbers, on your screen.
- Reads only local interface stats
- No accounts, no analytics, no tracking
- Nothing sent off your device, ever
Built natively for macOS
Pure Swift and SwiftUI. No frameworks bolted on, no Electron, no external dependencies.
Swift
SwiftUI
Swift Charts
MenuBarExtra
No Dock icon
Zero dependencies
About NetSpeed
The menu bar network speed monitor for macOS
NetSpeed is a lightweight network speed monitor for Mac that lives in your menu bar and shows live upload and download speed, refreshed every second. Instead of running a one-off internet speed test, it works as a continuous bandwidth meter — a real-time network traffic monitor that reports the true throughput already moving through your connection.
Because it reads your Mac's own interface byte counters, NetSpeed doubles as a Wi-Fi speed monitor and an Ethernet bandwidth monitor at the same time, automatically following whichever interface is active. It tracks today's peak upload and download throughput and draws a rolling 5-minute network speed graph, so you can read recent activity at a glance without opening a heavy system utility.
From the menu bar you get a live network meter and data throughput readout in the units you prefer — switch between bytes (KB/s, MB/s) and bits (Kb/s, Mb/s), and pick a one-line or two-line display. NetSpeed is a focused, private net speed monitor and bandwidth meter — an internet speed tracker that reads only local interface statistics, sends nothing anywhere, and sips CPU as a native Swift agent app with no Dock icon.
If you only want live upload and download speed in the menu bar, NetSpeed is a free, focused alternative to iStat Menus and other full system monitors. Instead of a whole suite of CPU, memory, sensor and disk readouts, it does one job — a real-time network speed monitor that sips CPU, shows today's peaks, and draws a rolling 5-minute graph.
Network speed monitor
Bandwidth monitor
Network traffic monitor
Wi-Fi speed monitor
Menu bar bandwidth
Upload & download speed
Guides
How to see network speed on your Mac
macOS can show network activity through Activity Monitor's Network tab, but it lives in a separate window you have to open and watch. To see network speed in the menu bar at a glance, install NetSpeed: it puts live upload and download throughput right next to the clock, updated every second, so you never have to open an app to check your connection.
- Download NetSpeed for macOS (it's free) and drag it to your Applications folder.
- Open NetSpeed — live upload and download speed appear in your menu bar next to the clock, updated every second.
- Open the menu to see today's peak throughput and a rolling 5-minute graph of recent activity.
- Turn on Launch at Login so your internet speed is in the menu bar every time you start your Mac.
Why is my Mac internet slow?
When a page or download crawls, the first question is whether the network is the bottleneck or something else. A live bandwidth monitor answers that instantly: if NetSpeed shows your download throughput pinned near its usual ceiling, the connection is working hard and the slowdown is elsewhere; if it's barely moving while you wait, the network is the suspect. Watching the rolling 5-minute graph also surfaces dropouts and dips that a one-off speed test would miss.
Monitor bandwidth during calls, streaming & big downloads
NetSpeed is handy for remote work and video conferencing: keep an eye on real-time upload during calls, confirm a large download is actually moving, or watch throughput while streaming. Because it measures true traffic across Wi-Fi and Ethernet rather than running a test, the numbers reflect exactly what your apps are using right now.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is NetSpeed free?
Yes. NetSpeed is a free macOS app, distributed as a direct .dmg download with no in-app purchases and no account required.
Does NetSpeed run on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
Yes. NetSpeed is a native universal app that runs on both Apple Silicon (M-series) and Intel Macs running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.
Is NetSpeed a speed test?
No. A speed test generates traffic to a remote server to measure a maximum. NetSpeed is passive — it reports the real throughput already flowing through your Mac, second by second, with nothing to run.
Why does it read zero when I'm idle?
Because nothing is moving. NetSpeed shows actual throughput, so the numbers rise during downloads, calls, streaming, or backups, and settle near zero when the network is quiet.
Does it work on Wi-Fi and Ethernet?
Yes. NetSpeed reads from your active network interfaces, so it reports throughput across Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and other connections your Mac is using.
Will it slow down my Mac?
No. NetSpeed is a lightweight agent app with no Dock icon and no extra windows. It only reads byte counters the system already maintains, so it sips CPU and resources.
Can I switch between MB/s and Mb/s?
Yes. Units auto-scale and you can switch between bytes (KB/s, MB/s) and bits (Kb/s, Mb/s). You can also choose a one-line or two-line menu bar display.
Does NetSpeed collect any data?
No. It reads only local interface stats on your Mac and sends nothing anywhere. There are no accounts and no tracking of any kind.
How is NetSpeed different from a speed test?
A speed test runs once and reports a maximum by sending traffic to a remote server. NetSpeed runs continuously and passively, showing the real upload and download speed already flowing through your Mac, second by second.
How do I see network speed in the Mac menu bar?
Install NetSpeed and it places live upload and download speed in your menu bar automatically. Turn on launch at login and it's there every time you start your Mac — no window to open, no setup.
Can NetSpeed help me tell why my internet is slow?
Yes. As a live bandwidth monitor it shows whether traffic is actually moving. If throughput sits near zero while you wait, the network is the likely cause; if it's busy, the slowdown is elsewhere.
Does NetSpeed need an App Store install or any permissions?
No. NetSpeed is a direct download as a disk image (.dmg) — no App Store account needed. It only reads the local interface byte counters your Mac already maintains.
Download NetSpeed for Mac
Put live upload and download speed in your menu bar, track today's peaks, and watch the last five minutes at a glance — a native app that keeps everything on your Mac.
- Price
- Free download
- Version
- Version 1.0
- File
- Apple disk image (.dmg)
- Compatibility
- Universal — Apple Silicon & Intel
- Requires
- Requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
Reads only local interface stats · Sends nothing anywhere · No tracking
Meet the developer
Built by an indie developer
Mamunur Rashid
Independent developer · Mac, web & developer tools
Mamun builds small, focused, privacy-respecting tools across macOS, the browser, and the code editor — like NetSpeed, the Chrome extension TabAutopilot, and the VS Code extension NPM Manager. Each one is designed to do one thing well and stay out of your way.
