bottom vs ctop
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A customizable terminal process and system monitor with graphs for CPU, memory, network, and disks.
Open source · MIT
A top-style terminal dashboard showing live CPU, memory and other metrics for running containers.
The short answer
Choose bottom if you need…
- People who like watching system activity from a terminal instead of a graphical window
- Developers and sysadmins who work over SSH on servers
- Users who want to customize which panels appear and how they are laid out
- People looking for a htop-style tool with graphs over time
Choose ctop if you need…
- Developers running several Docker containers locally who want a quick overview of resource use
- Operators who prefer a terminal tool over a web dashboard for checking container health
- People who want to view container logs or open a shell in a container from one screen
Side-by-side
| bottom | ctop | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI | CLI |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 14.1k | 17.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Download the app |
| Main language | Rust | Go |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
bottom
bottom (command: btm) is a program you run in a terminal to watch what your computer is doing. It shows live graphs and tables for CPU, memory, network, disk, temperature, and battery, plus a list of running processes you can sort, search, and stop. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is inspired by tools like htop and gtop.
ctop
ctop is a command-line program that shows real-time resource metrics for many containers at once, in a layout similar to the Linux top command. It can also open a single-container view to inspect one container more closely. It works with Docker and runC, and the README says support for other container systems is planned.
Best for
bottom
- People who like watching system activity from a terminal instead of a graphical window
- Developers and sysadmins who work over SSH on servers
- Users who want to customize which panels appear and how they are laid out
- People looking for a htop-style tool with graphs over time
ctop
- Developers running several Docker containers locally who want a quick overview of resource use
- Operators who prefer a terminal tool over a web dashboard for checking container health
- People who want to view container logs or open a shell in a container from one screen
Strengths
bottom
- Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows with official support listed in the README
- Customizable layout, colour themes, and command-line or config-file options
- Widely available through many package managers, including Homebrew, Scoop, and winget
ctop
- Gives a condensed, real-time overview of many containers at once
- Simple to start: it needs no arguments and uses Docker host variables by default
- Keyboard-driven, with a config file that saves your preferred view settings
Not ideal for
bottom
- People who prefer a regular point-and-click desktop app, since it is terminal-only
- Users on unofficially supported platforms who need guaranteed support, since the README says those may have limited support
- Anyone who needs deep diagnostics beyond what the README describes; it is a monitor, not a profiler
ctop
- Users who need long-term metric history or alerting, since the README describes only live views
- Users of container platforms other than Docker or runC, because other connectors are only planned
- Users who need a graphical web interface
Trade-offs
bottom
- Terminal-only interface, so it needs a terminal and some comfort with keyboard controls
- Some sensor data such as temperature depends on the operating system and hardware, which the README does not detail further
- The README is truncated here, so some platform-specific details are not confirmed
ctop
- Only Docker and runC are supported according to the README; other systems are future plans
- Only live metrics are described, so history must come from other tools
- The README is truncated, so some details of platform support are not confirmed here
Getting started
bottom
Install from crates.io with Cargo
cargo install bottom --lockedctop
Install with Homebrew (macOS)
brew install ctopInstall with scoop (Windows)
scoop install ctopFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between bottom and ctop?
bottom: A customizable terminal process and system monitor with graphs for CPU, memory, network, and disks. ctop: A top-style terminal dashboard showing live CPU, memory and other metrics for running containers. bottom suits people who like watching system activity from a terminal instead of a graphical window, while ctop suits developers running several docker containers locally who want a quick overview of resource use.
Are bottom and ctop free?
bottom: Free and open source. ctop: Free and open source.
Is bottom or ctop more popular?
ctop has more GitHub stars (17.8k) than bottom (14.1k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to bottom and ctop?
Other options people compare them with include lazydocker.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.