The short answer
Choose iStat Menus if…
- you live in the menu bar and want many separate, customizable readouts;
- you want weather, world clocks and a calendar in the same app;
- you want to control fan speeds, or set alert rules on almost any sensor;
- you prefer a low one-time price.
Choose Tend if…
- you want to know which apps drain your battery, in watts, today and over the past month;
- you want advice on whether a charge limit helps you, and reminders around charging;
- you want cleanup and macOS, App Store and Homebrew updates in the same place;
- you'd like a simple view that explains things, with the detail one click away.
Where iStat Menus is stronger
- Menu bar customization. Separate items for CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, weather and time, each with its own colors, order and contents, or combined into one item. Tend's menu bar shows one readout (battery %, watts, CPU %, temperature or just the icon) plus a panel.
- Fan control. iStat Menus can set fan speeds, including rules based on temperature. Tend only shows fan speeds.
- Notification rules on almost everything: CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, power and weather, including things like public IP changes and dropped connections. Tend's alerts are a short, fixed list: low battery, charge level, battery heat, CPU heat and draining apps.
- Extras: weather forecasts, world clocks and a calendar, per-app network bandwidth and disk S.M.A.R.T. status.
- Price and history. A one-time purchase with a long track record, and it runs on macOS 13 or later.
Where Tend is different
- Energy in watts, with history. Tend estimates each app's share of your Mac's measured power draw and keeps 30 days of it, so "what drained my battery yesterday?" has an answer.
- Battery care. The Battery Coach learns how you charge and says whether a limit is worth it. Tend shows macOS's Charge Limit, reminds you to unplug on older macOS, warns when the battery is warm while charging, and keeps a daily health record.
- Maintenance too. Cleanup, Space Map, an uninstaller and startup items, plus macOS, App Store and Homebrew updates and a security check, in one app.
- Plain language. Simple view shows the essentials with short explanations; Advanced adds the detail.
Side by side
| Feature | Tend | iStat Menus |
|---|---|---|
| CPU, GPU, memory, disk and network | Yes | Yes, in more depth |
| Temperature sensors and fans | Every sensor and fan, with history (Pro) | Sensors, plus fan speed control |
| Menu bar | One readout and a panel | Many customizable items, or one combined item |
| Alerts | Battery, heat and draining apps (Pro) | Rules on almost any reading |
| Per-app energy in watts, with 30-day history | Yes (24 hours Free; 30 days Pro) | Not its focus |
| Battery Coach and charging reminders | Coach (Free); reminders and Charge Limit status (Pro) | Not its focus |
| Bluetooth device batteries | Yes | Yes |
| Cleanup, uninstaller, updates | Yes (cleanup actions in Pro) | No |
| Weather, clocks, calendar | No | Yes |
| Macs | Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later | macOS 13 or later (Mac App Store version: macOS 14 or later) |
| Price | Free; Pro $4.99/month, $19.99/year or $39.99 once, on 3 Macs. Free during the beta. | $11.99 once on the Mac App Store, with optional weather subscription; 14-day trial from Bjango; also on Setapp |
Can I use both?
Yes. They do different jobs well: iStat Menus for a dense menu bar, Tend for the bigger picture on battery and energy. If you use both, you might set Tend's menu bar item to icon only.
Sources
- Bjango, iStat Menus (features, macOS 13 or later, 14-day trial, Setapp), checked 11 October 2026.
- Apple, iStat Menus 7 on the Mac App Store ($11.99, weather subscription, macOS 14 or later), checked 11 October 2026.
See where your battery goes
Tend is free to download, and every Pro feature is free during the beta.