Conky

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Score6.4

Rank#11 of 35

Free planNo

Runs onLinux, macOS, Self-hosted

Summary

Conky is a configurable system monitor that displays information on a desktop or in its own window. It can show uptime, CPU and memory use, disk activity, processes, and network statistics through text, progress bars, and graph widgets. More than 300 built-in objects are listed, and settings cover screen alignment, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions. Conky can also display information from scripts and external programs. Lua scripts and hooks are available when Lua support is enabled in the build. Built-in mail support covers IMAP and POP3, while listed music-player integrations include MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious. The project lists Linux, BSD variants, macOS, and other operating systems as supported; Wayland use has caveats. Output options include console, file, or HTTP, and distribution options include package managers, an AppImage, and a Nix flake. The project notes that the AppImage may need extra runtime libraries, and that container displays may reflect the container rather than the full host. Conky is free software under GPLv3.

Who it is for

Conky suits people who want configurable system information on a desktop and are comfortable adjusting settings or using scripts. Its output and integrations may also suit users who want to display mail or music-player information.

What is good

Shows CPU, memory, disk, process, and network information.
Offers text, progress bars, and graph widgets.
Supports scripts and Lua when enabled in the build.
Includes IMAP, POP3, and named music-player integrations.
Can output to console, file, or HTTP.

What to know first

Wayland use has caveats.
The AppImage may need additional runtime libraries.
Container displays may reflect the container, not the host.
Lua support depends on the build.

Verdict

Conky offers a broad set of display choices and system statistics for configurable desktop monitoring. Take its Wayland, AppImage, and container caveats into account for your setup.

Compared on system information software

Free plan: Yesconky.cc
Supported platforms: cross_platformconky.cc
Widget categories: text, progress bars, graph widgets, RSS feeds, calendar eventsconky.cc
System monitoring: Yesconky.cc
Custom layouts: Yesconky.cc
Weather widgets: Noconky.cc
Calendar widgets: Yesconky.cc
Feed widgets: Yesconky.cc

Facts

Purpose: Conky is a system monitor for X that displays information on the desktop or in its own window.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
System metrics: Conky includes more than 250 built-in objects for statistics such as uptime, CPU, memory, disk, processes, and network activity.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Display formats: Conky can present information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, using different fonts and colors.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
External data: Conky can display information gathered through scripts and external programs.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Mail support: Conky includes built-in IMAP and POP3 support.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Music integrations: Conky integrates with music players including MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Lua API: Conky supports Lua scripts and hooks, provided the build has Lua support enabled.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Desktop environments: Conky is free software for Linux and BSD, and newer versions can also work with Wayland window managers that support the wlr-layer-shell protocol.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Licensing: The project wiki says torsmo-based code is BSD-licensed and new Conky code is GPL 3.0-licensed.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Configuration: The default configuration file is located at ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or ${sysconfdir}/conky/conky.conf.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Container limitation: The Docker guide says much of the information displayed in a container reflects the container rather than the entire host system, and that the Docker image is still under development.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Build requirements: The compiling guide lists X11, Cairo, Lua, Imlib2, librsvg, ncurses, and libxml2 as examples of native libraries needed from the system package manager.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
Community support: The project wiki directs users to open an issue or pull request and lists direct contact with developers as a support route.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Customization: Global settings can configure screen alignment, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026
System stats: Conky provides more than 300 built-in objects, including CPU, memory, disk, process, and network statistics.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Display: It can show information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, with configurable fonts and colors.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Mail and music: Built-in support includes IMAP and POP3, and music players MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Extensibility: Conky supports Lua and user scripts or programs, with Imlib2 and Cairo bindings for Lua drawing.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Operating systems: The project lists Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFlyBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Haiku, and macOS as supported systems.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Output modes: Conky can run on Wayland with caveats and can output to a console, file, or HTTP.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Distribution: The project offers an AppImage and Nix flake, and says many package managers include Conky.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Runtime caveat: The project notes that the AppImage may require additional runtime libraries.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
License: The project states that Conky is licensed under GPLv3.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Support: The project links to its wiki and Matrix chat and welcomes contributions from anyone.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Audience: Conky is presented as a desktop system monitor for people who want configurable system information and can use its configuration, scripts, or programs.conky.cc · 30 Sept 2026