NetSpeedMonitor

If you don’t have the best Internet connection, having a convenient way to keep track of transfer speeds can prove very helpful when trying to ensure there are no issues with your downloads or uploads.

NetSpeedMonitor is a fairly simple, open-source application that lets you keep a close eye on download and upload speeds directly from your desktop, via a small widget. It needs some more improvements, but it is a very helpful utility.

Once installed, the program will display a tiny widget on your screen, which shows the current download and upload speed. It can be moved to any location on your desktop, but you cannot resize it or change its appearance in any way.

If this feature is enabled, the widget will be docked to the edge of the screen when moved there. It will be almost completely hidden at all times until you move the mouse cursor to its location.

When you click the widget, it displays a full list of active processes that are currently sending or receiving data over the network, as well as their individual download and upload speeds.

You can also select each entry to bring up an additional window that displays process IDs and paths; moreover, the program lets you open their directory.

No other features are included in NetSpeedMonitor at present, so it may not be the best choice for users who want to have a lot of configuration options or other tools at hand.

It is also worth noting that the widget’s dimensions, theme, font and color cannot be customized in any way, which can be an issue if you plan on keeping it on your desktop for a long time.

On the whole, NetSpeedMonitor is not the most powerful bandwidth monitor out there, but it can still prove useful. It is intuitive and unobtrusive, but it lacks advanced features and offers no visual customization options.