NetGraph

NetGraph is a seemingly simplistic Windows application that can show a real-time reading of your incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. It features a plain interface that doesn't look like it has much to offer.

However, the tool comes bundled with many customization options, from controlling the maximum rate to choosing the network adapter and applying a darker UI theme. It doesn't require installation, which means that you can save it in your collection of portable tools and run it immediately.

NetGraph runs in the systray and stays on top of other windows. To hide it, you have to left-click the tray icon. If you right-click it, though, you open a menu with many options put at your disposal.

For instance, you can make the tray icon reveal download, upload, total or network activity info when it's active, or change the display mode to view only the graph (instead of the graph and speed). Besides resizing the graph, you can view only the speed, bar and speed, total speed, progress bar, or icon only.

There are several presets available for limiting the maximum rate but it can be set to any custom value. You can switch to a different network adapter, check out the exact numbers for network usage, customize various appearance elements (such as opacity, border, click-through), and measure response time to any website using the ping tool.

NetGraph can be set to run at Windows startup every time you turn on your computer. Also, all configuration settings can be saved, which means that you can create and work with multiple profiles, depending on which computer you're using.

Taking into account its rich and intuitive customization preferences, NetGraph should meet the requirements of many users looking to inspect their network activity in real time. It had minimal impact on system performance in our tests.