Frequently
asked.

MacPulse is a native macOS system monitoring app — Activity Monitor reimagined as a gorgeous SwiftUI dashboard. It provides real-time monitoring of seven hardware modules (CPU, Memory, Network, Disk, Thermal & Fans, Battery, GPU), historical trend analytics persisted to SQLite, a configurable menu bar status item with sparklines, desktop widgets, fan speed control with custom curves, and performance session recording. Additional features include Bluetooth device battery monitoring, SMART disk health, power sensors, IP address display, network notifications, and top process monitoring.

MacPulse requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later. It also runs on macOS 15 Sequoia. The app is built with SwiftUI and Swift Charts, which require macOS 14 as a minimum.

Yes. MacPulse ships as a Universal Binary that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Some features like P-core/E-core differentiation are Apple Silicon–specific, but all core monitoring works on Intel hardware. Sensors that aren't available on your hardware are gracefully hidden.

MacPulse is engineered to be invisible:

• Less than 1% CPU usage during normal operation
• Under 50 MB memory footprint
• Polling automatically reduces when the dashboard window is hidden
• Database writes are batched (every 60 seconds) to minimize disk I/O

MacPulse is available both directly via LemonSqueezy and on the Mac App Store. The Direct version includes all features. The Mac App Store version has some limitations due to sandboxing:

• Direct only: Bluetooth device batteries, SMART disk health, power sensors, top processes
• Both versions: All 7 monitoring modules, menu bar status item modes, IP address display, network notifications, historical analytics, widgets, fan control

If you need Bluetooth batteries, SMART health, or power sensor readings, choose the Direct version.

Absolutely. MacPulse is code-signed and notarized by Apple, meaning macOS has verified it's free of known malware. While it runs without the App Store sandbox (necessary for hardware sensor access), it only reads system telemetry — it never modifies system files, collects personal data, or communicates with external servers beyond license validation.

• Download the .dmg file from the website
• Open the disk image and drag MacPulse to your Applications folder
• Launch MacPulse — on first run, macOS may ask you to confirm since it was downloaded from the internet
• The onboarding screen will guide you through initial setup

Quit MacPulse, then drag it from Applications to the Trash. To remove all associated data, also delete ~/Library/Application Support/MacPulse/ (contains the SQLite database, fan curve presets, and license info) and the widget container at ~/Library/Containers/ if you used widgets.

The 14-day trial gives you full access to every feature. After the trial expires, you'll need a Personal license ($14, one-time) to continue using MacPulse. The Personal license includes all current features plus future updates. There's no subscription — pay once, use forever.

Navigate to the Thermal & Fans module from the sidebar. You'll see each fan with its current RPM and a curve preset selector. Choose from four built-in presets (Silent, Balanced, Performance, Full Speed) or create a custom curve by dragging control points on the temperature-to-RPM chart. When you quit MacPulse, all fans automatically reset to automatic control for safety.

MacPulse supports CSV export for both historical data and performance sessions:

• Historical data: Go to History & Trends, select a module and time range, then click the export button
• Performance sessions: Select a completed session in the Performance view and click "Export CSV" in the header

Both export options use a standard save dialog so you can choose the destination.

The Insights Engine automatically analyzes your historical data and generates plain-English summaries about your system's behavior. It detects patterns like thermal throttling, memory pressure trends, battery drain anomalies, SSD growth rates, and unusual CPU activity. All insights are rule-based (no AI or cloud), sorted by severity (warning, noteworthy, informational), and provide actionable recommendations. Insights refresh when you open the Insights view and can be dismissed individually or cleared entirely.

Performance Sessions let you record detailed system metrics at 1-second intervals during intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, or compiling. A session captures FPS, frame time, CPU usage, GPU utilization, temperatures, and memory — then provides summary statistics (average FPS, 1% lows, max temperature) and timeline charts. Sessions are saved to the database and can be exported as CSV files.

MacPulse includes WidgetKit widgets in three sizes (small, medium, large) that display system overview data on your desktop. The main app writes averaged data to a shared location every 15 minutes, and widgets refresh every 5 minutes using that data. To add a widget, right-click your desktop, choose "Edit Widgets", and search for MacPulse. Note: MacPulse must be running for widgets to receive updated data.

The menu bar status item supports four display modes:

• Icon Only — Just the MacPulse gauge icon
• Text — Shows a selectable metric (CPU %, Memory %, Network speeds)
• Sparkline — Mini polyline chart showing recent history
• Text + Sparkline — Both the metric value and sparkline

Configure these in Settings → Menu Bar.

MacPulse can monitor battery levels for most Bluetooth accessories:

• Audio: AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats headphones (shows Left/Right/Case separately)
• Input: Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad
• Controllers: DualSense (PS5), Xbox controllers, Joy-Con
• Other: Most Bluetooth peripherals that report battery level

Battery levels below 20% are highlighted in red. Note: This feature requires the Direct version (not available on Mac App Store due to IOKit restrictions).

SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) monitors your disk's health status. MacPulse reads SMART data from both NVMe SSDs (Apple Silicon and modern Intel Macs) and SATA/AHCI drives (older Macs). Status indicators show: Verified (green) for healthy drives, Failing (red) for drives with issues, or Unknown (gray) if status can't be determined. Note: Direct version only.

MacPulse reads real-time power consumption from the SMC (System Management Controller):

• System total — Total system power draw in watts
• CPU package — CPU power consumption
• GPU — Integrated/discrete GPU power
• Memory — DRAM power consumption
• Voltage/Current — Main rail, CPU, GPU readings

Sensors that don't exist on your hardware are automatically hidden. Note: Direct version only.

MacPulse can notify you about network events:

• IP address change — Alerts when your public or private IP changes (useful for VPN, DHCP lease renewal)
• Connectivity lost/restored — Instant alerts when your network connection drops or comes back

Notifications are powered by NWPathMonitor for instant detection. Each type can be toggled independently in Settings → Notifications.

MacPulse uses intelligent downsampling to retain up to 30 days of history while keeping the database compact:

• Last 24 hours: Full resolution (every minute)
• 1–7 days ago: 5-minute averages
• 7–30 days ago: Hourly averages

Older data is automatically cleaned up.

This is normal. Not all sensors are available on every Mac model. For example, battery data is hidden on desktops, P/E-core differentiation only works on Apple Silicon, and some SMC temperature keys vary between models. MacPulse gracefully hides unavailable sensors rather than showing incorrect data.

Fan control requires SMC write access, which may be restricted on some newer Mac models. Try the following:

• Ensure no other fan control app (like Macs Fan Control) is running simultaneously
• Note that macOS may override manual fan speeds if the CPU temperature exceeds safe limits — this is by design for thermal safety
• MacPulse includes a built-in thermal watchdog that forces fans to maximum if CPU temperature exceeds 95°C

Widgets require the main MacPulse app to be running. Due to WidgetKit limitations, widgets can only refresh every 5 minutes at most, and data writes from the app are throttled to every 15 minutes to save resources. If widgets appear stale, ensure MacPulse is running and wait a few minutes for the next refresh cycle.

If MacPulse uses more than 1% CPU, check these settings:

• Increase the polling interval to 10 or 30 seconds in Settings → Polling
• Disable the FPS overlay if enabled (Settings → Game Mode)
• Ensure you're not running a Performance Session, which polls at 1-second intervals
• Close the dashboard window when not in use — MacPulse reduces polling automatically

After purchasing, you'll receive a license key (UUID format). Go to Settings → About → Activate License Key, paste your key, and click Activate. The license is validated with LemonSqueezy and stored securely in your Mac's Keychain. An offline grace period of 7 days is supported for when you don't have internet access.

The Personal license is tied to a single machine activation. If you need to move it to a new Mac, deactivate the license on the old machine first (Settings → About → Deactivate), then activate on the new one. If you need multiple activations, the Family plan supports additional seats.

After the 14-day trial, MacPulse will prompt you to purchase a license. Your historical data is preserved and will be accessible once you activate a license key. No data is deleted when the trial expires.

Refund requests are handled through LemonSqueezy. Contact us via the GitHub support page or the email in your purchase receipt. We aim to respond within 24 hours.