This page compares GPU monitoring tools: gpulse, nvidia-smi, nvitop, btop, and Datadog GPU monitoring. gpulse is the only tool that supports NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Apple Silicon GPUs with built-in memory leak detection and OOM prediction. nvidia-smi is NVIDIA-only and provides snapshots, not dashboards. nvitop is an NVIDIA-focused Python TUI. btop is a general system monitor without GPU-specific features. Datadog provides cloud-based GPU monitoring at enterprise pricing. gpulse is free for local monitoring and starts at $29/month for fleet features.
Compare
GPU Monitoring Tools Compared
Not all GPU monitors are created equal. Here is how gpulse stacks up against nvidia-smi, nvitop, btop, and Datadog for real-world GPU monitoring.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | gpulse | nvidia-smi | nvitop | btop | Datadog GPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPU Vendor Support | |||||
| NVIDIA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Apple Silicon (M1-M4) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| AMD (ROCm) | Yes | No | No | Limited | Limited |
| Intel (Level Zero) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Monitoring Features | |||||
| Real-time dashboard | Yes | No (snapshot) | Yes | Yes | Yes (web) |
| Memory leak detection | 3 algorithms | No | No | No | Manual alerts |
| OOM time prediction | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Per-process GPU attribution | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Multiple view modes | 7 modes | 1 | 3 | 4 | Custom |
| GPU topology/interconnect view | Yes | topo -m | No | No | No |
| Prometheus metrics export | Built-in | No | No | No | Yes |
| Fleet / multi-machine | SSH (Pro) | No | No | No | Agent-based |
| User Experience | |||||
| Interface type | TUI | CLI | TUI | TUI | Web |
| Color themes | 15 themes | None | None | 10+ themes | Custom |
| Keyboard-driven navigation | Full vim-style | N/A | Yes | Yes | Mouse/web |
| Colorblind-safe options | Yes | No | No | No | Limited |
| Pricing & Setup | |||||
| Price (local monitoring) | Free | Free | Free | Free | $23/host/mo |
| Price (fleet/cloud) | $29/mo (Pro) | N/A | N/A | N/A | $23/host/mo |
| Install method | Homebrew / binary | NVIDIA driver | pip install | Package manager | Agent install |
| Dependencies | None | NVIDIA driver | Python, NVML | None | Datadog agent |
| Data collection/telemetry | None | None | None | None | Cloud telemetry |
| Written in | Rust | C | Python | C++ | Go/Python |
Tool-by-Tool Summary
gpulse
A Rust-based TUI that monitors NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Apple Silicon GPUs from a single binary. The standout feature is built-in memory leak detection with OOM time prediction — something no other terminal tool offers. Seven view modes (Grid, Detail, List, Predict, Compare, Topology, Fleet) cover everything from quick overviews to deep debugging. Free for local use; Pro ($29/mo) adds SSH fleet monitoring.
Best for: ML engineers, Apple Silicon users, anyone who wants leak detection without leaving the terminal.
nvidia-smi
The standard CLI tool bundled with NVIDIA drivers. Prints a point-in-time snapshot of GPU state. Essential for quick checks, but not a monitoring solution — you need to loop or pipe it into other tools for continuous observation. NVIDIA-only, no dashboard, no history, no leak detection.
Best for: Quick one-off GPU checks on NVIDIA hardware.
nvitop
A Python-based interactive GPU process viewer, inspired by htop. Provides a real-time TUI with process management for NVIDIA GPUs. Clean interface and good process-level detail, but limited to NVIDIA and has no leak detection or OOM prediction. Requires Python and NVML.
Best for: NVIDIA users who want a better nvidia-smi with process management.
btop
A general-purpose system resource monitor (CPU, memory, disk, network) with optional GPU support. GPU features are limited and vary by platform — it does not provide deep GPU metrics like per-process VRAM usage, leak detection, or topology views. Excellent for general system monitoring, but not purpose-built for GPU workloads.
Best for: General system monitoring where GPU is secondary.
Datadog GPU Monitoring
Enterprise-grade cloud monitoring with GPU metrics via the Datadog agent. Provides dashboards, alerting, and fleet visibility through a web interface. Powerful but expensive ($23/host/month minimum), requires agent installation and cloud connectivity, and sends telemetry data to Datadog's servers.
Best for: Large teams already using Datadog who need GPU metrics alongside other infrastructure monitoring.
Try gpulse free
One command. No dependencies. No account required.
brew tap gpulseai/gpulse && brew install gpulse