I’ve been working with video editing and heavy development workloads on my Mac Mini M4, and I’ve always wondered exactly how hard I’m pushing the hardware. Activity Monitor shows CPU usage percentages, but it doesn’t reveal what’s happening with temperatures. Last week I discovered TempsNow, and it gives me instant visibility into what my Mac is doing behind the scenes.
The app sits in your menu bar and displays real-time CPU and GPU temperatures. The first time I ran a 4K video export after installing TempsNow, I watched the CPU temperature climb from 45°C to 78°C over about thirty seconds, then stabilize. That kind of immediate feedback helps me understand when my machine is working hard versus when something might be wrong.
What impressed me most is how lightweight the app is. At only 9.2 MB, TempsNow runs continuously without noticeable impact on system resources. The developer, Rohan Ramesh Iyer, optimized it specifically for Apple Silicon, and it shows in the performance. For power users running multiple monitoring tools, this efficiency matters.
The app offers widgets in small, medium, and large sizes with live updates. I keep the small widget on my desktop that shows both CPU and GPU temps at a glance. During my usual workflow with multiple browser tabs, Xcode, and Docker containers running, the real-time updates help me spot when something unexpectedly spikes resource usage.
TempsNow includes an optional Apple-notarized system extension for advanced hardware metrics. I installed it during initial setup, standard for apps that need deeper system access. The extension enables more accurate temperature readings across different components. The app respects user privacy completely - the developer explicitly states no data collection happens.
One consideration: if you have a crowded menu bar, the temperature display adds another icon to manage. You can customize what shows up, but users with limited space might need to prioritize which metrics matter most. The widget option provides an alternative for anyone preferring to keep their menu bar minimal.
The app costs $2.99 CAD on the App Store and supports Family Sharing for up to six members. It requires macOS 14.0 or later, so older Macs won’t be compatible. The developer recently updated to version 2.0.3 with UI bug fixes and broader macOS 14.0+ availability.
For comparison, other temperature monitoring apps like Intel Power Gadget work but haven’t been updated for Apple Silicon, while Stats is free but includes many features beyond just temperature monitoring. Macs Fan Control is another option, though it focuses more on fan speed adjustment rather than pure monitoring.
After using TempsNow for a week across various workloads, I appreciate having immediate temperature visibility without the overhead of more complex system monitors. For creators, developers, and anyone pushing their Mac with intensive tasks, this app provides exactly what you need to understand your hardware’s thermal behavior.
