Windows (built in)
- Latest release
- Part of Windows 10 and 11
- Price
- Free, included with Windows.
- Choose it if
- you only need a monthly usage figure per app now and then, and don’t want to install anything.
Bytevane compared
How Bytevane compares with what Windows already does, and with four popular network monitors, including where they do more.
The short answer
Compared with what Windows already has, Bytevane adds live speeds next to the clock, an alert that names the app using your data, and simple controls for caps, blocking and upload limits.
Among other apps, Bytevane is the one to pick for speeds next to the clock on Windows 11 plus per-app data alerts, free and without an account.
Pick NetLimiter if you need to limit an app’s download speed, GlassWire for security features such as prompts for new connections, and TrafficMonitor for a free meter that also shows CPU and temperatures.
Bytevane or what Windows already has
For most people the alternative is the tools built into Windows. Here’s what Bytevane adds, and where Windows already covers you.
| You want to | Windows on its own | With Bytevane |
|---|---|---|
| See your speed at a glance | Open Task Manager; nothing on the taskbar | Upload and download next to the clock, all the time |
| Find which app used your data | A list of the last 30 days in Settings | The last 15 minutes, today, 7 or 30 days, split into download and upload |
| Hear when an app starts eating data | No such alert documented | Data Guard names the app once it passes your limit |
| Stay under a monthly allowance | A data limit per network that warns near and over it | Pro: a forecast of the day you’ll reach it, alerts at 50%, 80% and 100%, and only the networks you choose |
| Stop an app using the internet | A rule you create in Windows Defender Firewall | Pro: a Block button next to the app |
| Slow down an app’s upload | Group Policy QoS, aimed at administrators | Pro: pick a speed for the app or the whole PC |
| Slow down Windows Update | Delivery Optimization can already do this | Pro: the same cap, next to your other limits |
Side by side
Scroll sideways to see every product.
| Feature | Bytevane | Windows (built in) | GlassWire | NetLimiter 5 | TrafficMonitor | Net Speed Meter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; Pro USD 24.99 once | Free | Free; Premium USD 2.99/month, billed yearly | EUR 19 a year (subscription) | Free | Free; Premium USD 14.99/year |
| Speed on the Windows 11 taskbar | Yes:Next to the clock, Windows 10 and 11 | No:No speed on the taskbar | No:Desktop mini graph (Premium) | Partly, or with a limit:Separate InfoBar, Windows 10 only | Yes:Yes, with Windows 11 placement caveats | Partly, or with a limit:A widget you pin over the taskbar |
| Data usage per app | Yes:15 minutes to 30 days | Yes:Last 30 days, in Settings | Yes:Free: 1 day; Premium: unlimited | Yes:Long-term statistics | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented; whole-PC daily history | Partly, or with a limit:Live per process (Premium) |
| Usage per network | Yes:Each Wi-Fi, hotspot and Ethernet | Partly, or with a limit:Per adapter, with a data limit per network | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Partly, or with a limit:Networks usable in filters | Partly, or with a limit:Choose which connections to count | Partly, or with a limit:Per interface (Premium) |
| Alert when one app uses a lot | Yes:Per app, every minute | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Partly, or with a limit:Bandwidth alerts; anomaly alerts described in 2023 | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Not documented by the vendor:Not described |
| Block an app | Yes:Pro, through Windows Firewall | Partly, or with a limit:A manual rule in Windows Defender Firewall | Yes:Premium | Yes:Its own connection blocker | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Not documented by the vendor:Not described |
| Limit an app’s upload | Yes:Pro, per app or whole PC | Partly, or with a limit:Group Policy QoS, for administrators | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Yes:Yes | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Not documented by the vendor:Not described |
| Limit an app’s download | No:Only Windows Update and Store | No:Only update downloads, via Delivery Optimization | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Yes:Yes | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Not documented by the vendor:Not described |
| Monthly cap with alerts | Yes:Pro, with a forecast | Yes:Warns near and over; doesn’t block | Yes:Data plan alert | Yes:Quotas with a notification or rule | Partly, or with a limit:Alert on a daily total | Yes:Data plan alerts (Premium) |
| No account needed | Yes:None needed | Yes:None needed | Partly, or with a limit:Premium signs in to a management console | Yes:None; licence key by email | Yes:None needed | Yes:None needed |
| No telemetry | Yes:None | Not applicable:Windows’ own diagnostic settings | No:Device diagnostics and software inventory | Yes:None, per its privacy notice | Not documented by the vendor:No privacy policy found | Yes:None, per its privacy policy |
| Runs natively on ARM64 | Yes:Native build | Yes:Yes | Yes:ARM64 build | Not documented by the vendor:Not documented | Yes:arm64ec build | Not documented by the vendor:Neutral package |
YesPartly, or with a limitNoNot documented by the vendorNot applicable
Each alternative in brief
GlassWire
- Latest release
- 3.11.1183, 9 November 2026
- Price
- Free; Premium from USD 2.99 a month, billed yearly (a subscription).
- Choose it if
- you want security features: prompts for new connections, lockdown mode, a network scanner and suspicious-host warnings.
NetLimiter 5
- Latest release
- 5.3.28.0, 9 October 2026
- Price
- EUR 19 for 1 year or EUR 29 for 2 years per PC, before VAT; after it expires, new rules and statistics stop.
- Choose it if
- you need to limit how fast an app downloads, set per-connection rules, or manage other PCs remotely.
TrafficMonitor
- Latest release
- V1.86, 29 March 2026
- Price
- Free; source code public on GitHub.
- Choose it if
- you want a free taskbar meter that also shows CPU, memory and temperatures, with skins and plug-ins, and don’t need per-app usage.
Net Speed Meter
- Latest release
- Microsoft Store update, 8 October 2026
- Price
- Free; Premium USD 14.99 a year (a subscription).
- Choose it if
- you want a floating speed widget plus a speed test, Wi-Fi details and network tools.
Where others do more than Bytevane
- Limiting an app’s download speed: NetLimiter can; Bytevane only caps Windows Update and Store downloads.
- Prompts for each new connection: GlassWire Premium and NetLimiter ask before an app connects; Bytevane blocks whole apps.
- Acting automatically at a limit: NetLimiter quotas can slow or block an app; Bytevane alerts you instead.
- Managing several PCs: NetLimiter and GlassWire offer remote control or monitoring.
- More on the taskbar: TrafficMonitor also shows CPU, memory and temperatures.
- Network tools: Net Speed Meter Premium adds a speed test and Wi-Fi details.
GlassWire, NetLimiter, TrafficMonitor and Net Speed Meter are trademarks of their owners. Bytevane isn’t affiliated with any of them. Spotted something out of date? Email bytevane@appzlr.com and we’ll fix it.
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