Guide · October 28, 2026
If you're juggling several projects on your Mac, it can be hard to remember what's running on localhost:3000, 5173, or 8080. Here's how to see and manage them all in one place.
You want a menu bar app that can see every open port, kill one with a click, and tell you what is actually running there. The useful part is the project, the command, or the framework. A bare port number leaves you guessing which terminal you forgot yesterday.
Portlivo is the most complete match. It lists every local port, kills or restarts the process, and attaches the folder, command, Git branch, and framework to the number. The terminal version of the same question is lsof -nP -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN. These apps put that list in the menu bar and add a kill button.
Most completemacOS 14+. 7-day trial, then $8.99 early-bird for one Mac.
Free downloadFree and MIT. Signed and notarized. Why this is the free pick.
Docker and Homebrew
It stops the container or the brew service itself, and it names the Git project behind the process.
CPU and RAM
Live CPU and memory sit next to a framework name such as Next.js, Vite, Docker, or Ollama.
Free and occupied ports
Occupied dev ports and the common ones still free, with the full command, cwd, owner, and bind scope.
Restart the same server
It keeps the command, arguments, folder, and environment, then checks that the port is listening again.
A fixed set of services
You add named services, then start, stop, restart, and read their logs. Free covers three profiles. Pro is $19.
A tiny exposure check
Every TCP listener, the process, and the working directory, with a mark on anything bound to all interfaces.
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| App | Match | Ports | Kill | What is running | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlivo | Complete | Every local port | One click, plus an exact restart | Folder, command, Git branch, and framework | Trial, then $8.99 |
| Manfath | Free install | Listening ports | One click | Working folder, executable, and framework | Free |
| PortBar | Strong | Dev ports and other listeners | One click, or kill all | Working directory and the full command | Free, build it |
| Janus | Strong | Listening ports | One click, and a careful restart | Grouped by project root | Free |
| LocalhostBar | Strong | Every TCP listener | One click | Process and working directory | Free, build it |
| PortsKiller | Check the license | All TCP in the Ports view | One click, whole process tree | Project folder, with a stack guess | Free download |
| PortRadar | Stack and resources | TCP listeners | One click | Framework, live CPU, and RAM. Project folder is not in the docs. | Free |
| PortKiller | Supervised services | Dev-port ranges you set | One click, including Docker and Homebrew | Git project | Free |
| portman | Your processes | Your own TCP listeners | One click | Port, PID, and command | Free |
| LocalPorts | Named services | Services you add | One click for those services | The name and folder you configured | Free, $19 Pro |
| Port Manager | Basic list | View all ports | One click | The docs describe the port and a network URL | Price not listed |
Marks below come from each app's own site, repository, README, and release notes as of October 28, 2026. A dash means those docs do not confirm the feature.
Most of these apps scan listeners that are already running. LocalPorts works from services you add by name, with an address and an optional start command, then starts, stops, and watches that list.
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| App | Discover | Open | Copy | Kill | Restart | Search | Project | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlivo | All local ports | Exact arguments and environment | Folder, command, Git branch | |||||
| Manfath | Listening ports | Working directory | Framework hints | |||||
| PortBar | Dev ports and other listeners | Port, PID, URL, cwd | Plus kill all | cwd and full command | Process-type icons | |||
| Janus | Groups by project root | Project markers | ||||||
| LocalhostBar | All TCP LISTEN sockets | Address | Only my processes | cwd | ||||
| PortsKiller | All TCP listeners in Ports view | URL | Process tree | Saved or detected projects | Heuristic dev-server detection | |||
| PortRadar | TCP listeners | URL | Next.js, Vite, Docker, Ollama, and others | |||||
| PortKiller | Dev-port ranges, configurable | Git project | Process and stack recognition | |||||
| portman | Your TCP listeners | Port, PID, command | ||||||
| LocalPorts | Configured services, plus conflict checks | URL | Managed services | Configured folder / profiles | ||||
| Port Manager | View all ports | Network URLs |
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| App | Logs | CPU / RAM | Health | Docker | Homebrew | Share | Watch | Alerts | Exposure | CLI | Login |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlivo | HTTP status, latency, preview | Native containers | QR, Cloudflare, ngrok | Watched ports | CLI and Shortcuts | ||||||
| Manfath | HTTP status in the inspector | Detects Docker-related ports | Can identify Homebrew Postgres | Cloudflare, ngrok, LAN QR | Pinned groups | ||||||
| PortBar | Process icon | Local vs all interfaces | |||||||||
| Janus | Restarted output goes to /dev/null | Favorites | |||||||||
| LocalhostBar | Marks all interfaces | Registers at login | |||||||||
| PortsKiller | Processes it launched this session | CPU, RAM, and swap | Diagnostic scan commands | ||||||||
| PortRadar | Live CPU and RAM | Detection | Pinned watchlist | ||||||||
| PortKiller | See and stop containers | Stop Postgres, Redis, MySQL | Configurable ranges | New-listener alerts | |||||||
| portman | |||||||||||
| LocalPorts | Status. Pro adds history. | Profiles | Pro crash and webhook alerts | ||||||||
| Port Manager |
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| App | Price | Source | License | macOS | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlivo | 7-day trial, then $8.99 early-bird. Regular price $19.99. | Proprietary | Commercial | 14+ | Signed and notarized |
| Manfath | Free | Open source | MIT | 14+ is the safer reading. The site says 12+. | Signed and notarized DMG, per the repo |
| PortBar | Free | Open source | MIT | 13+ | Build from source |
| Janus | Free | Open source | MIT | 14+ | Not notarized |
| LocalhostBar | Free | Open source | MIT | 13+ | Build locally. Not a notarized download. |
| PortsKiller | Free download | Source available, no license file | No license identified | 13+ | Ad-hoc signed, not notarized |
| PortRadar | Free | Open source | MIT | 14+ | Site says notarized. README still documents a Gatekeeper bypass. |
| PortKiller | Free | Open source | MIT | Repo says 10.15+. The site says 12+. | DMG. README includes a Gatekeeper workaround. |
| portman | Free | Open source | MIT | 15+ | Signed DMG. macOS may say the developer cannot be verified. |
| LocalPorts | Free, or $19 lifetime Pro | Core open, Pro private | MIT for the public core | 13+ | Notarized DMG |
| Port Manager | Public price not listed | No public source found | Not documented | 10.12+ | Gumroad. Notarization not documented. |
Beyond the port list, it shows CPU and memory, probes HTTP status and latency, keeps a page thumbnail, and can restart with the original arguments and environment. Docker entries use the container, Homebrew and launchd services stop through their own mechanisms, and a server can become a LAN QR code or a Cloudflare or ngrok tunnel. A devports CLI and Shortcuts actions expose several of the same operations. It is the paid, closed-source app in the group. The current price is a seven-day trial, then $8.99 for one Mac on the early-bird license, listed as returning to $19.99.
The inspector shows the working directory, executable, framework hint, HTTP status, and file count. It can pin port groups, open a Cloudflare or ngrok tunnel, and draw a Wi-Fi QR code for a phone on the same network. The landing page says macOS 12 and mentions UDP. The repository says macOS 14 and describes TCP listening ports. Treat 14 and TCP as the baseline until those pages match. The repo says the DMG is signed and notarized.
It sends SIGTERM, then SIGKILL, checks the PID first, and can stop a Docker container or a Homebrew PostgreSQL, Redis, or MySQL service directly. It names the Git project and can notify you when a new listener appears. Watched ports live in ~/.portkiller.json. The site says macOS 12. The repo says 10.15, and the README currently includes an xattr step for Gatekeeper.
PortRadar is the cleaner free status view: framework, live CPU, memory, and a pinned bar of favorite ports. Its site calls the build Apple-notarized. The README still explains a Gatekeeper bypass, so check the signature of the file you download. PortBar is the inspection view: owner, full command, bind scope, uptime, cwd, occupied and free dev ports, a global hotkey, and kill all. It is MIT, and the docs are aimed at building it yourself on macOS 13.
It finds project roots from markers such as .git, package.json, Gemfile, composer.json, and go.mod. A restart stops the process, keeps the command, arguments, working directory, and environment variables such as PORT, launches again, and checks that something is listening. The new process does not get the original terminal session. There is no log viewer, and restarted output goes to /dev/null. The build is explicitly not notarized.
Version 2 added start, stop, restart, force-stop, streaming logs, port-conflict detection, profiles, in-app updates, and a notarized release. Free allows three profiles. The $19 lifetime Pro tier adds unlimited profiles, crash restart, categories, health history, notifications, webhooks, iCloud sync, and import/export. It fits a named stack: frontend, API, worker, and database.
LocalhostBar is the small one: every TCP listener, process, PID, and cwd, plus a visible split between loopback and all-interfaces. You build it locally. PortsKiller adds an Activity view with CPU, RAM, and swap, and it can restart saved projects. Release builds are ad-hoc signed and not notarized, and the repository has no license file, so treat it as source-available. portman scans your own TCP listeners, shows port, PID, and command, and kills with SIGTERM then SIGKILL. It needs macOS 15. Port Manager's public page covers showing ports, opening them, copying a network URL, and freeing a port, back to macOS 10.12. The purchase link goes to Gumroad, and a current price was not on the page.
Portlivo is the app to buy when you want logs, health checks, exact restarts, Docker, and Homebrew in the same menu bar.
If you'd rather just download and install, Manfath is the next best free pick. It's signed and notarized, kills a port with one click, and shows each port's working folder, executable and framework.
Download ManfathManfath's site says macOS 12 or later. The GitHub README says macOS 14 or later, which is the safer requirement. The repository describes TCP listening ports.