Our verdict: Libre Hardware Monitor is a free, open-source sensor monitor that shows temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, clocks and loads in one tree view. It is portable and light, and its library powers other tools such as Fan Control. The interface is plain, and sensor coverage depends on community support for each motherboard.
About Libre Hardware Monitor
Libre Hardware Monitor is an open-source fork of Open Hardware Monitor, licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. It reads sensors from motherboards, Intel and AMD processors, NVIDIA, AMD and Intel graphics cards, HDDs, SSDs and NVMe drives, and network cards, and lists them in a tree with current, minimum and maximum values.
The Windows Forms app is portable: it comes as a ZIP for .NET Framework 4.7.2 or .NET 10. It can log sensor values to a file, show gadgets and tray icons, and serve readings to a browser on your network through a built-in web server with a metrics endpoint. Recent versions use the PawnIO driver for low-level hardware access. Developers can embed the same LibreHardwareMonitorLib library in their own software.
What it does well
- Wide sensor coverage. CPU, GPU, motherboard, storage and network sensors in one tree.
- Min and max tracking. Shows current, lowest and highest value for every sensor.
- Logging and plots. Write sensor data to a log file or view it as a graph.
- Web server. Read sensor values from another device through a browser or metrics endpoint.
- Portable. No installer; extract and run.
Who it is for
Good fit
Enthusiasts who want an open-source, portable view of all PC temperatures and fan speeds.
Look elsewhere
Users who want a polished dashboard or stress tests; it only monitors.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source
- Covers CPU, GPU, drives and motherboard
- Portable and light
- Built-in web server for remote viewing
Cons
- Plain, utilitarian interface
- Sensor support varies between motherboards
- Still a 0.x release
How to install Libre Hardware Monitor
Download LibreHardwareMonitor.zip (the .NET Framework build that runs without extra runtimes) or the .NET 10 build, extract it to a folder and run LibreHardwareMonitor.exe as administrator so all sensors can be read. Use the Options menu to start it minimized with Windows or to enable the web server.
Questions about Libre Hardware Monitor
Is Libre Hardware Monitor free?
Yes. It is open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Why are some sensors missing in Libre Hardware Monitor?
Start it as administrator. If sensors are still missing, your motherboard's sensor chip may not be supported yet; the project accepts reports and contributions on GitHub.
