Fastfetch is the best pick for most readers because it is actively maintained, written in C, and runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Haiku, and Android, while HyFetch is the closest drop-in for readers who miss Neofetch. Every tool in this list costs $0 because all eight are free and open source under MIT or GPL licenses, so the choice comes down to platform, language, and features rather than price. Neofetch and pfetch still work, but both project repos were archived in 2024, so pick them only if you want the classic Bash or POSIX shell experience and accept no future fixes.
A system information fetcher prints your OS, kernel, CPU, GPU, memory, shell, and desktop next to a logo, so it is mainly a screenshot and quick-check tool rather than a diagnostics suite. Fastfetch set the current standard by rewriting the Neofetch idea in C with JSONC configuration, and one detail most roundups skip is that Fastfetch prints memory as 555.00 MiB where Neofetch printed 555 MiB, and Fastfetch supports Wayland while Neofetch never did.
On this page
Fastfetch alternatives: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fastfetch | Most readers who want the current standard | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Neofetch | Classic Bash screenshots on almost any OS | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | HyFetch | Neofetch fans who want color flag themes | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | screenFetch | Theme screenshots with a screenshot flag | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | macchina | Minimal Rust fetcher with themes | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Archey 4 | Python users who want JSON output | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Winfetch | Windows-only PowerShell users | $0 | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | pfetch | Readers who want one tiny POSIX shell script | $0 | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best fastfetch alternatives, in detail
Fastfetch
Best for: Most readers who want the current standard
Fastfetch is a neofetch-like tool for fetching system information and displaying it in a visually appealing way, written mainly in C with a focus on performance and customizability. It supports Linux, macOS, Windows 8.1 and newer, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonFly, Haiku, and SunOS, which is the widest platform list in this roundup. Install it with apt on Debian 13 and Ubuntu 25.04 or newer, pacman on Arch, dnf on Fedora, brew on macOS, winget or scoop or Chocolatey on Windows, or pkg on FreeBSD.
- The project ships premade config files in a presets directory, and running fastfetch with the all.jsonc preset shows every module the tool can detect,
- One limit: the Command module can run arbitrary shell commands, so a config file copied from an untrusted source can harm your system, and the project
- Choose Fastfetch if you want the maintained standard with the most modules.
Pros
- Actively maintained with 188 releases
- runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Haiku, and Android
Cons
- JSONC configuration has a steep learning curve
- only x86-64 and aarch64 platforms are actively tested
Neofetch
Best for: Classic Bash screenshots on almost any OS
Neofetch is a command-line system information tool written in bash 3.2 and newer that displays information about your operating system, software, and hardware in an aesthetic and visually pleasing way. Its main purpose is screenshots: it shows the information other people want to see, such as OS, kernel, uptime, packages, shell, resolution, desktop environment, window manager, theme, icons, terminal, CPU, GPU, and memory, next to your operating system logo. You can also use an image, a custom ASCII file, or your wallpaper instead of the logo.
- The project supports almost 150 different operating systems, from Linux and Windows to Minix, AIX, and Haiku, which no other tool in this list matches
- One limit: the repository is archived, so bugs stay unfixed and new hardware or new distributions get no support, and Fastfetch notes that Neofetch ne
- Choose Neofetch if you already have it installed and it still works for your setup.
Pros
- Supports almost 150 operating systems
- single Bash script with deep customization
Cons
- Repository archived in 2024 with no future fixes
- no Wayland support
HyFetch
Best for: Neofetch fans who want color flag themes
HyFetch is Neofetch with pride flag colors, and it is also the most practical way to keep using Neofetch today. The repository serves as an updated version of the original Neofetch since the upstream project was archived, and if you only want the updated Neofetch without pride flags, you can run the neowofetch script from the same repo. Install it with pip install hyfetch, pipx, uv, pacman on Arch, dnf on Fedora, brew, or apt on Debian Trixie and Ubuntu Noble or newer.
- Version 2.0 rewrote the HyFetch core from Python to Rust, and the PyPI package still ships prebuilt Rust binaries so the move needs no extra steps fro
- The 2.0 release added fastfetch and macchina as backend options, and the changelog notes that the neofetch backend will be phased out in favor of Fast
- One limit: if you install with Cargo, you must install fastfetch yourself if you want it as the backend, and Git Bash is needed on Windows.
Pros
- Ships an updated Neofetch as neowofetch
- supports fastfetch and macchina backends
Cons
- Cargo installs need manual backend setup
- Windows use needs Git Bash
screenFetch
Best for: Theme screenshots with a screenshot flag
screenFetch is a Bash Screenshot Information Tool that auto-detects your distribution and displays an ASCII version of that distribution logo with valuable information to the right. It has been around since 2010, which makes it the oldest tool in this list, and it is licensed under GPL-3.0. You run it by typing screenfetch, and flags let you strip color, hide the logo, wrap long lines, change colors, pass a custom ASCII file, or add custom lines such as IP addresses.
- Its signature feature is the -s flag, which tells the script to take a screenshot when it displays the info, with a -m flag to move the shot afterward
- That screenshot flow is something Fastfetch and Neofetch do not build in.
- One limit: the project README points readers to a discussion about the current state of screenFetch, so development is quiet, and the tool is Bash onl
Pros
- Built-in screenshot flag with custom command support
- GPL-3.0 licensed since 2010
Cons
- Project shows a discussion about its current state
- Bash only with no JSON output
macchina
Best for: Minimal Rust fetcher with themes
macchina is a fast, minimal, and customizable system information frontend written in Rust, and it runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenWrt, and Android. It shows kernel version, uptime, memory usage, processor load, and more, and it is basic by default and customizable by design. Install it with cargo install macchina or grab a prebuilt binary from the releases page, and AUR packages exist for Arch users.
- Its theming system is unusual: themes live outside the configuration file, so you can create many themes and switch between them at any time without t
- The –doctor flag is another practical touch, since it tells you why a fetch failed when detection breaks on a new system.
- One limit: the project states it is now in maintenance mode, so only bug fixes and documentation improvements are accepted.
Pros
- Theming system separate from the config file
- –doctor flag explains detection failures
Cons
- In maintenance mode with bug fixes only
- shows a basic set of fields by default
Archey 4
Best for: Python users who want JSON output
Archey 4 is a simple system information tool written in Python, and it is a maintained fork of the original Archey project for Linux. It runs as quickly as possible, stays as light as possible, and keeps entries ordered despite loading them in parallel. It detects local and public IP addresses, general temperature, and desktop details, and it can output JSON, capture the screen on a best-effort basis, and show custom entries defined in a config.json file.
- Install it from a release package, with pip3 install archey4, yay on Arch, brew on macOS, or pkg install archey4 on FreeBSD.
- The config file can sit in /etc/archey4/config.json for system-wide settings, ~/.config/archey4/config.json for one user, or the current directory, wi
- One limit: temperature detection is more accurate with lm-sensors installed, and GPU detection needs pciutils or pciconf on graphical desktops.
Pros
- JSON output and temperature detection
- runs on BSD, macOS, Linux, and WSL
Cons
- Needs python3-distro and python3-netifaces packages
- GPU detection needs pciutils on graphical desktops
Winfetch
Best for: Windows-only PowerShell users
Winfetch is a command-line system information utility written in PowerShell 5 and newer, and it is Neofetch for Windows in the most literal sense: it displays information about your operating system, software, and hardware in an aesthetic and visually pleasing way, with the logo shown by default. Its purpose is screenshots, and you can configure it to use an image, your wallpaper, or nothing at all instead of the logo. Install it from the PowerShell Gallery with Install-Script winfetch, and a legacy branch exists for old systems.
- The project benchmarks show Winfetch on Windows running faster than Neofetch running on Bash emulators such as MSYS, Git Bash, or Cygwin, which is the
- It fits naturally with Windows Terminal, an Oh My Posh prompt, and Nerd Fonts.
- One limit: PowerShell does not automatically add the Install-Script folder to your PATH, so the winfetch command can fail with a not-recognized error
Pros
- Native PowerShell script with no Bash layer
- faster than Neofetch on MSYS or Cygwin per project benchmarks
Cons
- Windows only
- Install-Script folder is not added to PATH automatically
pfetch
Best for: Readers who want one tiny POSIX shell script
pfetch is a pretty system information tool written in POSIX sh, and its goal is to implement a simple system information tool using features built into the shell language itself where possible. The source is highly documented, and the author intended it as a learning resource for POSIX sh and simple information detection across operating systems. It supports Linux distributions from Alpine and Arch to Ubuntu and Void, plus Android, BSD, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Haiku, macOS, Minix, Solaris, IRIX, and SerenityOS.
- Configuration happens through environment variables rather than a config file: PF_INFO picks which fields to show, PF_COLOR turns color on or off, PF_
- That makes it easy to tweak with one line in your shell profile.
- One limit: the repository is archived, so no new features or fixes arrive, and it has fewer features and less ASCII art than Neofetch.
Pros
- Single POSIX shell script with no dependencies
- runs on Linux, BSD, macOS, Haiku, and more
Cons
- Repository archived in 2024
- fewer features and less ASCII art than Neofetch
How we chose
We picked tools that print system information next to a logo in the terminal, that are real projects with public source, and that a reader can install today from a package manager or a release page. We checked the official GitHub project page for each of the 8 tools on 2026-11-12, including its license, platform list, install method, and maintenance status, and every tool is free and open source under an MIT or GPL license, so the starting price is $0 for all eight. We did not test any tool hands-on.
Which tool fits your setup
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You use Linux, macOS, and Windows | Fastfetch | Runs on 9 platform families and is actively maintained |
| You miss Neofetch and want its look | HyFetch | Ships updated Neofetch as neowofetch with color flag themes |
| You only use Windows | Winfetch | Native PowerShell script with no Bash layer |
| You want the smallest possible tool | pfetch | One POSIX shell script with no dependencies |
| You want JSON output | Archey 4 | JSON output plus temperature detection and parallel loading |
| You want themes you can swap freely | macchina | Themes live outside the config file |
| You want screenshots built in | screenFetch | The -s flag takes a screenshot with the info |
| You want the widest OS list | Neofetch | Supports almost 150 operating systems |
Frequently asked questions
Is Fastfetch really free?
Yes. Fastfetch is free and open source under the MIT license, and the same is true of every tool in this list: Neofetch, HyFetch, macchina, Archey 4, Winfetch, and pfetch use MIT, while screenFetch uses GPL-3.0. You can download, use, and share all eight without paying anything, and there is no higher tier that holds back features.
Which fastfetch alternative is best for Windows?
Winfetch is the best Windows-only pick because it is a native PowerShell 5 script with no Bash layer, and the project benchmarks show it running faster than Neofetch on MSYS or Cygwin. Fastfetch is the better pick if you also use Linux or macOS, since it installs with winget, scoop, or Chocolatey on Windows and the same tool runs everywhere else.
Why did people leave Neofetch?
Neofetch was archived in 2024 after years without maintenance, so bugs stay unfixed and new hardware, new distributions, and Wayland get no support. Fastfetch picked up the same idea in C with active development, and HyFetch keeps an updated Neofetch script alive as neowofetch for readers who want the original behavior.
Which alternative is fastest?
Fastfetch and macchina are the speed-first picks because Fastfetch is written in C and macchina is written in Rust, while Neofetch, screenFetch, and pfetch are shell scripts. Treat speed as one factor alongside platform support, config style, and maintenance status rather than the only reason to pick a tool.
Can I use HyFetch without pride flag colors?
Yes. HyFetch ships an updated Neofetch script called neowofetch that runs without flag colors, and you can install HyFetch from PyPI and then run neowofetch instead of hyfetch. The setup wizard still asks about colors for hyfetch itself, so use the neowofetch command when you want plain output.
Does screenFetch take screenshots?
Yes. The -s flag tells screenFetch to take a screenshot when it displays your system information, the -m flag moves the shot to a location you choose, and the -u option can upload it to an image host. That built-in screenshot flow is the feature that sets screenFetch apart from Fastfetch and Neofetch.
Sources
- https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch
- https://github.com/dylanaraps/neofetch
- https://github.com/hykilpikonna/HyFetch
- https://github.com/KittyKatt/screenFetch
- https://github.com/Macchina-CLI/macchina
- https://github.com/HorlogeSkynet/archey4
- https://github.com/lptstr/winfetch
- https://github.com/dylanaraps/pfetch
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.