HONEST COMPARISON · CHECKED 2026-09-24
Hangly vs RunCat
Not really competitors. RunCat is a system monitor in a cat costume: the animation speed reports your CPU load. Hangly is decoration with no monitoring function. Running both is sensible and common.
Free download • macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ •
Quick answer
These are not alternatives. RunCat animates a menu bar icon at a speed set by CPU load, so it is a system monitor. Hangly hangs a decorative charm and reports nothing. They occupy different slots and running both is common and sensible.
Key takeaways
- RunCat reports CPU, memory and network through animation speed
- Hangly is decoration with no monitoring function
- RunCat is macOS only; Hangly also runs on Windows
- Neither replaces the other
- Running both together is normal
What is RunCat?
RunCat, by Takuto Nakamura, is a macOS menu bar application that animates a running character whose speed reflects CPU usage, with variants reporting memory, network and other system metrics.
Taken from their own site on 2026-09-24. Products change — check theirs before deciding.
How Hangly differs
Purpose. RunCat tells you something — how hard your machine is working — through the speed of an animation. Hangly tells you nothing and is not trying to; it is an ornament. They occupy different slots and do not conflict.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Hangly | RunCat |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Decoration | System monitoring |
| Reports CPU load | No | Yes |
| Platforms | macOS 14+, Windows 10+ | macOS |
| Where it lives | Hangs below the menu bar | Menu bar icon |
| Customisation | 80+ charms, your own images | Many runner characters |
| Price | Free | Free |
Performance
RunCat polls system metrics continuously, which is its function, and animates at a rate tied to load. Hangly does no polling at all and stops animating when the charm settles. Both are light; neither is a reason to choose.
Customisation
RunCat offers many runner characters within a fixed menu bar slot. Hangly offers over eighty charms, eleven collections, three cord styles, adjustable size and any image. Different axes.
Privacy
Neither requires an account. RunCat reads system performance counters, which is what it is for. Hangly reads nothing about your system and documents its collection in full.
Platform support
Hangly: macOS 14+ and Windows 10+ including ARM64. RunCat: macOS.
Where each one wins
Choose RunCat if…
- Tells you something useful — CPU, memory and network at a glance
- A minimal footprint entirely inside the menu bar
- A long-established Mac utility with a large following
Choose Hangly if…
- Windows as well as macOS
- Over eighty charms plus your own images
- A visible presence on screen rather than a small icon
Direct answers
Which is better for Mac?
They are not alternatives. RunCat if you want a CPU indicator that is pleasant to look at; Hangly if you want decoration. Many people run both, because they occupy different slots.
Which uses fewer resources?
Hangly does less work: it polls nothing and stops animating when the charm is at rest. RunCat polls system metrics continuously because that is its function. Both are light.
Which has more customisation?
Different axes. RunCat offers many runner characters inside one menu bar slot. Hangly offers over eighty charms, three cords, adjustable size and any image, hanging anywhere along the screen top.
Which is best for desktop charms specifically?
Hangly. RunCat is a system monitor and does not hang charms.
Which is best for menu bar customisation?
RunCat, within its own definition — it replaces a menu bar icon with a live animation. Neither app rearranges or hides menu bar items; for that, a utility such as Bartender or Ice is the right category.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hangly a RunCat alternative?
Not a replacement — they do different jobs. RunCat shows system load through animation speed; Hangly is purely decorative. If you want both, run both.
Is there a RunCat for Windows?
RunCat is a Mac utility. If what you want on Windows is something charming on screen rather than a CPU monitor, Hangly runs natively on Windows including ARM64.
More questions about Hangly are answered on the FAQ page, and the guides cover the wider category.
Best for
- Someone watching CPU load
- RunCat is a monitor; Hangly reports nothing.
- Someone on Windows
- RunCat is Mac only.
- Someone who wants both
- They do not conflict — different slots, different jobs.
Alternatives
- Hangly vs Lucky Dangle The closest comparison in this list. Both hang a charm on a cord from the top of the screen, on Mac and Windows, and both stay out of every click. Hangly's advantage is breadth: charms made from your own images, eleven themed collections, and adjustable cords and sizing.
- Hangly vs Screen Dangle Both free, both Mac and Windows. The difference is philosophy: Screen Dangle presents itself as a studio for building a charm, Hangly as a library you choose from — with your own images as an option rather than the starting point.
- Hangly vs DangleJoy Very close in intent — animated charms that hang and sway, with cultural and lucky symbols at the centre of both. Hangly's edge is being free, covering Windows ARM64, and accepting your own artwork.
- Hangly vs Charmly Near-identical in concept — a charm on a cord with real pendulum physics that stays out of your clicks. Hangly's difference is reach: Windows including native ARM64, eleven collections, and your own images as charms.
- Hangly vs Shimeji Both let you put your own artwork on screen, and there the similarity ends. Shimeji characters roam, climb windows and throw them about, and the popular version today is a browser extension. Hangly is a native desktop app with a charm that stays where you hang it.
- Hangly vs Desktop Goose These are opposites that appeal to the same instinct. Desktop Goose drags mud across your screen and steals your cursor, deliberately. Hangly hangs one charm that cannot interrupt anything. Choose by whether you want to be interfered with.
- Hangly vs Dockling Dockling is a productivity companion that happens to be charming — Pomodoro, streaks, quick notes, $2.99 once. Hangly is decoration that deliberately adds nothing to your workflow. Choose by whether you want your ornament to also prompt you.
- Every desktop charm app for Mac, compared The whole category in one table, including the ones with no page here.
In short
Not competitors. If you want to know what your machine is doing, RunCat. If you want the top of the screen to be pleasant, Hangly. Most people who want both simply install both.