Does macOS show data usage?

Only partly. Activity Monitor's Network tab shows how much each running process has sent and received since the Mac last restarted. It keeps no daily or monthly history and starts again from zero after a restart.

Is Dataly for Mac free?

Yes. The Mac app is free and has no ads. It is a direct download, signed and notarized by Apple, and needs macOS 13 or later.

Can it track data used over my iPhone's Personal Hotspot?

Yes. Dataly counts everything the Mac sends and receives on any connection, including a phone hotspot, so you can see how much of your phone plan the Mac used.

Does Dataly for Mac upload my usage?

No. Your usage stays on your Mac. If you pair it with your phone, the two share daily totals directly over your local network.

Dataly for Mac

Mac data usage monitor.
Free, in your menu bar.

See how much data your Mac uses each day and month, which apps are using the connection, and how it adds up with your phone.

Download for Mac How it works

The short answer

macOS can show which apps are using the network right now, but it does not keep a record of how much data your Mac used today, this week or this month. Dataly does. It sits in the menu bar, counts every byte your Mac sends and receives, and keeps a daily and monthly history.

What your Mac shows on its own

Activity Monitor has a Network tab that lists how many bytes each process has sent and received. It is useful for spotting what is busy right now, but it has two limits:

1Open Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor and choose the Network tab.
2The totals only cover the time since the Mac last restarted, and there is no daily or monthly view.
3Nothing warns you when you are using a lot, which matters most on a phone hotspot or a capped home connection.

What Dataly adds

Daily and monthly totals for the Mac, kept across restarts, split into download and upload.
Which apps are using data, ordered by how much, while Dataly is running.
Live speed in the menu bar and a built-in speed test.
Your other devices in one place. Pair your iPhone or Android phone over Wi-Fi with a short code and see each device's usage side by side.
Private by design. Dataly counts how much data is used, never what it is. Your history stays on your Mac, and the Mac app has no ads.

Using your phone's hotspot?

A laptop can use a phone plan far faster than the phone itself: system updates, cloud backups and video calls all count. Dataly counts the Mac's usage on any connection, so you can see exactly what it took from your plan. Pair it with the Dataly app on your phone and both totals sit side by side.

Questions

Does macOS show data usage?: Only partly. Activity Monitor's Network tab shows how much each running process has sent and received since the Mac last restarted. It keeps no daily or monthly history and starts again from zero after a restart.
Is Dataly for Mac free?: Yes. The Mac app is free and has no ads. It is a direct download, signed and notarized by Apple, and needs macOS 13 or later.
Can it track data used over my iPhone's Personal Hotspot?: Yes. Dataly counts everything the Mac sends and receives on any connection, including a phone hotspot, so you can see how much of your phone plan the Mac used.
Does Dataly for Mac upload my usage?: No. Your usage stays on your Mac. If you pair it with your phone, the two share daily totals directly over your local network.

Know what your Mac uses.

Dataly shows your daily and monthly data use on each device you own, and adds them up in one place.

Get Dataly How it works