MarkDash vs PortKiller
The short answer
Pick PortKiller if you want a free port list with kill, on Mac or Windows, plus Kubernetes port-forwards and Cloudflare Tunnels.
Pick MarkDash if you want to know which project holds a port, start it again, read its logs and keep its pages.
At a glance
| Feature | MarkDash | PortKiller |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Native menu bar app, macOS 15 or later | Open source menu bar app (MIT), macOS 15 or later and Windows |
| Price | $9.99 per Mac at launch, then $19.99, paid once. 14-day trial | Free |
| Lists listening ports | Yes Every listening TCP port with process, PID, folder and command. Rescans every 4 s | Yes All listening TCP ports, with search and filters |
| Knows the project | Yes Your saved sites by name; any other server by its folder | No Sorts ports into categories like Web Server or Database |
| Starts your projects | Yes One click, with your login shell’s PATH. Detects the command from the folder | No |
| Stops a server | Yes Quit signal to the whole process tree, force kill after 3 s | Yes Graceful or force kill |
| Restarts a server | Yes For the sites you saved | No |
| Live logs | Yes For the servers MarkDash starts | Partly For Kubernetes port-forwards |
| Port conflict warnings | Yes Port taken, two copies of one project, a server that moved (5173 → 5174). One-click kill | Partly Notifications for watched ports |
| Saved pages that follow the port | Yes Save /admin, /blog… per project. Paste a localhost URL and it’s filed under the right one | No |
| Links, notes and a board | Yes Categories, notes, search, To do / Doing / Done board | No Favorite ports |
| Menu bar | Yes | Yes |
| Also does | No No tunnels or share links | Yes Kubernetes port-forwards, Cloudflare Tunnels |
Where MarkDash pulls ahead
- It knows which project a port belongs to, by name or folder.
- It starts and restarts projects, with your shell’s PATH.
- Warnings for two copies of a project or a server that moved ports.
- Saved pages per project and a links board.
Where PortKiller is the better pick
- It’s free and open source.
- It runs on Windows too.
- It manages Kubernetes port-forwards and Cloudflare Tunnels.
What they cost
PortKiller is free and MIT licensed. Install it with Homebrew or a DMG from GitHub.
MarkDash is a one-time purchase per Mac, from $9.99, after a 14-day free trial with every feature. See the licenses.
Questions
Does MarkDash do Kubernetes port-forwards?
No. It lists them like any other listening port and can stop them, but it doesn’t create or manage them. PortKiller does.
Try MarkDash on your own projects
Free for 14 days, then $9.99 per Mac, paid once. macOS 15 or later.
More comparisons
- MarkDash vs lsof and killThe built-in commands for finding who holds a port.
- MarkDash vs Activity MonitorApple’s process viewer, which has no port column.
- MarkDash vs PortlivoThe closest app to MarkDash, with sharing and a CLI.
- MarkDash vs LocalhostBarA small, free, open source list of localhost ports.
- MarkDash vs RaycastDev Servers and Port Manager extensions for the launcher.
- MarkDash vs Laravel HerdA full PHP and Laravel environment.
- MarkDash vs kill-port and fkillThe npm commands that free a busy port.
Sources for PortKiller: PortKiller on GitHub