SniporaPortlivo vs kill-port and fkill
kill-port and fkill are free npm commands that stop whatever holds a port. They’re quick when you know the port. Neither shows you what’s running first.
By Anmol Sethi · Checked
Quick answer
Use npx kill-port 3000 or fkill :3000 when you know the port and want it free now. Use Portlivo when you want to see what’s running first, stop it gently, and restart it afterwards.
At a glance
| Portlivo | kill-port | fkill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Menu bar app and window, macOS 14+ | npm command | npm command |
| Price | $8.99 once for one Mac (early-bird, normally $19.99), 7-day free trial | Free, MIT | Free, MIT |
| Shows what’s running | Every port with its project | No | Interactive picker, by process |
| How it stops | SIGTERM, so it can clean up | SIGKILL by default; --signal to change | --force to force |
| Several ports | Stop Visible, after a filter | Lists and ranges | Several arguments |
| Restart | Yes, with the same arguments and environment | No | No |
| Platforms | Mac | macOS, Linux, Windows | macOS, Linux, Windows |
Where kill-port and fkill are the better pick
- In scripts and CI.
- On Linux or Windows.
- When you know the port and just want it free.
kill-port sends SIGKILL unless you pass --signal SIGTERM, so the server can’t clean up after itself.
Portlivo is free for 7 days with every feature. Then it’s $8.99 once for one Mac (early-bird, normally $19.99), or $39.99 for 3 Macs or $59.99 for 5 Macs, with free updates and no subscription.
Try Portlivo free for 7 days. Every feature, no account.
Download for MacSend to my MacStill have a question?
Write to us — a real developer reads every email and replies personally.