py-spy

5.9easy start · #17 of 29
in Profiling Software

Free to practise onnot on record
Free trialnot on record
Well documentednot on record
Runs where you workyes

Runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.

py-spy is ranked #17 of 29 in profiling software on The Geeks Club. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

py-spy plans and pricing

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py-spy Free MIT-licensed; sampling profiler for Python programs github.com · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on profiling software

Profiling modes: sampling
Supported languages: Python; C; C++; Cython
CPU profiling: Yes
Thread profiling: Yes
Deployment model: desktop

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The record

Purpose: py-spy is a sampling profiler for Python programs that visualizes where a program spends time without restarting it or changing its code.
Low overhead: It is written in Rust and runs outside the profiled Python process, which the project says makes it safe to use against production Python code.
Python support: The README says it supports recent CPython versions 2.3–2.7 and 3.3–3.14.
Commands: The command line has `record`, `top`, and `dump` subcommands for saving profiles, viewing live activity, and displaying thread call stacks.
Profile outputs: `record` can create flame graphs, speedscope profiles, or raw data, and release notes also list Chrome trace format support.
Native extensions: The README says py-spy can profile native Python extensions written in C, C++, or Cython on some platforms.
Subprocesses: With `--subprocesses`, `record` or `top` can include child Python processes, such as multiprocessing or gunicorn workers.
Installation: The project documents installation through PyPI with pip, GitHub release binaries, Cargo, Homebrew, Arch AUR, and Alpine packages.
Permissions: Attaching to a process may require elevated permissions; the README says macOS always requires root and Linux commonly requires root when attaching to a non-child process.
Containers: For Docker and Kubernetes, the README says py-spy needs the `SYS_PTRACE` capability to read process memory.
Nonblocking mode: The `--nonblocking` option avoids pausing the target process, though the README notes it can cause sampling errors or partial stack frames.
Security reporting: The security policy asks users to report vulnerabilities by email and says only the most recent version receives security updates.
License: The repository says py-spy is released under the MIT License.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Profiling Software in 2026#17 of 29

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Sources

github.com/benfred/py-spy· checked 5 Oct 2026
github.com/benfred/py-spy/blob/master/SECURITY.md· checked 5 Oct 2026