fancontrolLinux
vs
SpeedFanWindows
fancontrol as a Linux alternative to SpeedFan
Updated
Our verdict
fancontrol can serve as a practical replacement for SpeedFan for users who are comfortable editing text‑based configuration files and already run lm‑sensors. It handles automatic fan speed adjustments, reads CPU, GPU and motherboard sensors, and lets you define custom curves. However, it lacks a graphical interface, built‑in voltage/power readouts, and real‑time graphing that many SpeedFan users expect. If you prefer a lightweight, scriptable solution and don’t need visual dashboards, fancontrol works well; otherwise you may need additional tools for monitoring and a GUI front‑end.
- License
- GPL-3.0-only
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 26.01 (January 24, 2026)
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Reads hardware temperature sensors via lm‑sensors
- Controls PWM and voltage‑controlled fans
- Allows custom fan speed curves and thresholds
- Runs with minimal CPU overhead
What is different
- No native GUI; configuration is done via /etc/fancontrol text file
- No built‑in voltage, power or clock monitoring display
- No real‑time graphing or logging UI; you must rely on external tools
- SpeedFan can directly manage some proprietary fan controllers that fancontrol may not support without additional kernel modules
Opening your SpeedFan files
SpeedFan stores its profiles in proprietary .sf files. fancontrol does not understand this format, and there is no documented converter. If you need to migrate settings, you will have to recreate the curves manually in the fancontrol configuration file.
Switching from SpeedFan to fancontrol, step by step
- Install lm-sensors and run
sensors-detectto expose all sensor chips. - Install fancontrol (e.g., via your package manager) and ensure the
pwmconfigscript is available. - Run
pwmconfigto generate an initial /etc/fancontrol file based on detected sensors. - Edit /etc/fancontrol to match the fan curves you used in SpeedFan.
- Enable and start the fancontrol service (
systemctl enable --now fancontrol). - Optionally install a GUI front‑end like fancontrol-gui for easier tweaking.
Key features of fancontrol
- Automatically adjusts fan speed based on sensor readings
- Supports PWM and voltage-controlled fans
- Real-time display of temperature and fan speeds
- Customizable control curves and thresholds
- Saves multiple configurations
- Integrates with lm-sensors for hardware monitoring
- Configurable update intervals and logging
How to install fancontrol on Linux
flatpak install flathub io.github.wiiznokes.fan-controlFrequently asked questions
Can fancontrol adjust GPU fan speeds?
Yes, if the GPU exposes a PWM control interface that lm‑sensors can read; otherwise you may need a vendor‑specific driver.
Do I need a special kernel module for fancontrol?
Only if your hardware uses a non‑standard controller; most modern boards work with the standard coretemp, it87, or nct6775 modules.
How can I see fan speeds in real time?
Use the sensors command or a monitoring tool like watch sensors or gnome-system-monitor with a plugin.