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perf vs TAU Performance System: catalog facts
perf	TAU Performance System
Free Free and open source as part of the Linux kernel.	Free Available to download from the University of Oregon research site.
Linux, Command line	macOS
Uses hardware performance counters and kernel tracepoints Profiles both the whole system and single processes	Supports many languages used in scientific computing Several instrumentation methods, from automatic to manual
Linux only Command-line output takes practice to interpret	Aimed at HPC specialists with a steep learning curve Academic website with dated presentation
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

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