Overview
NetLens Pro measures changes in macOS cumulative byte counters for this Mac’s active physical network interface and stores aggregate usage locally. It never inspects traffic content and does not identify apps, websites, DNS, IP addresses, packets, requests, headers, or bodies. Optional location access is used only to obtain the current Wi-Fi network name, not coordinates. There is no NetLens account, developer server, advertising, analytics, tracking, or subscription in the reviewed version. Brent Gaddis provides NetLens Pro. It is a general-audience app and is not directed to children under 13. Privacy questions can be sent through the site form or to support@brentgaddis.com.
Usage information measured
NetLens Pro reads cumulative upload and download byte counters for the active physical interface and stores sampled differences in aggregate time buckets. It can keep confirmed observation duration, connection type, expensive or constrained path state, hotspot/session totals, profile lifetime totals, and alert thresholds. Normal protocol overhead may be included. It excludes loopback, bridge, peer-to-peer, and other virtual interfaces by default to reduce double-counting.
What NetLens Pro does not inspect
NetLens Pro does not capture packet content or identify applications, websites, DNS names, IP addresses, requests, responses, headers, bodies, credentials, searches, or browsing history. It does not measure other devices on a router and cannot reconstruct traffic during pauses, sleep, or periods when the app was not running. Provider totals can differ because their boundaries and accounting rules are different.
Optional network names and permissions
Tracking begins only after consent. Optional Location permission lets macOS provide the current Wi-Fi SSID; NetLens Pro does not request coordinates or scan nearby networks, and tracking continues as Unidentified Wi-Fi when permission is skipped. Locally stored network details can include SSID or alias, channel, RSSI, connection type, time, and byte totals. Notifications are requested only for alerts, and launch at login is off by default.
Local storage, retention, exports, and deletion
Usage buckets, network profiles, names, alert rules, insights, and settings remain in local SwiftData/UserDefaults. Retention defaults to Forever but can be changed; profile lifetime totals can remain after old history buckets are pruned. CSV export occurs only when requested and includes network names only if you choose; exported files remain outside the app. Settings > Privacy & Data > Delete Everything removes usage history, names, alerts, and insights while retaining ordinary settings. Delete exported files separately or remove the app and its data.
Service and purchase boundary
No account, developer server, cloud sync, third-party SDK, advertising, analytics, tracking, subscription, trial, or in-app purchase was found in the reviewed version. Apple processes Mac App Store distribution, paid-up-front purchase, macOS permissions, notifications, location-to-SSID access, and operating-system services under its own terms. NetLens Pro does not sell or transmit locally stored usage history to Brent.
Accuracy and security limits
NetLens Pro is an informational local meter, not an ISP bill, router meter, packet inspector, forensic tool, parental-control product, or security monitor. Totals can be affected by sampling, sleep, overhead, interface changes, system behavior, and retention settings. Local storage and CSV exports rely on macOS and destination protections and are not represented as separately app-encrypted. Review exports before sharing.
Website, support, privacy requests, children, and policy changes
NetLens Pro’s app-data practices are described above and are separate from its pages on brentgaddis.com. Those pages use first-party aggregate analytics operated through Cloudflare. The site counts page views and allowlisted actions and keeps coarse source, country, device, browser, operating-system, engagement, performance, and reliability totals. It does not store raw analytics events, visitor or session identities, raw or hashed IP addresses, cookie or local-storage visitor IDs, full user agents, full referrers or URLs, form contents, arbitrary text, or a person’s raw click history. Country and source cells below five are suppressed, and aggregates are retained for up to 24 months. Cloudflare still processes request and network metadata to deliver and protect the site. If you contact support, the website, Cloudflare Turnstile, Cloudflare’s delivery services, and the email provider process the app selection, request type, reply email, subject, message, security signals, and delivery metadata you submit. Form contents are delivered to Brent’s monitored mailbox and are not written to website analytics or a website message database. Support email is retained only as reasonably needed to respond, maintain security and support records, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations, then deleted or de-identified when no longer needed. Do not submit passwords, recovery keys, government identifiers, payment-card data, or unrelated sensitive content. The website does not use cross-site behavioral advertising or sell or share personal information for that purpose, so browser Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals do not change its behavior. NetLens Pro is offered to a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. If Brent learns that a child supplied personal information through a developer-controlled channel without required consent, he will take reasonable steps to delete it. Depending on where you live, applicable law may provide access, correction, deletion, or appeal rights; use the privacy-request form or email support@brentgaddis.com. Identity may be verified, and requests will be handled as applicable law requires. Material changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date, with additional notice or consent when required.
Questions
Contact Brent Gaddis with privacy questions about NetLens Pro.