6 Best FPS Counter Apps for Windows 11

by James · March 5, 2023

The number of frames a computer can display per second, measured in frame per second (FPS), determines how smooth a game looks. If you have a high-end system, you’ll want to know how efficiently your shiny new hardware performs while playing your favorite video games.

FPS counter can help with this. It monitors your computer’s hardware status and displays how many frames your computer is generating per second. It can also show CPU and GPU load and help you identify bottlenecks in your setup.

Here are the best FPS counters to track the frame rates of games on your Windows 11 PC.

Table of Contents

1. FRAPS

FRAPS is all you need to compare your computer’s frame rate. This is a classic FPS counter application that works on almost all editions of Windows OS and is free to use.

FRAPS shows the FPS counter in the upper right corner of the screen. Interestingly, this lightweight application also includes a screenshot and screen recording utility.

By default, you can press F9 to start recording the game at a maximum of 60 FPS and split the recording into 4GB files. To take a screenshot, press F10 and the game will capture a still image. With a hotkey, you can further configure the image format and automate screen recording every few seconds.

Unregistered users can record up to 30 seconds and screenshot in BMP file format with watermark.

Download: FRAPS (free)

2. NZXT Cam

NZXT Cam is a system performance management utility that has some useful features. For example, it has a nice little overlay feature that you can activate with the Ctrl + O hotkey. When enabled, it will show FPS, CPU, GPU and RAM usage. You can also set network and system time information.

To configure the NZXT camera overlay, launch the application and click the button Settings (Gear icon) in the lower left corner. Then open the Overlay sheet. Under the Cover Settingstick all the panels you want to display, including the FPS option.

Press the button to activate the NZXT Cam overlay Ctrl + O during a game. It shows the FPS number, CPU and GPU utilization, along with temperature and memory usage. In addition to frame rate monitoring, you can also use it to adjust system performance and specs, game time, and GPU clock.

Download: NZXT Camera (Free)

3. Nvidia GeForce Experience Performance Overlay

If you have Nvidia graphics, you don’t need to use a third-party FPS counter app. Nvidia GeForce Experience features a Power cover for system performance as an overlay.

To enable performance overlay:

Make sure you have GeForce Experience installed.
Then press the button Alt + Z start the GeForce Experience overlap.
Click on Settings (Big icon) and select it HUD layout.
Open the Performance tab and select it FPS. Select the overlay position.
Also, select the Special option to view additional system performance statistics, including CPU and GPU utilization, processor temperature, memory clock, shutdown, fan speed, and more.
press it Alt + R to trigger the overlay during gameplay. press it Alt + R again to close the overlay.

Download: Nvidia GeForce Experience (free)

4. FPS monitor

If you need to benchmark a bit more than frame rate, FPS Monitor fits the bill perfectly. It tracks the status of your computer’s hardware and displays the information as an overlay in the game.

The overlay contains the average and maximum frame rate information achieved during the session. But there is more. It also displays other parameters such as GPU, CPU, memory and storage drive utilization.

It is also highly customizable and allows you to create your own overlay to match your play style. The application can be configured to collect hardware usage statistics and save them to a file. Hardware Alerts monitors your system’s hardware and alerts you when it reaches a critical level.

Like most FPS counter utilities, it has a built-in screenshot tool for capturing in-game stills. Also, you can limit the in-game FPS in any game.

In contrast, FPS Monitor is a premium utility with a free trial. After the trial period ends, you will need to pay a one-time license fee of $9.99 to use the app.

Download: FPS monitor (premium)

5. Steam FPS counter

Steam has a built-in FPS counter that is disabled by default. You can enable the frame rate counter to measure the performance of games launched on Steam.

To enable the FPS counter on Steam:

Open Steam and make sure it is not included Family view.
Then click the button Steam and select Settings.
Open the In-game tab in Settings dialogue.
Then click on In-Game FPS counter drop-down menu and select it Upper left. You can also set it to the top right, bottom right or bottom left range.
Click ok to save the changes.
The next time you launch a game on Steam, a green FPS title will appear in the desired location on the screen.

6. Razer Cortex

Razer Cortex is a game acceleration utility for Windows to optimize games for better performance. It also has a great in-game overlay. You can use FPS number, system and playback time as an overlay.

The Razer Cortex overlay only works when you launch games in the app. Fortunately, it lets you connect to third-party platforms, including Steam, Gog.com, Ubisoft Connect, Origin, and Humble Bundle, and sync game libraries.

To enable the Razer Cortex overlay:

Launch the app and open the In game sheet.
Turn on the Unique display switch.
You can press it by default Ctrl+Shift+Q to activate the overlay.
You can also configure the When the game starts its settings to automatically monitor the FPS generation chart at the end of the game.
Then launch any game from here Razer Cortex library.
press it Ctrl+Shift+Q to activate the overlay if it does not start automatically.

It includes a rudimentary FP counter overlay and shows frame rate, playback time, and timer. When the game is over, an FPS graph is displayed that shows more details about the gameplay to help you analyze your system’s performance.

Download: Razer Cortex (Free)

Apart from these, MSI Afterburner and AMD Radeon Software can also be used to view the FPS number. Both tools allow you to enable and configure in-game overlay. However, the availability of these services may vary depending on the hardware manufacturer of the system.

The best FPS counters to track your system performance

The FPS counter is useful for measuring your PC’s gaming performance and graphics-intensive tasks. If you are not satisfied with the result and expect the setting to be better, check your computer for any issues affecting system performance.

This includes updating graphics drivers, closing background apps to reduce system resource usage, checking power settings, and fixing third-party app conflicts.