diff --git a/tools/cabana/binaryview.cc b/tools/cabana/binaryview.cc
index b98c75d452..b6a5fa75aa 100644
--- a/tools/cabana/binaryview.cc
+++ b/tools/cabana/binaryview.cc
@@ -177,7 +177,9 @@ void BinaryViewModel::setMessage(const QString &message_id) {
 
 void BinaryViewModel::updateState() {
   auto prev_items = items;
-  const auto &binary = can->lastMessage(msg_id).dat;
+  const auto &last_msg = can->lastMessage(msg_id);
+  const auto &binary = last_msg.dat;
+
   // data size may changed.
   if (binary.size() > row_count) {
     beginInsertRows({}, row_count, binary.size() - 1);
@@ -193,6 +195,7 @@ void BinaryViewModel::updateState() {
     hex[0] = toHex(binary[i] >> 4);
     hex[1] = toHex(binary[i] & 0xf);
     items[i * column_count + 8].val = hex;
+    items[i * column_count + 8].bg_color = last_msg.colors[i];
   }
   for (int i = binary.size(); i < row_count; ++i) {
     for (int j = 0; j < column_count; ++j) {
@@ -201,7 +204,7 @@ void BinaryViewModel::updateState() {
   }
 
   for (int i = 0; i < row_count * column_count; ++i) {
-    if (i >= prev_items.size() || prev_items[i].val != items[i].val) {
+    if (i >= prev_items.size() || prev_items[i].val != items[i].val || prev_items[i].bg_color != items[i].bg_color) {
       auto idx = index(i / column_count, i % column_count);
       emit dataChanged(idx, idx);
     }
@@ -234,6 +237,7 @@ void BinaryItemDelegate::paint(QPainter *painter, const QStyleOptionViewItem &op
 
   if (index.column() == 8) {
     painter->setFont(hex_font);
+    painter->fillRect(option.rect, item->bg_color);
   } else if (option.state & QStyle::State_Selected) {
     painter->fillRect(option.rect, selection_color);
     painter->setPen(option.palette.color(QPalette::BrightText));
diff --git a/tools/cabana/canmessages.cc b/tools/cabana/canmessages.cc
index a473313f90..9b5f41c60a 100644
--- a/tools/cabana/canmessages.cc
+++ b/tools/cabana/canmessages.cc
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ static bool event_filter(const Event *e, void *opaque) {
   return c->eventFilter(e);
 }
 
+static QColor blend(QColor a, QColor b) {
+  return QColor((a.red() + b.red()) / 2, (a.green() + b.green()) / 2, (a.blue() + b.blue()) / 2, (a.alpha() + b.alpha()) / 2);
+}
+
 bool CANMessages::loadRoute(const QString &route, const QString &data_dir, uint32_t replay_flags) {
   replay = new Replay(route, {"can", "roadEncodeIdx", "wideRoadEncodeIdx", "carParams"}, {}, nullptr, replay_flags, data_dir, this);
   replay->setSegmentCacheLimit(settings.cached_segment_limit);
@@ -49,6 +53,9 @@ void CANMessages::process(QHash<QString, CanData> *messages) {
 
 bool CANMessages::eventFilter(const Event *event) {
   static std::unique_ptr new_msgs = std::make_unique<QHash<QString, CanData>>();
+  static QHash<QString, QByteArray> prev_dat;
+  static QHash<QString, QList<QColor>> colors;
+  static QHash<QString, QList<double>> last_change_t;
   static double prev_update_ts = 0;
 
   if (event->which == cereal::Event::Which::CAN) {
@@ -71,6 +78,59 @@ bool CANMessages::eventFilter(const Event *event) {
       if (double delta = (current_sec - counters_begin_sec); delta > 0) {
         data.freq = data.count / delta;
       }
+
+      // Init colors
+      if (colors[id].size() != data.dat.size()) {
+        colors[id].clear();
+        for (int i = 0; i < data.dat.size(); i++){
+          colors[id].append(QColor(0, 0, 0, 0));
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Init last_change_t
+      if (last_change_t[id].size() != data.dat.size()) {
+        last_change_t[id].clear();
+        for (int i = 0; i < data.dat.size(); i++){
+          last_change_t[id].append(data.ts);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Compute background color for the bytes based on changes
+      if (prev_dat[id].size() == data.dat.size()) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < data.dat.size(); i++){
+          uint8_t last = prev_dat[id][i];
+          uint8_t cur = data.dat[i];
+
+          const int periodic_threshold = 10;
+          const int start_alpha = 128;
+          const float fade_time = 2.0;
+
+          if (last != cur) {
+            double delta_t = data.ts - last_change_t[id][i];
+
+            if (delta_t * data.freq > periodic_threshold)  {
+              // Last change was while ago, choose color based on delta up or down
+              if (cur > last) {
+                colors[id][i] = QColor(0, 187, 255, start_alpha); // Cyan
+              } else {
+                colors[id][i] = QColor(255, 0, 0, start_alpha); // Red
+              }
+            } else {
+              // Periodic changes
+              colors[id][i] = blend(colors[id][i], QColor(102, 86, 169, start_alpha / 2)); // Greyish/Blue
+            }
+
+            last_change_t[id][i] = data.ts;
+          } else {
+            // Fade out
+            float alpha_delta = 1.0 / (data.freq + 1) / fade_time;
+            colors[id][i].setAlphaF(std::max(0.0, colors[id][i].alphaF() - alpha_delta));
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      data.colors = colors[id];
+      prev_dat[id] = data.dat;
     }
 
     double ts = millis_since_boot();
diff --git a/tools/cabana/canmessages.h b/tools/cabana/canmessages.h
index 2cdc010d8c..c30361af41 100644
--- a/tools/cabana/canmessages.h
+++ b/tools/cabana/canmessages.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include <QColor>
 #include <QHash>
+#include <QApplication>
 
 #include "opendbc/can/common_dbc.h"
 #include "tools/cabana/settings.h"
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ struct CanData {
   uint32_t count = 0;
   uint32_t freq = 0;
   QByteArray dat;
+  QList<QColor> colors;
 };
 
 class CANMessages : public QObject {
diff --git a/tools/cabana/messageswidget.cc b/tools/cabana/messageswidget.cc
index 3477abe37b..10a9c2e849 100644
--- a/tools/cabana/messageswidget.cc
+++ b/tools/cabana/messageswidget.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 #include <QHeaderView>
 #include <QLineEdit>
 #include <QVBoxLayout>
+#include <QPainter>
+#include <QApplication>
 
 #include "tools/cabana/dbcmanager.h"
 
@@ -21,6 +23,7 @@ MessagesWidget::MessagesWidget(QWidget *parent) : QWidget(parent) {
   table_widget = new QTableView(this);
   model = new MessageListModel(this);
   table_widget->setModel(model);
+  table_widget->setItemDelegateForColumn(4, new MessageBytesDelegate(table_widget));
   table_widget->setSelectionBehavior(QAbstractItemView::SelectRows);
   table_widget->setSelectionMode(QAbstractItemView::SingleSelection);
   table_widget->setSizePolicy(QSizePolicy::Preferred, QSizePolicy::Expanding);
@@ -31,6 +34,7 @@ MessagesWidget::MessagesWidget(QWidget *parent) : QWidget(parent) {
   table_widget->setColumnWidth(2, 80);
   table_widget->horizontalHeader()->setStretchLastSection(true);
   table_widget->verticalHeader()->hide();
+
   main_layout->addWidget(table_widget);
 
   // signals/slots
@@ -65,9 +69,10 @@ QVariant MessageListModel::headerData(int section, Qt::Orientation orientation,
 }
 
 QVariant MessageListModel::data(const QModelIndex &index, int role) const {
+  const auto &id = msgs[index.row()];
+  auto &can_data = can->lastMessage(id);
+
   if (role == Qt::DisplayRole) {
-    const auto &id = msgs[index.row()];
-    auto &can_data = can->lastMessage(id);
     switch (index.column()) {
       case 0: return msgName(id);
       case 1: return id;
@@ -77,6 +82,13 @@ QVariant MessageListModel::data(const QModelIndex &index, int role) const {
     }
   } else if (role == Qt::FontRole && index.column() == columnCount() - 1) {
     return QFontDatabase::systemFont(QFontDatabase::FixedFont);
+  } else if (role == Qt::UserRole && index.column() == 4) {
+
+    QList<QVariant> colors;
+    for (int i = 0; i < can_data.dat.size(); i++){
+      colors.append(can_data.colors[i]);
+    }
+    return colors;
   }
   return {};
 }
@@ -146,3 +158,40 @@ void MessageListModel::sort(int column, Qt::SortOrder order) {
     sortMessages();
   }
 }
+
+
+MessageBytesDelegate::MessageBytesDelegate(QObject *parent) : QStyledItemDelegate(parent) {
+}
+
+void MessageBytesDelegate::paint(QPainter *painter, const QStyleOptionViewItem &option, const QModelIndex &index) const {
+  QList<QVariant> colors = index.data(Qt::UserRole).toList();
+
+  QStyleOptionViewItemV4 opt = option;
+  initStyleOption(&opt, index);
+
+  const QFont font = index.data(Qt::FontRole).value<QFont>();
+  painter->setFont(font);
+
+  QRect rect = opt.rect;
+  QString bytes = QString(opt.text);
+
+  QRect pos = rect;
+  QRect space = painter->boundingRect(pos, opt.displayAlignment, " ");
+  pos.setX(pos.x() + space.width());
+
+  if ((option.state & QStyle::State_Selected) && (option.state & QStyle::State_Active)) {
+    painter->setPen(option.palette.color(QPalette::HighlightedText));
+  } else {
+    painter->setPen(option.palette.color(QPalette::Text));
+  }
+
+  int i = 0;
+  for (auto &byte : bytes.split(" ")) {
+    QRect sz = painter->boundingRect(pos, opt.displayAlignment, byte);
+    const int m = space.width() / 2;
+    painter->fillRect(sz.marginsAdded(QMargins(m + 1, m, m, m)), colors[i].value<QColor>());
+    painter->drawText(pos, opt.displayAlignment, byte);
+    pos.setX(pos.x() + sz.width() + space.width());
+    i++;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/tools/cabana/messageswidget.h b/tools/cabana/messageswidget.h
index 62aa23c02e..8b74f1427e 100644
--- a/tools/cabana/messageswidget.h
+++ b/tools/cabana/messageswidget.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #include <QAbstractTableModel>
 #include <QTableView>
+#include <QStyledItemDelegate>
 
 #include "tools/cabana/canmessages.h"
 
@@ -41,3 +42,10 @@ protected:
   QString current_msg_id;
   MessageListModel *model;
 };
+
+class MessageBytesDelegate : public QStyledItemDelegate {
+    Q_OBJECT
+public:
+    MessageBytesDelegate(QObject *parent);
+    void paint(QPainter *painter, const QStyleOptionViewItem &option, const QModelIndex &index) const override;
+};