Bartender Alternatives

Bartender is described as 'Organizes, hides, and rearranges menu bar items, reveals hidden icons, supports grouping, appearance customization, quick search, and flexible presets' and is a popular System Tweaker in the os & utilities category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Bartender for Mac and Homebrew. The best Bartender alternative is Hidden Bar, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Bartender are Vanilla, Thaw, Sanebar and iBar-Menubar.

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Bartender alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Hidden Bar icon
     45 likes

    Ultra-lightweight macOS utility to hide menu bar items, offering launch at login, auto-hide intervals, full menu bar mode, global shortcuts, RTL languages, minimal system use, no ads, and a simple interface for enhanced organization and customization.

    15 Hidden Bar alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
    |
    7
    Hidden Bar vs Bartender Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Arie van Boxel
    0

    When you have many items, they won't show pass the notch. As far as I know, the only application that solves this is Bartender.

    Gregor Zobjak
    Positive
    0

    It's free and does what it should

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is a free alternative that does almost the same.

    3 of 7 comments
    • Hidden Bar is Free and Open SourceBartender is Paid and Proprietary
  2. Vanilla icon
     17 likes

    Hide, auto-hide, and customize menu bar icons, organize the Mac system tray, use keyboard shortcuts for desktop icon control, enable advanced removal options, auto-start at login, maintain a clutter-free interface, and enjoy both free and advanced Pro features.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
    |
    3
    Vanilla vs Bartender Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Free tier available. Able to show and hide certain menu bar items.

    theqwertymaster
    Positive
    -2

    Simple, easy and basically the same as Bartender (minus a few features)

    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    Simple usage, and with Bartender 3, it's way cheaper for the same.

    • Vanilla is Freemium and ProprietaryBartender is Paid and Proprietary
  3. Thaw icon
     11 likes

    Open source macOS utility for managing, organizing, and toggling visibility of menu bar icons. Actively maintained fork focuses on compatibility, stability, bug fixes, and adding features for customizing both system and third-party menu bar items.

    9 Thaw alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  4. Sanebar icon
     2 likes

    Menu bar manager for macOS - hide and organize your menu bar icons.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  5. iBar-Menubar icon
     8 likes

    Offers precise management of Mac menu bar icons by grouping, hiding, or revealing items as needed; supports both Intel and Apple silicon, prevents clutter, allows for permanent or temporary hiding, and enables quick access without affecting performance or stability.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  6. ExtraBar icon
     2 likes

    ExtraBar is a macOS productivity app that turns your menu bar into a customizable command center for quick actions.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  7. Menu bar apps are awesome, but MacBooks have limited menu bar space. This app helps you reclaim that space by reducing the gap between menu bar items. With a single run, the app applies changes permanently, allowing you to fit more apps into the menu bar.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  8. Iwan Dock icon
     1 like

    Iwan Dock is a native macOS menu-bar launcher. Instead of a full-screen app grid or a cluttered Dock, your apps live in floating panels you can arrange, lock in place, summon when you need them, and hide when you don't.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  9. Barbee icon
     1 like

    Barbee is a menu bar manager giving you control over your menu bar items.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  10. Spaced icon
     3 likes

    The app provides menu bar separators to group menu bar items for a more streamlined appearance.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  11. Cornice App icon
     1 like

    Free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS 26+. Hide and reveal with one click, and that half needs no permissions at all. Optional title-bar trackpad gestures for moving windows.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  12. Barmony icon
     1 like

    Tuck away the icons you rarely touch and keep the ones you use. No Screen Recording, no Accessibility — Barmony asks for zero permissions, ever. $19.99 once: solo, or with the whole Mac Utility Bundle.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
12 of 18 Bartender alternatives