Vanilla Alternatives

Vanilla is described as 'Hide and auto-hide menu bar icons, use keyboard shortcuts, enable advanced icon removal, and streamline system tray organization on Mac with customization' and is a System Tweaker in the office & productivity category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Vanilla for Mac and Homebrew. The best Vanilla alternative is Thaw, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Vanilla are Hidden Bar, Bartender, ExtraBar and Menu Bar Spacing.

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Vanilla alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. 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
     
  2. 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
     
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    1
    Hidden Bar vs Vanilla Comments
    peco
    Positive
    0

    Hidden Bar is free, open source and provides the same functionality as its competitors

    • Hidden Bar is Free and Open SourceVanilla is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Hidden Bar is LightweightVanilla is not according to our users
  3. Bartender icon
     64 likes

    Lets users organize, hide, and rearrange menu bar items with custom actions and presets based on environment, supports grouping, custom appearance, and a dedicated bar for hidden items, while offering keyboard search and widgets for creating custom shortcuts.

    18 Bartender alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  4. 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
     
  5. 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
     
  6. 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
     
  7. 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
     
  8. 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
     
  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. Tuck is a lightweight macOS menu bar manager with one-click icon hiding, zero telemetry, and Shelf Mode for notched MacBooks. Free tier with no time limit; Pro is a one-time purchase (no subscription).

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  11. BroomStick icon
     2 likes

    Broomstick is the easiest way to hide menubar icons that you don’t like. While most apps that create a menubar icon allow you to hide it, some apps don’t provide this option. Broomstick...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  12. Okigae icon
     Like

    Okigae swaps the small monochrome icons in your menu bar for illustrated characters. Pick a face for each app you want to change and leave the rest alone.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
12 of 14 Vanilla alternatives