Rank 1: Ice
Best for a free, open-source Bartender replacement
License: Open source
- macOS
Status: Active
GPL-3.0, needs macOS 14 or later. The last stable release is 0.11.12 from Oct 2024 and macOS 26 bugs are open, so check the issue tracker first.
Free alternatives to Bartender
Best free option: Ice (Situational). Switching saves about $25 USD one-time.
About Bartender
- Bartender, Bartender 7, one-time license
$25 USDone-time
≈$35.64 CAD (converted from USD)
Every pick below has a free version.
- Runs on
- macOS
- Key file formats
- Not listed
Filter alternatives
2 alternatives
Situational
2 toolsRight for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.
Rank 2: Hidden Bar
Best for simply collapsing menu bar icons
License: Open source- macOS
Status: ActiveMIT, needs macOS 13 or later. It does one job. The Mac App Store copy is old (1.8, 2021); the GitHub release (1.11.1, Sep 2026) is current.
Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.
Feature parity
How each alternative covers what people use Bartender for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | Ice | Hidden Bar |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing | ||
| Hide and show menu bar icons | Yes | YesNote 1Click the arrow to hide or show the icons to its left |
| Drag to rearrange icons | YesNote 2Drag and drop arranges individual items | PartialNote 3Uses macOS Command-drag; there is no arrangement window |
| Access | ||
| Search menu bar items | Yes | No |
| Reveal icons with hotkeys or triggers | PartialNote 4Hotkeys plus reveal on hover, click or scroll; trigger conditions are not built yet | NoNote 5Reveal by clicking the arrow |
| Display | ||
| Second bar for notch displays | YesNote 6Shows hidden items in a separate Ice Bar | No |
| Menu bar styling | YesNote 7Tint, shadow, border and custom shapes | No |
| Parity score | 92% | 25% |
- Hidden Bar, Hide and show menu bar icons: Click the arrow to hide or show the icons to its left
- Ice, Drag to rearrange icons: Drag and drop arranges individual items
- Hidden Bar, Drag to rearrange icons: Uses macOS Command-drag; there is no arrangement window
- Ice, Reveal icons with hotkeys or triggers: Hotkeys plus reveal on hover, click or scroll; trigger conditions are not built yet
- Hidden Bar, Reveal icons with hotkeys or triggers: Reveal by clicking the arrow
- Ice, Second bar for notch displays: Shows hidden items in a separate Ice Bar
- Ice, Menu bar styling: Tint, shadow, border and custom shapes
Not covered by any free alternative yet: Reveal icons with hotkeys or triggers. See all feature gaps
What switching saves
Switching saves about $25 USD / ≈$36 CAD (estimated from the USD price) one-time. Prices checked ; ≈ means converted from USD.
Based on Bartender 7, one-time license. Price source. USD to CAD at 1.4257 as of Oct 7, 2026.
About this page
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.
Bartender is a product of Surtees Studios, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Bartender: macOS.