Alternatives
Bartender vs Ice: which Mac menu bar manager?
Bartender is paid and polished; Ice is free and open source. In October 2026, the bigger difference is that one supports macOS 27 and the other has stalled.
Updated October 19, 2026
The short version
Choose Bartender if you want the most complete menu bar manager and you’re on macOS 27 or plan to be. Bartender 7 costs $24.99 once and supports macOS 27, with some features still in beta.
Choose Ice only if you’re on macOS 14 to 26 and want free and open source. Its last stable release was in October 2024, and it doesn’t work on macOS 27. If you like Ice, Thaw is its maintained fork.
Bartender vs Ice, feature by feature
| Bartender | Ice | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 once for Bartender 7, or Bartender Pro at $19.99 a year; 4-week trial | Free |
| Source code | Closed source | Open source (GPL-3.0) |
| Reach icons the notch hides | Hidden icons appear in the Bartender Bar on hover, click, or hotkey | The Ice Bar shows hidden icons in a strip below the menu bar |
| Hide icons you choose | Yes, plus always-hidden icons | Yes, plus always-hidden icons |
| Rearrange icons | Yes | Yes, by dragging |
| Search | Yes (Command Bar) | Yes |
| Automation | Triggers, Shortcuts, AppleScript, profiles | Show on hover, click, or scroll; hotkeys; profiles |
| Screen Recording permission | Optional in version 7; used for icon snapshots | Optional; a limited mode works without it |
| macOS 27 (October 2026) | Bartender 7 supports it, with some features still in beta | Not working; last stable release October 2024 |
Trust and permissions
Bartender changed owners in 2024 without telling customers, which pushed many people to Ice. Both apps can work without Screen Recording now: Ice in a limited mode, and Bartender 7 with app icons instead of snapshots.
A third option if you only need to reach hidden icons
If the real problem is icons hidden by the notch, and you don’t want to rearrange your menu bar at all, Coat Check is free and open source. Click its hanger to see every icon, hidden ones first, and open any of them, including its own menu. It’s tested on macOS 14 to 26, with macOS 27 testing underway.