Menu bar managers for Mac, compared
Menucove, Bartender, Thaw, Ice, Hidden Bar, Barbee and macOS’s own settings, side by side. Every claim about another app links to where its maker says it.
Want every control and automation?
Profiles, triggers, widgets and per-item hotkeys. Paid, with a yearly or lifetime option.
Want it free and open source?
Lots of control at no cost, with separate builds for macOS 26 and the macOS 27 beta.
Want a calm bar, and any app’s menu one click away?
Tuck icons away, then open any app’s real menu from the crab, even behind the notch. $5 once.
What each app does with hidden icons, the notch, search and your privacy. Small numbers link to the source.
| Feature | Menucove$5, then $10 | Bartender7 and 6 | Thaw2 and 3 beta | Ice0.11 | Hidden Bar1.11.1 on GitHub | Barbee5.0 | macOS settingsmacOS 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hide icons | YesPick your favorites, then tuck the rest away in one click.1 | YesHidden items, plus a second Bartender Bar for overflow.4 | YesHidden and always-hidden sections, plus the Thaw Bar.10 | YesHidden and always-hidden sections, plus the Ice Bar.14 | Yes⌘-drag icons past a divider. Optional always-hidden section.18 | YesHide and show items, with groups and automation.22 | PartlyTurn an app’s icon off in System Settings › Menu Bar.2526 |
| Reach hidden icons | YesClick the crab. Every tucked-away app is in one popover.1 | YesHover, click, hotkey, swipe or scroll.5 | YesHover, click, scroll, swipe or hotkey. Rehides on its own.10 | YesHover, click or scroll. Rehides on its own.14 | YesClick the arrow or press a hotkey. Hover is a Terminal setting.18 | Not foundThe listing doesn’t say how hidden items are shown.22 | NoTurn the app back on in Settings to see it again.26 |
| Icons behind the notch | YesApps whose icons don’t fit are listed in the popover, and their menus open.1 | YesAutomatically hides items the notch would cover.3 | YesThe Thaw Bar, with notch-friendly layouts.10 | YesThe separate Ice Bar, suggested for notched MacBooks.14 | NoIts docs say icons under the notch can’t be revealed.19 | YesListed as notch-compatible.22 | Not foundApple’s guide doesn’t mention the notch.25 |
| Search | YesType a few letters to find an app, then press Return.1 | YesThe Command Bar searches and triggers any menu bar item.3 | YesSearch and jump to any item from the keyboard.10 | YesSearch menu bar items.14 | NoNot in its manual.18 | Not foundNot listed.22 | No |
| Open a hidden app’s menu | YesClick an app in the popover and its real menu opens, even behind the notch.1 | YesQuick Search finds, shows and activates any item.5 | YesFrom search or the Thaw Bar.10 | YesFrom search or the Ice Bar.14 | NoIt expands the bar, and you click the real icon.17 | Not foundNot described in the listing.22 | No |
| Run a menu command by typing | YesType “pause sync” and press Return. Menucove picks it from that app’s menu.1 | Not foundIts Command Bar searches menu bar items.3 | Not found | Not found | No | Not found | No |
| Hotkeys, profiles, automation | PartlyOne shortcut, ⌃⌥M, opens Menucove. No profiles or triggers.1 | YesPer-item hotkeys, profiles, triggers and widgets.34 | YesPer-item hotkeys, profiles by display, Space or Focus, and triggers.10 | PartlyHotkeys for sections and search. Profiles are on its roadmap.14 | PartlyOne expand and collapse hotkey.18 | YesCustom shortcuts and automation.22 | No |
| Permissions | None to tidy. Accessibility only to open menus or move icons, when you choose.1 | Accessibility to move items. Screen Recording is optional in Bartender 7.86 | Accessibility. Screen Recording optional. Menu Bar Layout Access on macOS 27.11 | Accessibility. Screen Recording optional.1615 | None up to macOS 26. On macOS 27, Accessibility and a private Apple framework.20 | Not stated by the maker.22 | None. |
| Privacy | No account, no analytics.12 | Its policy says no data from the app is sent to it.9 | “No analytics, no telemetry, no sign-up.”10 | No privacy statement found.14 | No network access.19 | App Store label: Data Not Collected.22 | Part of macOS. |
| Price and license | $5 for the first 100 copies, then $10. One-time.1 | $25 one-time, $20 a year for Pro, or $80 lifetime. 4-week trial.43 | Free, open source (GPL-3.0).10 | Free, open source (GPL-3.0).14 | Free, open source (MIT).17 | Free download. $12.99 lifetime, or a yearly plan.22 | Included with macOS. |
| macOS support the maker states | macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Tested on macOS 26 Tahoe so far.1 | Bartender 6 for macOS 26. Bartender 7 for macOS 27.37 | Thaw 2 for macOS 26, Thaw 3 beta for 27, Thaw 1 for 14 and 15.12 | macOS 14 or later. Latest stable from October 2024. Tahoe fixes are in prereleases.15 | macOS 13 or later. macOS 27 hiding needs the GitHub build, not the App Store one.20 | macOS 11 or later. Says it’s compatible with macOS 26.22 | The Menu Bar settings arrived in macOS 26.26 |
| Updates | Checks menucove.app for new versions. You can turn it off.2 | Bartender 7.0.5 is the latest build listed.6 | Stable 2.1.0 on 14 October 2026, plus beta builds.12 | In-app updates. Last stable release October 2024.15 | From GitHub or Homebrew. The App Store copy is 1.8, from 2021.2021 | Through the Mac App Store. Version 5.0, September 2026.22 | Updated with macOS. |
Where Menucove fits
Menucove is for people who want a tidy bar and every app one click away, without setting much up.
Paid · the most features
The long-running menu bar manager. Bartender 7 adds a Command Bar for keyboard search, alongside profiles, triggers, widgets and a second Bartender Bar.3
Good pick if you want deep control: profiles, triggers and a hotkey for every item.
Free · open source
A maintained fork of Ice, with a separate build for each macOS version. It has search, an always-hidden section, the Thaw Bar for notched screens, profiles and triggers.1310
Good pick if you want lots of control and you’d rather pay nothing.
Free · open source
A popular open-source manager with hover reveal, search and the Ice Bar. Its last stable release is from October 2024. Fixes for macOS 26 are in prerelease builds.1415
Good pick if you’re on macOS 14 or 15 and want a free manager with search.
Free · open source
A minimal divider: ⌘-drag icons past its arrow to hide them, and click the arrow to show them. The GitHub build is current. The App Store copy is an older version.1820
Good pick if you want the simplest hide and show, with no permissions on macOS 26 or earlier.
Free download · paid upgrade
A Mac App Store app with groups, custom icons, automation and a notch-compatible mode.22
Good pick if you prefer buying through the Mac App Store.
Free · open source
One of the original divider apps: ⌘-drag icons next to its dots to hide them. Its last stable release is from 2019, and open issues report problems on macOS 26 and 27.2324
Good pick if you’re on an older macOS where it already works for you.
Built in
macOS 26 added a Menu Bar section to System Settings, where you can turn each app’s icon off. There’s nothing to install. Apple doesn’t describe a way to reach a hidden app’s menu.2526
Good pick if you just want fewer icons and rarely need the hidden ones.
Free · Pro $10 one-time
A simple app that hides menu bar icons. Vanilla Pro adds a keyboard shortcut to toggle them, a “Completely Removed” section, and start at login.27
Good pick if you want a plain hide-and-show toggle at a low price.
One-time · $5, then $10
Keeps the few icons you love and tucks the rest away. Click the crab and every hidden app is there, with its real menu one click away.1
Good pick if you want a calm bar, quick access to everything, and no setup.
Menucove isn’t for everyone. Here’s when we’d point you elsewhere.
$5for the first 100 copies.
Then $10.
If you mainly want a tidy bar and quick access to hidden apps, yes. Bartender does more, with profiles, triggers and widgets. Menucove focuses on tucking icons away and opening any app’s menu from one popover, for a one-time $5, then $10.
On macOS 26 you can turn an app’s icon off in System Settings › Menu Bar. A menu bar manager keeps hidden icons within reach instead. In Menucove, you pick your favorites, tuck the rest away, and click the crab whenever you need one.
No. Tidying needs no permissions at all. Opening an app’s menu from the crab, and moving icons for you, need Accessibility, which macOS asks for only when you choose to.
Apps whose icons don’t fit are listed in Menucove’s popover, and clicking one opens its menu. Icons hidden far behind the notch can’t be moved by any app, but their menus still open from the crab.
We make Menucove, so read this page with that in mind. On 16 October 2026 we checked each app against its maker’s own website, GitHub repository, release notes or Mac App Store listing. Where a maker doesn’t say something, the table says “Not found” rather than guessing.
Claims about Menucove come from our home page and privacy page. Apps change quickly, especially around a new macOS. If something here is out of date, write to hello@menucove.app and we’ll fix it.
Bartender, Thaw, Ice, Hidden Bar, Barbee, Dozer and Vanilla belong to their makers. Menucove isn’t affiliated with any of them.
Menucove