The Best Menu Bar Customization Software in 2026
We researched menu bar customization software from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Products are ranked on their core job, value for money, and verified features, helping Mac users choose tools for organizing and extending the menu bar.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
Thaw#1 of 259.4/10A free, highly configurable way to organize, hide, and search macOS menu bar items.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
Bartender#2 of 259.2/10A broad Mac menu bar toolkit for users who need profiles, triggers, widgets, and layouts.
-
Top-ranked free plan
SaneBar#3 of 258.9/10A capable free option for organizing crowded Mac menu bars.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 25 tools, best first
-
Best forFree power users needing deep customization
A free, highly configurable way to organize, hide, and search macOS menu bar items.
- Custom menu items
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Thaw -
Best forPower users wanting the fullest Mac toolkit
A broad Mac menu bar toolkit for users who need profiles, triggers, widgets, and layouts.
- Custom menu items
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Bartender -
Best forFree users wanting polished organization
A capable free option for organizing crowded Mac menu bars.
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
- Notch support
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit SaneBar -
Best forFree users wanting advanced layout control
Advanced menu bar layout control without a paid tier.
- Custom menu items
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Pelmet -
Best forFree users wanting straightforward organization
A focused free tool for hiding, arranging, and revealing Mac menu bar items.
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
- Hide menu items
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Ice 2 -
Best forSimple free icon hiding
A focused, free utility for hiding and organizing crowded macOS menu bars.
- Multiple displays
- Rearrange items
- Hide menu items
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Hidden Bar -
Best forUsers wanting grouped hidden icons
A focused macOS utility for grouped hiding, real glyphs, and direct app-menu access.
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
- Group menu items
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Foldaway -
Best forUsers wanting minimal two-group hiding
A focused macOS utility for hiding, grouping, and rearranging menu bar icons.
- Rearrange items
- Hide menu items
- Group menu items
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Dozer -
Best forUsers wanting a proven low-cost option
A low-cost macOS utility for hiding, removing, and controlling menu bar icons.
- Multiple displays
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Vanilla -
Best forUsers wanting free basic icon management
A focused macOS utility for organizing crowded menu bars, with a useful free mode.
- Rearrange items
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit iBar-Menubar -
Best forUsers wanting menu tools plus notch handling
Octobar combines menu bar control, notch handling, and practical Mac utilities.
- Custom menu items
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Octobar -
Best forUsers building custom shortcut menus
A flexible free launcher for organizing custom shortcuts on macOS.
- Custom menu items
- Rearrange items
- Hide menu items
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit GreatBar -
Best forUsers needing a persistent second row
A focused, free menu bar organizer for keeping selected icons in a persistent second row.
- Multiple displays
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit OverflowBar -
Best forUsers wanting profiles and a second row
A focused macOS menu bar manager for profiles, hotkeys, and extra vertical space.
- Rearrange items
- Notch support
- Hide menu items
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit ChocolateBar -
Best forUsers wanting backups and reliable layouts
A focused free tool for tidy layouts, backups, and automatic restoration.
- Rearrange items
- Hide menu items
- Group menu items
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit JellyBar -
Best forUsers with overflow and notch problems
A free, open-source utility for overflow, notch, and off-screen menu bar icons.
- Rearrange items
- Notch support
- Group menu items
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit MenuBarDockX -
Best forScript-focused technical users
SwiftBar suits technical Mac users who want programmable menu bar controls.
- Custom menu items
- Rearrange items
- Group menu items
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit SwiftBar -
Best forUsers creating script-driven menu content
A flexible, open-source menu-bar utility for script-driven content on macOS.
- Custom menu items
- Group menu items
- Keyboard shortcuts
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit xbar -
Best forUsers wanting lightweight divider-based hiding
A focused macOS utility for hiding menu bar items without rearranging them.
- Hide menu items
- Keyboard shortcuts
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Cornice -
Best forUsers needing a simple hidden-item panel
A simple open-source panel for finding and revealing hidden Mac menu-bar icons.
- Notch support
- Keyboard shortcuts
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Lloyd -
Best forUsers needing access to macOS-hidden items
A focused, free utility for finding and opening hidden macOS status items.
- Multiple displays
- Notch support
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Overhang -
Best forUsers searching menu items by keyboard
A focused keyboard-first utility for finding and launching macOS menu commands.
- Custom menu items
- Hide menu items
- Keyboard shortcuts
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Finbar -
Best forUsers building automation-heavy menu workflows
A focused macOS launcher for custom actions, scripts, shortcuts, and grouped workflows.
- Custom menu items
- Notch support
- Group menu items
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit ExtraBar -
Best forUsers seeking keyboard-driven app switching
A $15 one-time macOS app switcher, not a menu bar customization tool.
- Keyboard shortcuts
4.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit Manico -
Best forNot suitable for this category
A capable audio generation model, but not a menu bar customization tool.
1.0/10☆☆☆☆☆Visit Bark
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Hide menu items | Rearrange items | Group menu items | Custom menu items | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thaw | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | Bartender | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 3 | SaneBar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.9 | |
| 4 | Pelmet | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 5 | Ice 2 | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 6 | Hidden Bar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.3 | |
| 7 | Foldaway | No | $9.99 one-time | Yes | No | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 8 | Dozer | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 7.9 | |
| 9 | Vanilla | Yes | $10 one-time | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | ||
| 10 | iBar-Menubar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | ||
| 11 | Octobar | Yes | $4.99 one-time | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.6 | |
| 12 | GreatBar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 13 | OverflowBar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 7.4 | ||
| 14 | ChocolateBar | No | $15 one-time | Yes | Yes | No | No | 7.3 |
| 15 | JellyBar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 16 | MenuBarDockX | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 7.1 | ||
| 17 | SwiftBar | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | |
| 18 | xbar | Yes | Free | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6.9 |
| 19 | Cornice | Yes | Free | Yes | No | No | No | 6.8 |
| 20 | Lloyd | Free | No | No | No | No | 6.7 | |
| 21 | Overhang | Yes | Free | No | No | No | No | 6.6 |
| 22 | Finbar | Yes | Yes | 6.5 | ||||
| 23 | ExtraBar | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6.4 | |
| 24 | Manico | No | $15 one-time | 4.0 | ||||
| 25 | Bark | Free | 1.0 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Thaw vs Bartender
- Thaw vs SaneBar
- Thaw vs Pelmet
- Thaw vs Ice 2
- Thaw vs Hidden Bar
- Thaw vs Foldaway
- Thaw vs Dozer
- Bartender vs SaneBar
- Bartender vs Pelmet
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How we rank menu bar customization software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update