Hidden Bar vs Foldaway

HBHidden Bar8.3Visit Foldaway8.1Visit

Higher score HB Hidden Bar #6 in Menu Bar Customization Software 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 7 features Visit Hidden Bar

vs

Foldaway #7 in Menu Bar Customization Software 8.1/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 7 features Visit Foldaway

• Hidden Bar fits best

  Simple free icon hiding

• Foldaway fits best

  Users wanting grouped hidden icons

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Side by side

Feature	HBHidden Bar 8.3/10 Visit ↗	Foldaway 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.3	8.1
Ranking	#6 in Menu Bar Customization Software	#7 in Menu Bar Customization Software
Best for	Simple free icon hiding	Users wanting grouped hidden icons
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$9.99 one-time
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	macOS	macOS
Support	Community, Docs	Email
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business
Features Hidden Bar 5/7 · Foldaway 3/7
Hide menu items	✓	✓
Rearrange items	✓ (best)	—
Group menu items	✓	✓
Custom menu items	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Keyboard shortcuts	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Multiple displays	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Notch support	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Our review
Pros	Free and open source Supports hiding, rearranging, shortcuts, and automatic collapse Handles multiple displays with automatic hidden-zone resizing	Groups hidden icons under user-named sections Opens app menus without restoring their menu bar icons Supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
Cons	Available only for macOS Does not offer custom menu items or integrations App Store and direct-download builds may differ on newer macOS versions	No keyboard shortcuts Does not rearrange visible menu bar items Requires Accessibility permission
Our verdict	Hidden Bar is a free, open-source macOS utility for reducing menu bar clutter. It lets users place icons on either side of a divider, collapse the hidden section, and reveal it when needed. The focused feature set suits Mac users who want… Read the review →	Foldaway is a macOS utility for users who want a less crowded menu bar without losing quick access to app controls. It hides selected icons behind a chevron panel, organizes them into user-named groups, and supports macOS 15 Sequoia and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Hidden Bar — where it wins

  • Free and open source
  • Supports hiding, rearranging, shortcuts, and automatic collapse
  • Handles multiple displays with automatic hidden-zone resizing

  Where it doesn't

  • Available only for macOS
  • Does not offer custom menu items or integrations
  • App Store and direct-download builds may differ on newer macOS versions

• Foldaway — where it wins

  • Groups hidden icons under user-named sections
  • Opens app menus without restoring their menu bar icons
  • Supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs

  Where it doesn't

  • No keyboard shortcuts
  • Does not rearrange visible menu bar items
  • Requires Accessibility permission

• HBHidden Bar8.3/10 · Free plan

  A focused, free utility for hiding and organizing crowded macOS menu bars.

  Visit Hidden BarFull verdict →
• Foldaway8.1/10 · 14-day trial

  A focused macOS utility for grouped hiding, real glyphs, and direct app-menu access.

  Visit FoldawayFull verdict →