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Best Menu Bar Customization Software in 2026

A crowded Mac menu bar can be easier to manage when you can control which items appear and where they sit. Compare hiding and rearranging items, grouping controls, custom menu items, and keyboard shortcuts. Multiple-display and notch support may matter for your setup; check those alongside free-plan availability and paid-from pricing. GreatBar, Hidden Bar, and iBar-Menubar are among the software options, with Ice 2 and Pelmet also represented. Start with how you want to organize the visible items, then weigh the listed display support and customization features against your preferences.

25 apps
Research read 23 Sept 2026
How the order is worked out

1

Cornice

Free plan Open source Mac

Cornice offers manual control over which menu bar items stay visible, with optional customization and window gestures.

8.8 Free plan Visit site
2

Bark
by Bark
Free plan APISelf-hosted

Choose Bark if you need an open-source model for generating multilingual speech or other audio, with API and self-hosted options and commercial-use permission.

7.1 Open source Visit site
3

Dozer

Free plan Mac

Dozer focuses on controlling which menu bar icons remain visible, with automatic hiding and adjustable display behavior.

7.1 Open source Visit site
4

GreatBar

Free plan Mac

GreatBar combines menu-bar shortcuts with website panels, separate browsing sessions and distinct bars.

7.0 Free plan Visit site
5

Hidden Bar

Free plan Mac

Hidden Bar offers direct controls for tucking away menu bar items, including a second hidden section and automatic re-collapse. Check its macOS 27 permissions and limits if using that system version.

7.0 Free plan Visit site
6

iBar-Menubar

Free plan Mac

iBar-Menubar offers two ways to manage hidden icons, plus spacing and ordering controls. It is limited to Mac, and the listed annual subscription costs 18 CNY a year.

6.9 Free plan · 10-day trial Visit site
7

Ice 2

Free plan Mac

Ice 2 offers several ways to hide and reveal menu bar items, with a layout editor on macOS 27. Check the version-specific feature limits and macOS requirement before installing.

6.9 Free plan Visit site
8

JellyBar

Free plan Mac

JellyBar focuses on menu bar organization, with hide-and-reveal controls, grouping, and layout backups.

6.9 Free plan Visit site
9

Lloyd

Free plan Mac

Lloyd provides a focused way to view and interact with notch-hidden menu-bar icons.

6.8 Open source Visit site
10

MenuBarDockX

Free plan Mac

MenuBarDockX offers a local way to gather and organize crowded menu bar icons. Its experimental status, required permission, and unsigned release builds are important considerations.

6.8 Free plan Visit site
11

Octobar

Free plan Mac

Octobar groups a broad set of menu bar utilities into one Mac app, with a free tier and a one-time Pro option. Check the system requirements and the Pack Menu limitation before choosing it.

6.7 Free plan · paid from $4.99 Visit site
12

Overhang

Free plan Mac

Overhang focuses on listing and opening menus for status bar items macOS has stopped drawing.

6.7 Free plan Visit site
13

Pelmet

Free plan Mac

Pelmet offers several ways to sort and reveal menu bar icons, along with replacement items and app launchers.

6.6 Free plan Visit site
14

SaneBar

Free plan Mac

SaneBar offers several ways to hide and manage menu bar icons, with automation and layout migration options.

6.6 Free plan Visit site
15

SwiftBar

Free plan Mac

Choose SwiftBar if you use macOS and want scheduled script output and interactive menu items without a paid plan.

6.6 Free plan Visit site
16

Thaw

Free plan Mac

Thaw offers menu bar organization through profiles, conditional triggers, and appearance controls. It is a free GPL-3.0 utility, but requires macOS 26 or later.

6.5 Free plan Visit site
17

Vanilla

Free plan Mac

Vanilla focuses on hiding menu bar icons, with additional controls in its one-time Pro purchase. Check the permission requirement and the activation limit before buying.

6.5 Free plan · paid from $10 Visit site
18

xbar

Free plan Mac

Choose xbar if you use macOS and want script output or plugin information in the menu bar, with the option to make your own plugins.

6.5 Free plan Visit site
19

OverflowBar

Free plan Mac

OverflowBar offers a focused way to reveal selected menu bar controls in a second row.

6.4 Free plan Visit site
20

Bartender

Free trial Mac

Choose Bartender if you want to shape what appears in the macOS menu bar and control it through profiles, search, and automation.

6.1 Visit site
21

ChocolateBar

Free trial Mac

ChocolateBar offers flexible menu bar layouts and a second-row view that also lists active windows.

6.1 From $15 · 2-day trial Visit site
22

Foldaway

Free trial Mac

Foldaway keeps app icons out of the menu bar while preserving one-click access to their menus. Its trial is available without signup, and the listed licenses are one-time purchases.

5.9 From $9.99 · 14-day trial Visit site
23

ExtraBar

Paid Mac

ExtraBar offers several menu bar layouts and flexible app and action shortcuts for macOS users. Its one-time license options differ in device count and update access.

5.5 Visit site
24

Finbar

Paid Mac

Choose Finbar if you use a compatible Mac and want quick keyboard search across menu bar items, scripts and AppleScript files.

5.5 Visit site
25

Manico

Paid Mac

Manico focuses on direct keyboard switching for apps and their windows, with local processing and a one-time license. It is less suitable if browser-tab switching is essential.

5.2 From $15 Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

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