Bartender vs boring.notch

Bartender

• Mac users with more menu bar items than fit, especially on MacBooks with a notch
• People who want menu bar items to appear only under certain conditions
• Buyers who want a one-time license rather than a subscription

boring.notch

• MacBook owners who want media controls in the notch area
• People who share files by AirDrop and want a drop target at the top of the screen
• Anyone looking for a free, open-source notch app

Bartender

• macOS only. Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27; on macOS 26 the vendor points buyers to Bartender 6, which the same license key activates.
• There is no free version: Bartender 7 has a four-week trial and Bartender Pro a 14-day trial.
• Top Shelf and future Pro tools need the Bartender Pro subscription or a Mega Supporter lifetime license.
• The pricing page shows prices in the visitor's local currency; the US dollar figures here come from the vendor's Bartender 7 launch post.

boring.notch

• macOS only. The README requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, while the website's download card says macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• The team has no Apple Developer account, so macOS blocks the first launch until a Terminal command or a System Settings override is used; the Homebrew install avoids this.
• Bluetooth live activities, weather, customizable layouts, lock screen widgets and an extension system are on the roadmap but not marked as done.
• YouTube Music support needs version 3.11 or later of the YouTube Music (Pear Desktop) app.

Bartender

Hide and reveal menu bar items

Choose which menu bar items show and when. Hidden items come back by swiping, scrolling, clicking or hovering in the menu bar, or with a hotkey.

Bartender Bar

A second bar beneath the menu bar holds overflow items, including those the MacBook notch would cover. It opens on hover, click or hotkey and can be themed separately from the menu bar.

Command Bar

Search for any menu bar item and trigger it from the keyboard, switch presets and check automations. For Pro users the same bar also searches clipboard history.

Triggers and profiles

Triggers show items or switch presets based on battery, Wi-Fi, location, time and more. Profiles replace the whole menu bar by hotkey, trigger or display setup.

Styling, spacing and widgets

Restyle the menu bar with glass, tints, gradients and rounded shapes, tighten item spacing, and build custom menu bar items from built-in data sources or your own scripts.

Top Shelf (Bartender Pro)

A Pro tool for the MacBook notch with a Dynamic Island-style display, audio controls, weather, calendar, a clipboard manager, a file shelf with AirDrop and status for coding agents.

boring.notch

Music controls in the notch

Shows what is playing with a visualizer and playback controls that can be rearranged, including 15-second skips, app volume and favorites, plus synchronized lyrics in beta.

File shelf with AirDrop

Dragging files to the notch opens a shelf that holds them for AirDrop and other sharing services, with multi-item selection and a right-click menu of file actions.

System HUD replacement

Replaces the macOS on-screen indicators for volume, screen brightness and keyboard backlight with its own display in the notch, with optional percentages.

Calendar and reminders

Calendar and reminders integrations are built in, with settings to hide all-day events, scroll automatically to the current or next event and stop long event names being cut off.

Mirror and battery indicator

The project roadmap marks two further additions as done: a mirror, and a charging indicator that shows the current battery percentage.

Lock screen and screenshot options

The notch can appear on the lock screen, can be hidden from screenshots and recordings, and its size and gestures can be adjusted for different displays.

Bartender

• Bartender 7$24.99

  one-time purchase

  Menu bar management, Bartender Bar, triggers and widgets, with all Bartender 7 updates. The license also activates the latest Bartender 6.

• Bartender Pro$19.99

  per year

  Everything in Bartender 7 plus the Pro suite, starting with Top Shelf, and all future major versions while subscribed. 14-day free trial.

boring.notch

• boring.notch$0

  Every feature, as a universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs from GitHub Releases or Homebrew. No account or license key.

Bartender

• Lifetime license

  Mega Supporter lifetime license

  A one-time Mega Supporter license includes everything in Bartender Pro and all future versions. It was listed with a Launch Discount badge and no US dollar price in text.

• Other savings

  Free or discounted upgrade from Bartender 6

  Full Bartender 6 licenses bought in 2026 get Bartender 7 free, as do paid Bartender 6 upgrades bought from 14 March to 14 September 2026. Other Bartender 6 licenses get a discounted upgrade.

• Other savings

  Available to Setapp subscribers

  The vendor's FAQ says Setapp users can get Bartender 7 by enabling beta app updates in Setapp.

boring.notch

No public discounts listed.