Bartender vs Ice (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ice grades higher than Bartender: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ice grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bartender
Menu bar manager for macOS that hides and organizes items
Which one is for you
Pick Bartender if
- Fits if your MacBook's notch is hiding menu bar icons
- Works for people who want an item to show only under certain conditions, like joining a Wi-Fi network
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want something free, as there's only a four-week trial of Bartender 7 and 14 days of Pro
- Not for you if you're on Windows or Linux, since it's macOS only
- Pricey if you want the notch tools, because Top Shelf needs Pro at $19.99 a year or a Mega Supporter license
- Watch out: Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27; on macOS 26 the same key gets you Bartender 6 instead
- Watch out: the pricing page shows local currency only, and the Mega Supporter license has no dollar price in text
Pick Ice if
- Fits if your Mac menu bar is crowded and you want some items out of sight
- Works for people who want a free, open-source menu bar tool
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are on Windows or Linux, as it is Mac only
- Watch out: the site doesn't say which macOS versions it needs
- Too light for anyone wanting paid support, as it is a volunteer open-source project
- Not for you if you want more than menu bar tidying, since that is all it does
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABartenderFair | 2.8GPAIceGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABartender 7 is $24.99 once, with all Bartender 7 updates, and that one payment is less than a year of this category's middle subscription. Bartender Pro is $19.99 a year for Top Shelf and future major versions, but you don't need Pro for the menu bar side. | AFree to download, and the source is public under GPL-3.0. That is under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere's no free version. Bartender 7 has a four-week free trial and Bartender Pro a 14-day one, and the listing doesn't say whether either wants a card. After that you buy it or you stop. | AFree outright with no cap. The site has a donate page, but nothing is locked. |
| Features | CMenu bar tidying is a small job, and Bartender covers it: hide and reveal, a second bar for the overflow, a Command Bar to search items, triggers by battery, Wi-Fi, location or time, profiles on a hotkey, restyling and script-built items. The notch tools are Pro only. | CHides and shows items, drag-and-drop arranging, appearance options, search and custom spacing. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job than most utilities. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record, but the main job needs no setting up: hidden items come back with a swipe, a scroll, a click or a hover. Triggers, profiles and script-built widgets are there if you want them, not homework before it works. | BNo rating on record. It is a menu bar app you install and use, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, so one operating system. Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27, and on macOS 26 the vendor points you to Bartender 6, which the same license key activates. It does work with Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript and Siri. | DMac only. No Windows, phone or web version, and no integrations. |
| Best for | taming a crowded Mac menu bar | hiding Mac menu bar clutter |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bartender and Ice. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bartender starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ice has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Ice starts $1.67 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, 9 score higher than Bartender for less, and none scores higher than Ice for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bartender can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Ice is open source, according to its own site.
- Bartender also covers workflow automation and clipboard manager.
At a glance
| Bartender | Ice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $19.99 / year (Bartender Pro) or $24.99 one-time (Bartender 7) | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Four-week free trial of Bartender 7; Bartender Pro has a 14-day free trial | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Applause Group, Inc. | Jordan Baird |
| Price read from | macbartender.com | icemenubar.app |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Ice
- Mac only; the site does not state which macOS versions it needs.
- A volunteer open-source project; no paid support is listed.
Key features
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.
Ice
- Hide and show items
- Hides menu bar items and shows them on hover or click.
- Items below the bar
- Shows hidden menu bar items in a bar below the menu bar.
- Drag-and-drop arranging
- Arrange menu bar items by dragging them.
- Appearance options
- Customize how the menu bar looks.
- Item search
- Search menu bar items to find one quickly.
- Custom spacing
- Change the spacing between menu bar items.
Plans
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.
Ice
Ice$0
Free to download. The site links to a donate page and the GitHub source (GPL-3.0).
Ways to pay less
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.
Ice
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bartender or Ice?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ice is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.67 a month when paid by the year for Bartender. Bartender starts at $19.99 / year (Bartender Pro) or $24.99 one-time (Bartender 7), and Ice is free.
Which has a free plan, Bartender or Ice?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ice has a free plan. Bartender does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.