Dato vs MeetingBar

Dato

• Mac users who want their schedule one click away in the menu bar
• People who keep missing the start of video meetings
• Anyone working across time zones who wants several clocks in view
• Buyers who want a one-time purchase and no subscription

MeetingBar

• People with back-to-back video calls who want one click to join
• Mac users who need a visible countdown to the next meeting
• Teams that prefer free, open-source utilities with no data collection

Dato

• Mac only. The current version requires macOS 26 or later; older macOS releases get older versions of the app.
• The vendor calls it a read-only view of your events: it can create events, but editing one or answering an invitation opens Apple's Calendar app.
• It has no sync of its own. Google, Outlook and other accounts must first be added to the built-in Calendar app.
• Natural-language entry is not supported yet, and the menus and settings are in English only.

MeetingBar

• Mac only, and it requires macOS 12.0 or later.
• It is a meeting launcher more than a full calendar: the menu lists events from today and tomorrow only.
• Only two calendar sources are supported: the macOS Calendar app and a direct Google Calendar connection. Exchange and Office 365 go through Calendar.app.
• Development is community-supported through donations; there is no paid plan or paid support.

Dato

Menu bar calendar and event list

A month calendar with optional week numbers and event indicators sits above a list of upcoming events and reminders. How many days and events it shows is adjustable.

Fullscreen meeting notifications

A notification fills the screen when an event starts. It can be limited to video calls, events with an alert or accepted events, and paused with a Focus Filter.

Join video calls

Join the next call from a notification, the event details or a global keyboard shortcut. Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more than 50 other services are recognized, and others can be added.

World clocks and time travel

Clocks for several time zones appear in the Dato menu or the menu bar, with custom names and offline search of 15,000 cities. A slider shows what time it will be elsewhere.

Upcoming event in the menu bar

The next event can be shown as its own menu bar item, next to a date and time display whose format, icon and color can be customized.

Shortcuts, widgets and quick entry

A global keyboard shortcut opens the new event window, which can also create reminders. Shortcuts actions switch calendars and notifications on or off, and widgets show the date, calendar and world clocks.

MeetingBar

Next meeting in the menu bar

The status bar shows the current or next meeting with its title, time, countdown or service icon, and long titles can be shortened. The menu lists events from today and tomorrow.

Join in one click or keystroke

Join the current or next online meeting from the menu or with a global keyboard shortcut. Links can open in a chosen browser or in the service's own app, set per service.

More than 50 meeting services

Detects meeting links in calendar events for Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Discord, Jitsi, Slack Huddle, FaceTime and many others.

Notifications and full-screen reminders

Sends macOS notifications ahead of meetings and can show a full-screen reminder when one starts. All-day, declined, tentative, pending or linkless events can be filtered out.

Create meetings and bookmarks

Starts an ad-hoc meeting in your preferred meeting service, and keeps bookmarks for recurring meeting links so they can be opened quickly.

Shortcuts and AppleScript

Works with Apple Shortcuts and AppleScript, and can run a custom script when you join a meeting, for example to pause music. Raycast script commands are available.

Dato

• Dato$18

  one-time purchase on the Mac App Store

  The full app. The App Store listing promises free upgrades and says Dato will never be subscription-based.

MeetingBar

• MeetingBar$0

  Every feature, installed from the Mac App Store, Homebrew or a DMG from GitHub. The in-app patronage purchases are optional.

Dato

• Other savings

  Menu bar bundle of three apps for $18.00

  The Mac App Store sells Sindre's Menu Bar Bundle, which contains Dato, Lungo and Battery Indicator, for $18.00, the same price as Dato alone.

• Education

  50% off for schools buying 20 or more copies

  For his App Store apps, Sindre Sorhus says educational institutions get a 50% discount when they buy 20 or more copies of one app through Apple School Manager.

• Other savings

  Also available through Setapp

  Dato is distributed through the Setapp app subscription as well as the App Store, and the vendor's page says Setapp can be tried free for 7 days.

• Other savings

  Older versions are free on older macOS

  Earlier releases for macOS 10.14 through macOS 15 are listed as free for everyone on the vendor's page. They will not run on newer macOS versions.

MeetingBar

No public discounts listed.