Ice vs Vanilla (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ice and Vanilla share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about the free plan, where Ice grades higher, or platforms, where Vanilla does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Vanilla
Mac app that hides menu bar icons, with a one-time Pro upgrade
Free plan · from $10 one-time
Which one is for you
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
Pick Vanilla if
- Fits if your Mac's menu bar is crowded, especially with a notch
- Works for people who just want to hide icons with no fuss
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Linux, as only Mac is covered
- Tight if you want start at login, since that is Pro at $10
- Too light for you if you want more than hiding icons
- Watch out: the pages state no macOS version requirement, and screen recording permission is linked from the page
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAIceGood | 2.8GPAVanillaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download, and the source is public under GPL-3.0. That is under 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. | AFree to hide icons, and Vanilla Pro is $10 one-time with a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with no cap. The site has a donate page, but nothing is locked. | BThe free version hides and shows icons. The shortcut, removed-icons section, auto-hide and start at login are Pro. |
| Features | 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. | CIt hides menu bar icons and does that one job fully, a smaller job. The extras sit in Pro. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. It is a menu bar app you install and use, with nothing to set up. | BInstall and click: nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only. No Windows, phone or web version, and no integrations. | CMac only. The pages state no macOS version requirement. |
| Best for | hiding Mac menu bar clutter | a cleaner Mac menu bar |
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: Ice and Vanilla. How we grade
Where they differ
- Ice is open source, according to its own site.
- Vanilla can be bought with a one-time purchase.
In commonFree planmacOSMenu bar app
At a glance
| Ice | Vanilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $10 one-time for Vanilla Pro |
| Free plan | None | Vanilla is free and hides menu bar icons. Pro adds extra features on top. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Jordan Baird | Matthew Palmer |
| Price read from | icemenubar.app | matthewpalmer.net |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ice
- Mac only; the site does not state which macOS versions it needs.
- A volunteer open-source project; no paid support is listed.
Vanilla
- Mac only. The pages read state no macOS version requirement, though help pages cover Catalina and later and notched MacBooks.
- The keyboard shortcut, removed-icons section, auto-hide and start at login are all Pro-only.
- The vendor's page links a screen-recording permission help page; the permission details were not read.
Key features
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.
Vanilla
- Hide menu bar icons
- Hides the icons you pick from the Mac menu bar; the vendor's page says to download it, launch it and follow the prompts.
- Keyboard shortcut (Pro)
- Sets a custom shortcut that toggles the menu bar icons and desktop icons.
- Completely removed icons (Pro)
- A section for icons that stay out of sight and appear only when Vanilla's preferences window is open.
- Auto-hide (Pro)
- Hides icons again automatically five seconds after you toggle them in Vanilla.
- Start at login (Pro)
- Launches Vanilla when you log in to the Mac.
Plans
Ice
Ice$0
Free to download. The site links to a donate page and the GitHub source (GPL-3.0).
Vanilla
Vanilla$0
Free app for hiding menu bar icons on a Mac.
Vanilla Pro$10
one-time purchase
One license code activates up to 10 Macs. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ice or Vanilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ice is free, and Vanilla starts at $10 one-time for Vanilla Pro.
Which has a free plan, Ice or Vanilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Ice and Vanilla have a free plan.
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.