Thaw vs Vanilla (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Vanilla grades higher than Thaw: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Thaw grades higher on the free plan. Vanilla grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
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 Thaw if
- Fits if your menu bar is crowded, especially on a MacBook with a notch
- Works for showing icons by context, such as the display, Space or Focus you're in
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your Mac runs anything older than macOS 26, which it needs
- Not for you if you'd rather not grant Accessibility permission, since it can't move menu bar items without it
- Tight if you want every trigger ready from day one, as most are off by default and some are marked experimental
- Watch out: live previews and wallpaper tinting need Screen Recording permission too
- Skip it if you're on Windows or Linux, as it's macOS only
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
| 2.6GPAThawGood | 2.8GPAVanillaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source under GPL-3.0, and you just download it and run it. The README says there's no purchase, no subscription, no account and no upgrade fee when a new macOS lands. | AFree to hide icons, and Vanilla Pro is $10 one-time with a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free: hidden sections, the Thaw Bar, item search, triggers, profiles, hotkeys and menu bar styling. No account, no tracking, nothing held back. | BThe free version hides and shows icons. The shortcut, removed-icons section, auto-hide and start at login are Pro. |
| Features | CIt does menu bar tidying fully, with hidden sections, a keyboard search panel, profiles bound to a display or Space and a restyled bar. That's a small job, though, and the listing says only battery and power triggers are on by default, the rest going on one at a time from Developer settings. | CIt hides menu bar icons and does that one job fully, a smaller job. The extras sit in Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and there's setting up to do before it earns its keep: Accessibility permission to move items at all, Screen Recording for live previews, and a trip into Developer settings for most of the triggers. | BInstall and click: nothing to set up. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, and the README says macOS 26 or later, so a single operating system and a recent one at that. It works with Raycast, Alfred, Shortcuts and Keyboard Maestro, but there's nothing for Windows or Linux. | CMac only. The pages state no macOS version requirement. |
| Best for | a free tidy-up for a crowded Mac menu bar | 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: Thaw and Vanilla. How we grade
Where they differ
- Thaw 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
| Thaw | Vanilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $10 one-time for Vanilla Pro |
| Free plan | The whole app is free and open source under GPL-3.0. The README says there is no purchase, subscription, account or upgrade fee for new macOS versions. | Vanilla is free and hides menu bar icons. Pro adds extra features on top. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | thaw-app | Matthew Palmer |
| Price read from | github.com | matthewpalmer.net |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Thaw
- macOS only, and the README says it needs macOS 26 or later.
- Only battery and power triggers are on by default. Other conditions are enabled one at a time from Developer settings, and some are marked experimental.
- It needs Accessibility permission to move menu bar items. Live item previews and wallpaper-based tinting also need Screen Recording permission.
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
Thaw
- Hide and reveal menu bar items
- Items go into a hidden or always-hidden section and come back by hovering, clicking an empty area, scrolling, swiping or pressing a hotkey, then hide again automatically.
- Thaw Bar
- Hidden items can be shown in a separate bar below the menu bar, intended for MacBooks with a notch. The bar can have its own shape, tint and border.
- Search and hotkeys
- A search panel finds and opens any menu bar item from the keyboard. Hotkeys toggle sections, open a specific item's menu and switch profiles.
- Triggers
- An item can be revealed or hidden when a condition is met, such as battery level, Wi-Fi network, the active Focus or a script's exit code. Conditions combine with AND and OR.
- Profiles
- The whole configuration can be saved as a profile and bound to a display, a Space or a Focus filter. Profiles can be imported, exported and given script hooks.
- Menu bar appearance
- Tint, gradient, shadow, border and custom shapes for the menu bar, with separate settings for light and dark mode and overrides per Space.
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
Thaw
Thaw$0
Hidden sections, the Thaw Bar, item search, triggers, profiles, hotkeys and menu bar styling. GPL-3.0 licensed, with no tracking or account.
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, Thaw or Vanilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Thaw is free, and Vanilla starts at $10 one-time for Vanilla Pro.
Which has a free plan, Thaw or Vanilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Thaw 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.