# Bartender

> Menu bar manager for macOS that hides and organizes items

Bartender is a macOS app for controlling which menu bar items are visible and when. Hidden items can be revealed on demand, moved to a secondary Bartender Bar, searched from the keyboard, or shown automatically by triggers such as unplugging power or joining a Wi-Fi network. Bartender 7 is sold as a one-time purchase, with an optional yearly Bartender Pro subscription that adds the Top Shelf notch utilities.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Applause Group, Inc.
- **Website:** https://www.macbartender.com
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Bartender is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $19.99 / year (Bartender Pro) or $24.99 one-time (Bartender 7).

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** Four-week free trial of Bartender 7; Bartender Pro has a 14-day free trial.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.macbartender.com/Bartender7/Blog/meet-bartender-7/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Bartender before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Mega Supporter lifetime license** (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. Source: https://www.macbartender.com/purchase/
- **Free or discounted upgrade from Bartender 6** (Other savings): 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. Source: https://www.macbartender.com/purchase/
- **Available to Setapp subscribers** (Other savings): The vendor's FAQ says Setapp users can get Bartender 7 by enabling beta app updates in Setapp. Source: https://www.macbartender.com/

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Apple Shortcuts, AppleScript, Siri, Setapp, Codex, Claude Code

**Tags:** Menu bar app, One-time purchase, Keyboard-first, Workflow automation, Clipboard manager

## Alternatives

- [Hidden Bar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hidden-bar): Free, open-source utility that hides macOS menu bar icons. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-hidden-bar)
- [Thaw](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thaw): Free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-thaw)
- [SwiftBar](https://toolgpa.com/tools/swiftbar): Open-source tool that puts script output in the Mac menu bar. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-swiftbar)
- [boring.notch](https://toolgpa.com/tools/boring-notch): Turns the MacBook notch into a music player and file shelf. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bartender-vs-boring-notch)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.macbartender.com/
- https://www.macbartender.com/purchase/
- https://www.macbartender.com/pro/
- https://www.macbartender.com/Bartender7/Blog/meet-bartender-7/
- https://www.macbartender.com/Bartender6/support/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/bartender
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).