iBar-Menubar From 1.50 CNY/mo · Free plan 8.7 Visit Cornice
github.com
What it is
Cornice is a free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS. A divider hides the menu bar items to its left, and clicking it reveals them again. An optional second divider creates a section that stays hidden even when the rest of the items are revealed. Users can adjust divider thickness and height, choose among five chevron styles, and configure keyboard shortcuts and auto-hide behavior. Cornice does not move other applications’ menu bar icons, so the divider must be positioned by hand. Optional two-finger trackpad gestures on a window title bar can resize or reposition windows, or send them to the Dock. Hiding and revealing menu bar items requires no permissions; Accessibility access is requested only when those optional gestures are enabled. The interface supports sixteen languages that can be switched without restarting. The project is distributed under GPL-3.0. It costs nothing and requires macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later on Apple Silicon. Builds are signed for development but not notarised, so macOS requires a manual first launch through its warning. After an update, gesture users must grant Accessibility permission again.
Spec sheet
- What it does
- Cornice is a free, open-source menu-bar manager for macOS.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Product
- Cornice is a free, open-source menu bar manager for macOS.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- License
- The project is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Maker
- The repository identifies the developer or organization as SnowDrit.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Always-hidden zone
- A second divider can keep a selected zone hidden even while the normal hidden group is revealed.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- API and SDKs
- The published README documents a native Xcode project but does not describe a public API, SDK, plugin interface, or integration connectors.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Appearance controls
- Divider thickness and height are adjustable, with five chevron styles.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Auto-hide
- Cornice can hide the group automatically when the pointer leaves the menu bar.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Build process
- Developers clone the repository, open Cornice.xcodeproj, set their signing team, and build without App Sandbox.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Customization
- Users can adjust divider thickness and height, choose among five chevron styles, and set keyboard shortcuts and auto-hide behavior.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Gesture permission
- Window gestures require Accessibility permission and are disabled by default.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Gesture update caveat
- After an update, users who enabled gestures must grant Accessibility permission again because builds are ad-hoc signed.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Hide and reveal
- A chevron hides the menu-bar group to its left and reveals it again when clicked.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent alternative positioning
- AlternativeTo includes Cornice among Mac alternatives to Bartender.Read 14 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Independent category
- AlternativeTo places Cornice in its Menu Bar Manager category for Mac.Read 14 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Independent description
- AlternativeTo describes Cornice as hiding and revealing menu-bar items with one click and offering optional title-bar gestures.Read 14 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Independent listing
- AlternativeTo lists Cornice as a free GPL-3.0 Mac menu-bar manager and shows one like.Read 14 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
- Independent project metadata
- GitHub’s menu-bar-manager topic lists SnowDrit/Cornice as a Swift repository updated August 14, 2026.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Independent topic tags
- GitHub topic metadata tags Cornice with macOS, Swift, AppKit, SwiftUI, Tahoe, window-management, and open-source.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Installation
- Installation is by opening Cornice.dmg and dragging the app into Applications.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Installation caveat
- Builds are signed for development but not notarised, so macOS requires users to open the app manually through its warning the first time.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Users can assign shortcuts for normal hiding, the always-hidden zone, and auto-hide.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Languages
- The interface supports sixteen languages and switches language without restarting.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Latest release
- GitHub lists Cornice v1.0.1 as the latest release, published on October 7, 2026.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Launch at login
- The app includes an option to open automatically at login.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Licence
- The project is licensed under GPL-3.0.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: gesture scope
- The gesture module handles window movement on one screen and has no per-application rules or close-window gesture.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: manual organization
- Cornice does not rearrange other applications’ menu-bar icons; users must place the divider by hand.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limit: missing advanced controls
- The project explicitly excludes a second menu bar, screen capture, widgets, triggers, profiles, menu-bar styling, and per-icon hotkeys.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Limitations
- Cornice does not automatically move other applications' menu bar icons and requires users to place the divider by hand.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- macOS 26 permissions
- On macOS 26, menu-bar hiding and revealing work without permissions.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- macOS 27 permissions
- On macOS 27, Accessibility access is required so Cornice can determine which icons belong to each group.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Manual divider placement
- Users position the divider themselves with Command-drag, and Cornice preserves that position.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Network and updates
- Cornice says it makes one anonymous request to GitHub to check releases when a user checks for updates or enables launch checks, and makes no other network requests.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Network statement
- The maker says update checks are anonymous and that Cornice makes no other network requests.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Permissions
- Hiding and revealing require no permissions; Cornice requests Accessibility only when optional window gestures are enabled.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Release change
- Version 1.0.1 added an Accessibility explanation and settings button for macOS 27 permission failures.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Security limitation
- Release builds are ad-hoc signed and not notarised, so macOS may require an Open Anyway confirmation.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- System requirements
- Cornice requires macOS 26 Tahoe or later on Apple Silicon.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Updates behavior
- Cornice checks GitHub’s public releases list and links users to the release page instead of installing updates itself.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Window gestures
- An optional title-bar trackpad gesture module moves windows to halves, full screen, thirds, two-thirds, quarters, or the Dock.Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
Plans and prices
Cornice Free Free macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later · Apple Silicon · no paid tier stated Read 14 Oct 2026 · github.com
Strong points and limits
Strong points
- Free and open-source under GPL-3.0.
- Hiding and revealing items requires no permissions.
- Offers keyboard shortcuts and auto-hide behavior.
- Supports sixteen switchable interface languages.
Limits
- Requires macOS 26 or later on Apple Silicon.
- Users must position the divider by hand.
- First launch requires manually opening through a macOS warning.
- Gesture users must regrant Accessibility permission after updates.
Who it suits
Cornice suits Apple Silicon users on macOS 26 or later who want to hide menu bar items without granting permissions. It may also suit users who want optional window gestures and are comfortable granting Accessibility access and repositioning the divider manually.
Verdict
Cornice provides a focused way to hide and reveal menu bar items, with adjustable divider behavior and optional window gestures. Its platform requirement, manual placement, and first-launch warning are practical constraints to weigh.
Where Specifiction places it
- Menu Bar Customization Software#2 of 258.6
