Bartender vs Paste
Bartender
macbartender.com
Paste
pasteapp.ioSide by side
| Figure | Bartender | Paste |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1.67/mo | $2.25/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · Menu Bar Apps | 8.2 (#3) | 7.8 (#9) |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States | Frederiksberg, Denmark |
| Privacy | The maker says menu bar captures remain on the device and are cached locally, and its privacy policy says app data is not transmitted to its servers. | Clipboard history and pinboard data are stored locally or in the user's iCloud and are not transferred to or stored on Paste's servers. |
| Support | Users can contact support by email or send feedback from within Bartender. | Paste says it uses Help Scout for customer support. |
Plans
Bartender
- Bartender Pro$19.99 a year
- Bartender 7$24.99, paid once
- Mega SupporterPrice not published
Paste
- Personal monthly$2.49 a month
- Team annual$26.99 a year
- Personal annual$29.99 a year
In their own words
Bartender
Bartender manages macOS menu bar items, controlling which ones appear and when. It can reveal items quickly, search them, and use custom hotkeys and triggers. Users can hide, rearrange, and group items, create custom items from built-in data sources or scripts without coding, and switch profiles by hotkey, trigger, or display setup. Bartender 7’s Command Bar searches for and triggers menu bar items; clipboard history is included for Pro users. Automation options include built-in triggers, Shortcuts, AppleScript, hotkeys, and Siri. The app works without Screen Recording permission, showing app icons rather than snapshots when permission is disabled. The maker says captures remain cached locally on the device and app data is not transmitted to its servers. Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27 Golden Gate; users on macOS 26 Tahoe are directed to Bartender 6 while Bartender 7 support is pending. Bartender 7 costs 24.99 USD as a one-time purchase, and Pro costs $19.99 a year. A license covers all Macs owned and personally used by its holder.