Bartender vs SaneBar

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.

SaneBar is a macOS utility for hiding menu bar apps and bringing their icons back when needed. Hidden items appear in a floating Icon Panel or a full-width Second Menu Bar, with search, a one-click toggle, keyboard shortcuts, and per-icon hotkeys for managing them. Automation options include AppleScript, Shortcuts, and triggers tied to battery level, Wi-Fi, Focus, app launches, schedules, or scripts. Users can import layouts from Bartender or Ice and move settings between Macs. Icons can be locked with Touch ID or a password. SaneBar is open source under the MIT License, with public source code. It keeps menu bar contents and personal files on the Mac; its privacy policy describes limited update requests and anonymous aggregate app counts. It requires macOS Accessibility permission and says Screen Recording is not needed for normal use. The free plan includes all features and requires macOS 14.0 Sonoma or later and Apple Silicon. The maker says most Apple menu extras and ordinary third-party menu bar apps work, though a few apps with unusual custom behavior may be exceptions.