Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
PSA: Bartender Mac App Under New Ownership, But Lack of Transparency Raises Concerns
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I took a chance that I am not certain whether I will regret it or not.
I bought Bartender 5 for $20, which includes an update to version 6 being released over the next month or two.
Now that I am on Tahoe DB 7 (I believe that is the version), I have been testing out the Alpha releases of Bartender 6.
They are a complete mess. Once installed, they bring the computer to a crawl. It's hard to see if it's a CPU issue, as I can't access anything on my MacBook Pro until I force quit the app. I have read similar complaints from others using the Alpha software.
Mind you, I realize Alpha isn't beta, so these kinds of issues are normal. What worries me is that I have contacted the developers with each Alpha release, letting them know of the issues. They keep announcing the issues have been fixed with each subsequent release, and yet the Alphas seem to get worse with each update.
I bought Bartender 5 for $20, which includes an update to version 6 being released over the next month or two.
Now that I am on Tahoe DB 7 (I believe that is the version), I have been testing out the Alpha releases of Bartender 6.
They are a complete mess. Once installed, they bring the computer to a crawl. It's hard to see if it's a CPU issue, as I can't access anything on my MacBook Pro until I force quit the app. I have read similar complaints from others using the Alpha software.
Mind you, I realize Alpha isn't beta, so these kinds of issues are normal. What worries me is that I have contacted the developers with each Alpha release, letting them know of the issues. They keep announcing the issues have been fixed with each subsequent release, and yet the Alphas seem to get worse with each update.
I have been using BarTender for roughly 6 years. I am currently running ver.5 on Sequoia 15.6.2
I have had no CPU issues with this utility, yet. Given you are running the beta version of macOS and alpha version of BarTender I don't think we can make any conclusions, yet.
It would be a great shame if this handy utility were to fail in Tahoe.
I have had no CPU issues with this utility, yet. Given you are running the beta version of macOS and alpha version of BarTender I don't think we can make any conclusions, yet.
It would be a great shame if this handy utility were to fail in Tahoe.
I hear you
Depends on the machine. On two of my machines, it's pretty stable, but on my third, the newest Beta 2 just brought it to its knees. The computer froze.
When I upgraded to macOS 26 Bartender 6 had not been released so I took the opportunity to judiciously clean up my menubar, thinking about whether I really needed certain information always at hand. The new 'Allow in the menu bar' feature really helped here. I'm happy enough with the end result and Bartender is no longer required.
As it happens the new owners have also increased the upgrade price by 40%, so I guess I jumped off the bandwagon at just the right time.
As it happens the new owners have also increased the upgrade price by 40%, so I guess I jumped off the bandwagon at just the right time.
Seems to me the prior owner sold at precisely the right moment, as I've been seeing a lot of people saying the same thing
Still on Setapp...
setapp.com
Bartender — Download Mac app on Setapp | Organize menu bar
Bartender — Organize and declutter your Mac’s menu bar. Keep important icons accessible and your desktop neat.
setapp.com
It’s not quite Sherlocked, but almost. I’ll prioritise built in features over third party because I’ve had enough of things breaking after an update (lots of historical bad personal experiences). But more importantly it’s about cost, way too many subs these days and I can make do with ‘good enough’. The one exception for me at the moment is a password manager but as each iteration of Apple’s version gets better I’m sure I’ll eventually make the jump.
Look at UPLOCK (formerly Access)
It works in conjunction with Apple Passwords where Apple holds all your secure passwords and UPLOCK holds all your valuable license, registration, software licenses, documents, etc.
One-time purchase of $50 for a single license, but if you wait till Black Friday the developer said it will be half price.
You can even use it for free until then. You do your first major import from your password manager and as long as you don't add any new information, there is no charge.
I was able to leave 1Password, which I wanted to do for years due to its $36 subscription.
Uplock
Uplock is a fast, secure, privacy-first app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro that keeps your IDs, credit cards, passwords, secure notes, and other sensitive documents safe. Everything lives on your device and syncs over iCloud with end-to-end encryption—with no accounts...
uplock.app
Weird for me, the recent version of Bartender seems to work just fine on my M1 MacBook Pro but my 2018 Intel Mac mini isn't able to adjust or do anything.. It's like how it was before, just locking everything up, I think doing indexing? Just doesn't stop on the mini. I can keep using Ice there, though, and then use Bartender on the MBP...