Six Bartender Alternatives to Manage Your Mac's Menu Bar

[mcbeej]

And... Check For Updates Automatically... *uncheck*.

I'll continue to use it as is until it breaks, then find a replacement.

Edit: Hmm, it appears that a silent update to 5.0.52 has happened, and the newer version of 5.0.52 has a much bigger filesize than the previous 5.0.52.

Issuing updates to put in analytics etc is one thing, but not incrementing the version number feels like an attempt to hide a change, which I feel is highly suspicious.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It was also only recently that I realized it had an enormously useful clipboard utility as well.

What!? That too!??

I've been using FlyCut for that

My goodness ... BTT is so awesome

 

[Andreas from Zurich]

Given that Bartender requires extensive permissions to operate in macOS, including screen recording, the whole event has understandably left many users concerned about privacy.

What permissions do the other apps ask for? Are some of the ones listed maybe not as free as they seem?

 

[novagamer]

This whole timeline is so bizarre. I ran Ben's acknowledgement/apology/whatever the hell that was through an AI detector, it was totally written by ChatGPT. View attachment 2385669

This is almost more stupid than the entire bartender saga.

The developer should be shamed for not disclosing this prior to sale, but there were probably points in the license that allowed them to sell with active accounts etc. and didn’t necessarily spell out a notification window. Regardless, it’s bad form.

That AI detector is garbage. If you have good grammar all of those “detection tools” think you’re AI. Relying on them is worse than relying on the LLM in the first place. We already went through this with much more ‘official’ tools being sold to education institutions and then shut down within months because they were never correct. You can’t have a basic algorithm detect another algorithm that is infinitely moe complex when it comes to language, and using corner cases like “this word isn’t common” doesn’t mean the person writing it used one, it could easily mean they had a large vocabulary and lexical precision. Using “lexical” would probably get me flagged, ffs.

Fools everywhere.

Sorry for the Bartender users, they did y’all dirty.

 

[kirkmc]

HiddenBar hasn't been updated in three years; it shouldn't be in the list.

 

[BugDave]

Wow...Thanks for the heads. I have been paying for macbartender for year and loved it. It's uninstalled (hopefully) now and hopefully one of the alternatives mentioned works for me

P.S. It's hilarious that I'm still a "macrumors newbie" when my account is over 20 years old 🤣

 

[kirkmc]

What permissions do the other apps ask for? Are some of the ones listed maybe not as free as they seem?

They all ask for the same permissions. A number of utilities need similar permissions.

 

[Weaselboy]

HiddenBar hasn't been updated in three years; it shouldn't be in the list.

I installed it yesterday and it works perfectly. Why not have it on the list.

 

[kirkmc]

I'm installed it yesterday and it works perfectly. Why not have it on the list.

Because it hasn't been updated for three years, and will likely break soon. If the developer isn't maintaining it, it's not going to last long.

Also, look at the developer's website. It doesn't look that different from the company that bought Bartender. it's not a serious Mac developer.

Dwarves Foundation - We build software with Go, React, K8s, Swift and Flutter

A software development firm based in Asia. Helping tech startups, entrepreneurs and makers build world-class products since 2013.

dwarves.foundation

 

[AZhappyjack]

Switched to Hidden Bar for the time being. Does all I need it to do.

 

[Weaselboy]

Because it hasn't been updated for three years, and will likely break soon. If the developer isn't maintaining it, it's not going to last long.

Also, look at the developer's website. It doesn't look that different from the company that bought Bartender. it's not a serious Mac developer.

Dwarves Foundation - We build software with Go, React, K8s, Swift and Flutter

A software development firm based in Asia. Helping tech startups, entrepreneurs and makers build world-class products since 2013.

dwarves.foundation

Meh... it is free and works. If it breaks later, I've lost nothing.

 

[AZhappyjack]

HiddenBar hasn't been updated in three years; it shouldn't be in the list.

Yet it still works... perfectly.

 

[eclipse525]

Does anyone know the developers of the suggested apps? Country of origin and reputation? I'm not sure myself, so I'm asking. Thanks.

 

[ignatius345]

Because it hasn't been updated for three years, and will likely break soon. If the developer isn't maintaining it, it's not going to last long.

Also, look at the developer's website. It doesn't look that different from the company that bought Bartender. it's not a serious Mac developer.

Dwarves Foundation - We build software with Go, React, K8s, Swift and Flutter

A software development firm based in Asia. Helping tech startups, entrepreneurs and makers build world-class products since 2013.

dwarves.foundation

It's lasted three years and still works. I personally DGAF how often it's updated if it's not broken.

 

[paulrudy]

Barbee seems to be the one closer to Bartender, but look at the developer. Privacy concerns with Bartender? 🤣😆

I'm wondering if the implication here is that because it's ostensibly a Chinese developer, it can't be trusted? I realize that the MAS doesn't have a great track record of filtering out suspicious apps, but is there any indication that following a policy like this, one would be safer?

 

[ipedro]

Why do so many of these apps require "Allow Screen Recording"? Ice's prompt says it doesn't actually record the screen but I'm still very uneasy with that.

I don't see a macOS" screen recording notice, which is a bit reassuring, but what if it just takes quick screenshots?

 

[vjl323]

This whole timeline is so bizarre. I ran Ben's acknowledgement/apology/whatever the hell that was through an AI detector, it was totally written by ChatGPT. View attachment 2385669

From what was said on Reddit, the buyer of the app also owns the original domain, so it is suspect that the new owners wrote that message, and since so much of their own website is AI generated, it does not surprise me that this message it. But just shows how dishonest this company is. I enjoy this app, but clearly I now have to migrate to Ice.

 

[Kelly the Dude]

What's the difference between spacing and padding?

My understanding is that padding is the space around each item’s icon and spacing is what is between each item. In practice it’s not a major distinction but I suspect it affects the icons clickable area.

 

[ignatius345]

Why do so many of these apps require "Allow Screen Recording"? Ice's prompt says it doesn't actually record the screen but I'm still very uneasy with that.

I don't see a macOS" screen recording notice, which is a bit reassuring, but what if it just takes quick screenshots?

That would fall under screen recording. Same thing. It would need OS-level permissions to do it. The app literally cannot take a screenshot without you explicitly allowing screen recording. That's why the OS has that control in the first place.

 

[tosbsas]

Ice is not working right here. When clicking on the icon, the focused window gets put aside by stage manager and menubar is hidden again. when I click on the icon again focused window comes up

And it's kind of weird that mR offers two Chinese apps as alternative for Bartender, which supposedly is unsafe.
None of the other apps has the variety of features that Bartender has. I think I will stay

 

[AZhappyjack]

And it's kind of weird that mR offers two Chinese apps as alternative for Bartender, which supposedly is unsafe.

Why is that weird, but not weird that 4 of the apps are non-Chinese?

None of the other apps has the variety of features that Bartender has. I think I will stay

I didn't use Bartender for much more than hiding menu bar icons... so Hidden Bar works fine for me.

To each their own, I suppose.

 

[ipedro]

That would fall under screen recording. Same thing. It would need OS-level permissions to do it. The app literally cannot take a screenshot without you explicitly allowing screen recording. That's why the OS has that control in the first place.

Ice requests Screen Recording permission. It only works with it granted.

What I was saying is that having granted Screen Recording permission, macOS still shows you when your screen is being recorded with an icon in the toolbar. I haven't seen that icon while using Ice but a rogue app could do a quick screenshot every now and then without you noticing if you had previously granted it permission.




It's reassuring that Ice is open source but I'm still curious why Screen Recording permission is necessary with these kinds of apps.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I don't see why not. Bartender is blocked from reaching any server via my Little Snitch install. There aren't any subprocesses that it spawns which would need to be blocked separately. That's kinda it, continue using Bartender, just prevent it from phoning home.

Prediction: The next version will introduce features that need Internet access.

If they really are shady, that's the next step. Savvy users might keep it blocked, but people who don't know might not.

You're right, it's probably fine, but why keep a snake in a box even if it's a really good box.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I emailed Applause (the company that bought Bartender) about this yesterday and received a reply, which is below.

Alas, they still won't tell who they are, nor was their email even signed by a first name, although they claim that they don't transmit any screen recording data from Bartender.

Still, it's hard to take someone at their word when you don't know who the "someone" is.

View attachment 2385679

And they continue to use I and we interchangeably.

The reddit thread pretty much cracked the case. They called it that it was Applause before the statement today. And Applause has a known history, and it's not awful but it's not great either.

It's doubtful they intend to do anything truly malicious, like actually exfiltrating screen recordings. They'll just follow the same path all acquisitions take.

Raise the prices, lower the quality, cash out and it's on to the next one.

Even assuming best case, the original developer specifically cited selling because it takes a "team." That can't be cheaper than one person. And it's likely the quality won't be as good either, as the work will likely be subcontracted out. The only visible work they've already done, and were quick to do before announcing anything, is to add analytics.

 

[platinumaqua]

Seems that most of these apps are about hiding menu icons instead of showing the hidden ones? I'm looking for one for my Macbook Pro with the notch that will help me see all of the icons that get hidden behind the notch. Any recommendations for which of these apps would best work for that scenario?

The extra space available to the menu bar is more valuable than the small bezel look and the extra 38 rows of pixels, so I disabled the notch by switching the display to a 16:10 resolution