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About Bartender
What is Bartender?
Bartender is a macOS utility that lets you manage and organize your menu bar items. It solves the problem of a cluttered menu bar where icons get hidden behind the notch on newer MacBooks or simply become too many to use efficiently.
Who is it for?
Bartender is for anyone who uses a Mac regularly—especially power users, developers, designers, or multitaskers with many menu bar apps. It's not for casual users who rarely touch the menu bar or prefer Apple's default behavior.
Key use cases
Professionals can create presets for work versus home setups, use triggers to auto-switch based on Wi-Fi or time, and group related apps like cloud drives or VPNs. Content creators and screen-sharers can instantly show or hide items to keep recordings clean.
Key features
- Speed — Reveal hidden menu bar items by swiping, scrolling, clicking, or hovering instantly.
- Full Access — Bypass the MacBook notch; Bartender automatically frees space so no items are lost.
- Bartender Bar — Store hidden items in a dedicated bar beneath the menu bar when you need more room.
- Styling — Customize with tints, gradients, borders, shadows, and per-space styles.
- Groups — Combine related menu bar items (e.g., cloud drives, VPN) into one collapsible icon.
- Presets & Triggers — Save different menu bar layouts and apply them automatically based on battery, location, time, or Wi‑Fi.
- Search — Quick Search lets you find, show, and activate any menu bar item from the keyboard.
SaaSpartout Score
7.3
/10
Editorial score from our review methodology — not user ratings.
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Bartender Pricing
Bartender pricing: from $18.00 (one-time purchase per major version). Billing model: Lifetime.
Bartender 6 – Standard (one-time purchase)
Includes full access to all Bartender 6 features: speed reveal, notch workaround, Bartender Bar, styling, groups, presets, triggers, and search. Free trial available.
Pricing starts at $18 for a single license (one Mac). Volume discounts for multi‑seat purchases are available on the developer’s site.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bartender free?
No, Bartender is a paid app but offers a free trial to test all features before purchase.
How much does Bartender cost?
Bartender 6 is a one-time purchase starting at $18 for a single license.
What does Bartender do?
It gives you full control over your Mac menu bar: hide items, reveal them instantly, group icons, create presets, and style the bar's appearance.
Does Bartender work with macOS Sequoia / Tahoe?
Yes, Bartender 6 is built for macOS Tahoe (Sequoia) and is redesigned to be smoother and faster on the latest operating system.
Who is Bartender best for?
It's best for Mac power users who run many menu bar apps—developers, designers, remote workers, or anyone annoyed by the notch hiding their icons.
What are the top Bartender alternatives?
Popular alternatives include Hidden Bar, Dozer, Ice, and Vanilla. Bartender is known for its deeper feature set like triggers, groups, and extensive styling.
