Bartender
Applause (acquired from original developer Ben Surtees)
Bartender 5 is an award-winning macOS app that gives you total control over your Menu Bar, allowing you to organize your menu bar icons by hiding them, rearranging them, and showing them only when you need them. It improves your workflow with features like Quick Reveal, Search, custom hotkeys and triggers, and menu bar customization.
User Sentiments
Top Likes
- Declutters and organizes menu bar effectively
- Customizable and feature-rich
- Improves workflow and productivity
- Quick search and hotkey functionality
Top Dislikes
- Price might be a bit high for some users
- Some users reported crashes (potentially version specific)
- Learning curve for advanced features like triggers and presets
Popular Comments
Forbes - Barry Collins
2023-10-17
Bartender 5 not only helps keep that area clean, it makes it twice as useful... Bartender 5 lets you decide precisely which icons are displayed by default in the Menu Bar and which are hidden.
Today on Mac
2025-01-14
If your menu bar looks more like a digital landfill than a sleek workspace, Bartender is here to rescue you... Bartender transforms your menu bar into an elegant, efficient hub.
Setapp User - Dominik gajowniczek
2025-02-24
It's ok, still testing.
Setapp User - Aldo Zárate
2025-02-24
Excellent app, can't live without it! Organizing icons in a macbook with notch now is super easy!
MacUpdate User - greatsouthernbear
2024-11-19
Lets you tidy your menu-bar apps how you want. See your menu-bar apps when you want. Hide the apps you need to run ...
Reddit User - macapps
2024-12-30
Bartender is great, and it has been through several versions. I've used it non-stop for over a decade. I have over 40 menu bar apps running most of the time and it manages them without a hitch.
Detailed Review
Bartender is a highly-regarded macOS utility designed to declutter and organize the menu bar. It allows users to hide menu bar icons, rearrange them, and access them when needed, thus cleaning up a potentially crowded menu bar and improving workflow. Bartender offers a balance between simplicity for basic users and advanced features for power users who want extensive customization. While it primarily focuses on menu bar management, it also provides features like quick search, hotkeys, and triggers to enhance productivity. Bartender 5 is the latest version, compatible with macOS Sequoia and Sonoma, and is a paid application with a free trial, also available as part of the Setapp subscription service.
Standout Features
- Menu Bar Organization: Hide, rearrange, and organize menu bar icons to create a cleaner and more efficient workspace.
- Quick Reveal: Instantly access hidden icons by clicking the Bartender icon, using a hotkey, or hovering over the menu bar.
- Search: Quickly find and activate any menu bar item using the search function.
- Hotkeys and Keyboard Navigation: Assign hotkeys to menu bar items for quick access and navigate the menu bar using the keyboard.
- Triggers: Set conditions to automatically show menu bar icons when they update or based on specific criteria.
- Customization: Customize the appearance of the menu bar with styles, colors, borders, and shadows (Bartender 5).
- Presets: Create and switch between different menu bar configurations for various workflows or contexts.
Conclusion
Bartender is an essential tool for Mac users who find their menu bar cluttered and want to improve their productivity. Its ability to hide and organize icons, combined with features like quick search and hotkeys, makes it a valuable addition for managing menu bar apps efficiently. While it's a paid app, the one-time purchase and available free trial, along with the option to access it through Setapp, offer flexibility for users to try it out. For users seeking a cleaner, more organized Mac experience and efficient access to their menu bar applications, Bartender is a highly recommended solution.
