Updated Nov 7, 2026, from what MacPip lists today.
MacPip lists 8 free menu bar apps for Mac, and a person has checked 3 of them.All of them have a free version.4 of them sell a one-time license.1 of them is paid by subscription.There is no single best free menu bar app for everyone, so MacPip does not rank them.If you want it free, start with UsageBeacon.
Apps a person checked come first, newest check first. Never ordered by payment.
| App | What it does | Price | Free or paid | Apple silicon | Open source | Made by | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UsageBeacon | See your remaining Cursor, Claude, and Codex usage budgets right in the Mac menu bar. | Free and open source | Free version | Not stated | Yes | David Cohen | Nov 3 |
| Seedlore | Watch your love grow into a living tree | Free, Premium monthly, yearly or once | Free versionOne-timeSubscription | Yes, and Intel, its maker says | No | ixl21s | Nov 3 |
| Kofe Flow | A calm Pomodoro timer for your Mac menu bar, with an iPhone app that stays in sync. | Free, Lifetime Pro $14.99 one-time | Free versionOne-time | Not stated | No | Not stated | Nov 3 |
| Lancetta | A native macOS menu-bar app that tells you when and how to use Codex and Claude Code | Free | Free version | Yes, and Intel, its maker says | No | Undolog | Pending |
| Super High Fives | An open-source colour picker app for macOS | Free and open source | Free versionOne-time | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Pending |
| Beckon | A Mac app that puts your Dock in a ring around the pointer | Free, Pro $24 once, 14-day trial | Free versionOne-time | Yes, and Intel, its maker says | No | Not stated | Pending |
| NotchMuse | Synced lyrics in your Mac menu bar and beside the notch | Free and open source | Free version | Yes, Apple silicon only, its maker says | Yes | Not stated | Pending |
| Pulse | Floating usage rings Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, and Grok. | Free | Free version | Yes, Apple silicon only, its maker says | Yes | Not stated | Pending |
See your remaining Cursor, Claude, and Codex usage budgets right in the Mac menu bar.
UsageBeacon turns your Cursor, Claude and Codex usage into remaining percentages, budgets and reset windows in the menu bar, so you know before you hit a limit. It is free and open source, and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Watch your love grow into a living tree
From its maker: Your relationship as a living tree. Journal, shared calendar, pinboard and bucket list for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
A calm Pomodoro timer for your Mac menu bar, with an iPhone app that stays in sync.
Kofe Flow is a calm Pomodoro timer in the menu bar, with an iPhone app that stays in sync. Focus analytics stay on your Mac, and timer sync is optional and anonymous. It is free, with Lifetime Pro at $14.99 once.
A native macOS menu-bar app that tells you when and how to use Codex and Claude Code
Lancetta reads the quota of Codex and Claude Code and tells you when to push on, slow down or switch. It is a free, native menu bar app for macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
An open-source colour picker app for macOS
From its maker: An open-source colour picker app for macOS Pika (pronounced pi·kuh, like picker) is an easy to use, open-source, native colour picker for macOS.
A Mac app that puts your Dock in a ring around the pointer
Beckon puts your Dock in a ring around the pointer. Hold Option-Space, flick toward an app and let go. The ring holds windows with live thumbnails, pinned apps, folders, websites, Shortcuts and files, and the real Dock can stay hidden. It is free, with Pro at $24 once and a 14-day trial.
Synced lyrics in your Mac menu bar and beside the notch
NotchMuse shows synced lyrics on your desktop, in the menu bar or beside the notch, for Spotify, Apple Music and more. It is free, open source and needs no account. It runs on Apple silicon with macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Floating usage rings Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, and Grok.
Pulse floats usage rings for Claude, Codex, Grok and Antigravity on your screen, adds a Codex pet you can talk to, and reminds you to take breaks on time. It is free and open source, for Apple silicon with macOS 26 Tahoe or later.
Look for low memory use, a way to hide it when it is not needed, and whether it still fits on a MacBook with a notch.
There is no single best one for everyone. MacPip lists 8: UsageBeacon, Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Lancetta, Super High Fives, Beckon, NotchMuse, Pulse. If you want it free, look at UsageBeacon. If you would rather pay once than subscribe, look at Kofe Flow. If you want it to run natively on Apple silicon, look at Seedlore. If you need it to work offline, as its maker says it does, look at Seedlore. If you want open source code, look at UsageBeacon.
With a one-time option, so you can avoid a subscription: Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Super High Fives, Beckon.
By their makers' word or by our check: Seedlore, Lancetta, Beckon, NotchMuse, Pulse.
Each has a dated report on its page: UsageBeacon, Seedlore, Kofe Flow.
Apps a person has checked come first, newest check first, then the rest by when they were added. Payment never changes the order, and sponsored rows are labeled and kept apart.
