Best menu bar apps for Mac

Updated Nov 8, 2026, from what MacPip lists today.

Short answer

MacPip lists 16 menu bar apps for Mac, and a person has checked 5 of them.8 of them have a free version.12 of them sell a one-time license.1 of them is paid by subscription.There is no single best 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.

The menu bar is the one part of the Mac that is always on screen. That makes it the right home for small tools you glance at all day, and the wrong home for anything you rarely use.

MacPip lists 16 menu bar apps. The mix tells you what people want up there in 2026: AI usage meters for Claude, Codex and Cursor, a Pomodoro timer, synced lyrics, a way to keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed, and a manager to hide the icons you rarely need.

8 of them have a free version, and 4 are open source.

What these 16 apps offer, by their listings. An app can offer several, so the bars do not add up to 16.

Free version8 of 16

Pay once12 of 16

Subscription1 of 16

Native to Apple silicon12 of 16

Open source4 of 16

Works offline5 of 16

Checked by a person5 of 16

One-time price in US dollars, as each listing states it, lowest first. 8 apps have no plain dollar one-time price and are left out. Launch prices count where the listing says so.

Switchy$4.99

Attic$5

Seiton$6.99

MouseUp$7.99

Keep Mac Awake$9

Kofe Flow$14.99

Bass Plus$14.99

Beckon$24

Compared

App	What it does	Price	Free or paid	Apple silicon	Open source	Made by	Checked
Seiton	Menu bar manager for Mac that hides, sorts and searches your menu bar icons	From $6.99 once (launch), 14-day trial	One-time	Not stated	No	CanonForge	Nov 3
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
Attic	Screenshots and downloads put themselves away.	$5 once (launch), then $9 and $15	One-time	Yes, and Intel, its maker says	No	Pablo Fernández Jiménez	Nov 3
CatPod \|⁠ Pixel Cat Companion	A pixel-art cat companion for macOS with a built-in focus timer and desktop roaming.	$3.99	One-time	Yes, and Intel, its maker says	No	Galip OZTURK	Pending
Keystone \| Habit Tracker	Productivity app for Mac	$3.99	One-time	Yes, and Intel, its maker says	No	Galip OZTURK	Pending
Bass Plus	Bass Plus is a bass booster and equalizer for Mac with software volume boost.	$14.99 once, 7-day free trial	One-time	Yes, and Intel, its maker says	No	CLIDECK LLC	Pending
MouseUp	Fix ghost double-clicks and get trackpad-smooth scrolling on any mouse.	$7.99 once, free trial	One-time	Yes, and Intel, its maker says	No	David Tran	Pending
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
Switchy	Mac controls, deploys, 2FA codes and Claude/Codex limits in your menu bar.	$4.99 once, 7-day free trial	One-time	Yes, Apple silicon only, its maker says	No	Vladimir Babic	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
Keep Mac Awake	Keeps your MacBook awake with the lid closed, so agents and long jobs keep going	$9 once	One-time	Yes, Apple silicon only, its maker says	No	Keep Mac Awake	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

12 of them, up close

The 12 below come first in the table: apps a person checked, newest check first. The other 4 are in the table above.

Seiton

Menu bar manager for Mac that hides, sorts and searches your menu bar icons

Pay onceChecked Nov 3

Made by CanonForgeWebsite

Seiton keeps a crowded menu bar under control. Icons you rarely use go behind a divider and come back with one click, you can sort everything into three sections, and there is a search for menu bar items. It works fully offline. One-time purchase with a 14-day trial, from $6.99 at its launch price. It needs macOS 26 or later, and its maker names Bartender as the app it replaces.

Price: From $6.99 once (launch), 14-day trial
Needs: macOS 26 or later
Its maker says it replaces: Bartender

Seiton on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

UsageBeacon

See your remaining Cursor, Claude, and Codex usage budgets right in the Mac menu bar.

Free versionOpen sourceChecked Nov 3

Made by David CohenWebsite

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.

Price: Free and open source
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Its maker says it replaces: SessionWatcher

UsageBeacon on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

Seedlore

Watch your love grow into a living tree

Free versionPay onceSubscriptionApple siliconWorks offlineChecked Nov 3

Made by ixl21sWebsite On X

From its maker: Your relationship as a living tree. Journal, shared calendar, pinboard and bucket list for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

Price: Free, Premium monthly, yearly or once
Needs: macOS 26 Tahoe oder neuer

Seedlore on MacPip More Fun and Delight apps

Kofe Flow

A calm Pomodoro timer for your Mac menu bar, with an iPhone app that stays in sync.

Free versionPay onceChecked Nov 3

Website

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.

Price: Free, Lifetime Pro $14.99 one-time

Kofe Flow on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

Attic

Screenshots and downloads put themselves away.

Pay onceApple siliconChecked Nov 3

Made by Pablo Fernández JiménezWebsite On X

Attic tidies up after you. Old screenshots and downloads move to a folder on your Mac by themselves, and nothing is ever deleted. No cloud and no account. It is $5 once at its launch price, then $9 and $15.

Price: $5 once (launch), then $9 and $15
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Attic on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

CatPod |⁠ Pixel Cat Companion

A pixel-art cat companion for macOS with a built-in focus timer and desktop roaming.

Pay onceApple siliconWorks offline

Made by Galip OZTURKWebsite On X

From its maker: CATPOD | PIXEL CAT COMPANION CatPod is a native macOS desktop pet: a pixel-art cat that roams the display you are working on, curls up beside you while a focus session runs, and naps when you leave the desk. FOCUS KEEPS THE CAT PURRING.

Price: $3.99
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later

CatPod |⁠ Pixel Cat Companion on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

Keystone | Habit Tracker

Productivity app for Mac

Pay onceApple siliconWorks offline

Made by Galip OZTURKWebsite On X

From its maker: KEYSTONE | HABIT TRACKER Keystone is a native macOS habit tracker that lives in the menu bar - habits are ticked off in one click, streaks forgive planned days off, and reminders and a desktop widget keep the day in view. YOUR DAY, ONE TICK AT A TIME.

Price: $3.99
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Keystone | Habit Tracker on MacPip More Productivity apps

Bass Plus

Bass Plus is a bass booster and equalizer for Mac with software volume boost.

Pay onceApple silicon

Made by CLIDECK LLCWebsite

From its maker: Bass Plus is a bass booster and equalizer for Mac with software volume boost. Add more bass to everyday music, adjust sound for your headphones, or fine-tune your MacBook speakers.

Price: $14.99 once, 7-day free trial
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Bass Plus on MacPip More Audio and Video apps

MouseUp

Fix ghost double-clicks and get trackpad-smooth scrolling on any mouse.

Pay onceApple silicon

Made by David TranWebsite On X

From its maker: MouseUp (formerly Mac Mouse Fixer) makes any external mouse feel at home on macOS. It blocks the ghost double-clicks that worn switches cause, so one click is one click again, and turns every wheel notch into one smooth, trackpad-like glide.

Deal: 50% off Lifetime, until Dec 5
Price: $7.99 once, free trial
Needs: macOS 12 Monterey or later
Its maker says it replaces: Mac Mouse Fix, SteerMouse, Mos, Logi Options+

MouseUp on MacPip More Utilities apps

Lancetta

A native macOS menu-bar app that tells you when and how to use Codex and Claude Code

Free versionApple silicon

Made by UndologWebsite On X

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.

Price: Free
Needs: macOS 15 Sequoia or later

Lancetta on MacPip More Coding Agents apps

Switchy

Mac controls, deploys, 2FA codes and Claude/Codex limits in your menu bar.

Pay onceApple silicon

Made by Vladimir BabicWebsite On X

Switchy gathers everyday Mac switches into one menu bar panel: Dark Mode, Keep Awake, mic mute, Do Not Disturb and DNS. It also follows deployments on Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare and Railway, keeps 2FA codes behind Touch ID, and shows when Claude and Codex limits reset. It is $4.99 once for up to 3 Macs, with a 7-day trial, on Apple silicon with macOS 14 or later.

Price: $4.99 once, 7-day free trial
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Its maker says it replaces: One Switch

Switchy on MacPip More Menu Bar apps

Super High Fives

An open-source colour picker app for macOS

Free versionPay onceOpen sourceWorks offline

Website On X On GitHub

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.

Price: Free and open source
Needs: macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Super High Fives on MacPip More Design and Media apps

The notch problem

On a MacBook with a notch, macOS hides menu bar icons that do not fit, with no warning. If an icon seems to vanish after installing an app, that is usually why. A menu bar manager that hides rarely used icons behind a divider fixes it.

How to choose menu bar apps

One glance, one job. The best menu bar apps show something you check often, in a few pixels.
Watch memory. An app that sits there all day should be light. Check Activity Monitor after a day.
Too many icons? Seiton hides, sorts and searches menu bar icons. Its maker names Bartender as the app it replaces.
Fewer is better. Each icon costs a little attention. Remove the ones you have not clicked in a week.

Related lists

See the best notch apps for the space next door, the best window manager for Mac, and utilities for Mac.

Which one to pick

Pick UsageBeacon if you want it free.
Pick Seiton if you would rather pay once than subscribe.
Pick Seedlore if you want it to run natively on Apple silicon.
Pick Seedlore if you need it to work offline, as its maker says it does.
Pick UsageBeacon if you want open source code.

Questions

What is the best menu bar app for Mac?

There is no single best one for everyone. MacPip lists 16: Seiton, UsageBeacon, Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Attic, CatPod |⁠ Pixel Cat Companion, Keystone | Habit Tracker, Bass Plus, MouseUp, Lancetta, Switchy, Super High Fives and 4 more. If you want it free, look at UsageBeacon. If you would rather pay once than subscribe, look at Seiton. 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.

Are there free menu bar apps for Mac?

Yes. With a free version on MacPip: UsageBeacon, Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Lancetta, Super High Fives, Beckon, NotchMuse, Pulse.

Which menu bar apps for Mac have a one-time price?

With a one-time option, so you can avoid a subscription: Seiton, Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Attic, CatPod |⁠ Pixel Cat Companion, Keystone | Habit Tracker, Bass Plus, MouseUp, Switchy, Super High Fives, Keep Mac Awake, Beckon.

Which menu bar apps run natively on Apple silicon?

By their makers' word or by our check: Seedlore, Attic, CatPod |⁠ Pixel Cat Companion, Keystone | Habit Tracker, Bass Plus, MouseUp, Lancetta, Switchy, Keep Mac Awake, Beckon, NotchMuse, Pulse.

Which menu bar apps has a person checked?

Each has a dated report on its page: Seiton, UsageBeacon, Seedlore, Kofe Flow, Attic.

How does MacPip order these apps?

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.