Mac guides

The best Mac menu bar apps in 2026, one for each job

By Qiffe · Tested on macOS 27.0.1,

A good menu bar app does one job, shows you something useful at a glance, and otherwise stays out of the way. A bad one is just another icon.

This list is sorted by job, with one or two picks each. For every job we first say whether macOS 27 can already do it, because the best menu bar app is often no app at all.

Disclosure: Qiffe makes SweepBar and Doff, which appear in the first two sections. Every other app on this list is made by someone else, and we don’t earn anything from them.

Watch free disk space

Built in? No. macOS only shows free space in settings and Finder windows.

  • SweepBar (ours): free space as a number in the menu bar, a warning below a threshold you choose, and a one-click sweep of developer caches that are safe to delete. Scanning is free; sweeping is a one-time $5.99.

Guide: show free disk space in the menu bar.

Uninstall apps completely

Built in? Partly. Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its settings, caches and helpers behind.

  • Doff (ours): catches apps you drag to the Trash, shows everything they left behind, finds leftovers of apps you already deleted, and moves it all to the Trash so you can undo. Scanning is free; removing is a one-time $12.99.

Guide: completely uninstall apps on a Mac.

Monitor CPU, memory, temperature and network

Built in? Only in Activity Monitor’s window, and no temperature in degrees.

  • Stats: free and open source. CPU, GPU, memory, disk, network, battery and temperature sensors, each as an optional menu bar item.
  • iStat Menus: paid, with similar coverage.

Guide: CPU temperature and network speed in the menu bar.

Hide or tuck away menu bar icons

Built in? Partly. System Settings > Menu Bar can turn icons off, but can’t collapse them behind a button.

  • Ice: free and open source.
  • Bartender: paid.

Guide: how to hide menu bar icons.

Clipboard history

Built in? Yes, in Spotlight (Command-Space, then Command-4).

  • Maccy: open source, lightweight, lives in the menu bar. Free from its GitHub releases, paid on the Mac App Store. Worth it if you want pinned snippets or keyboard-only pasting.

Guide: clipboard history on Mac.

Window snapping

Built in? Yes, halves and quarters. No thirds.

  • Rectangle: free and open source, adds thirds and many more shortcuts. Rectangle Pro is paid.

Guide: Mac window snapping.

Keep your Mac awake

Built in? Yes, with settings or the caffeinate command, but there’s no menu bar switch.

  • Amphetamine: free on the Mac App Store.

Guide: keep your Mac awake.

How to keep your menu bar useful

  • Keep icons that inform, such as free space or CPU load. Hide icons you only click once a month.
  • Watch the notch. On MacBooks with a notch, icons that don’t fit simply aren’t shown.
  • Recheck after big macOS updates. Features like clipboard history and window tiling became built in, which made several popular apps optional. Our list of macOS missing features tracks what’s built in and what isn’t.

Questions

What are the best free Mac menu bar apps?

Good free picks are Stats for system monitoring, Ice for hiding menu bar icons, Rectangle for window snapping and Amphetamine for keeping your Mac awake. Maccy's GitHub releases are free too.

How many menu bar apps is too many?

When icons start disappearing behind the notch or you stop looking at them. Keep apps that show you something useful at a glance, and turn the others off in System Settings > Menu Bar.

Do menu bar apps slow down a Mac?

Most use very little, but apps that poll sensors or the network often can use noticeable energy. Turn off readouts you don't need, and check Activity Monitor's Energy tab if your battery drains faster than expected.