Utilities · Included in Setapp (~€9.99/month)
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Thaw
Take back control of your macOS menu bar: hide, organize, customize.
- Category
- Utilities
- Pricing
- €0 · Free
- How often
- Every day
- My rating
- 4.5 out of 5
In short
Thaw is the most complete free solution to tame a cluttered macOS menu bar. An active community fork of Ice.
- Ideal for
- macOS users who want a clean, organized menu bar
- Use case
- Hiding unneeded icons, customizing the look of the menu bar
What it costs
Entry price: €0. Prices taken from the official site, excluding tax.
| Plan | Per month | Per year | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thaw | €0 | – | All macOS users: free and open source |
Alternatives I ruled out
| Alternative | Why I did not keep it |
|---|---|
| Bartender 5 | Bartender if you want the most mature solution. Thaw if you want free + open source. Better at: More polished interface, Mac App Store, long-standing support, better documentation Worse at: Paid ($18 once + paid updates), controversy over the change of owner |
| Ice | Thaw is the recommended fork of Ice: more active and maintained. Better at: The original project Thaw comes from Worse at: Less active development than Thaw |
Strengths and limits
Pros
- Fully free and open source (GitHub)
- Active fork of the Ice project: regular bug fixes
- Advanced visual customization (tint, shadow, rounded corners)
- Multiple profiles: different configurations depending on the context
- No subscription, unlike Bartender
Cons
- Requires macOS 26 or later
- Less well known than Bartender: fewer community resources
- Configuration interface less polished than a paid app
- Not available on the Mac App Store
Main features
- Icon hiding
- Hide unwanted menu bar icons with visibility control Keep a clean menu bar by showing only the essentials
- Drag & drop reordering
- Move icons into the order you want, directly Put the most used tools within immediate reach
- Visual customization
- Change the look of the menu bar (background tint, shadow, borders, corners) Match the menu bar to your setup or macOS theme
- Profiles
- Save several configurations and switch between them "Presentation" profile (minimal icons) vs "dev" profile (all tools visible)
Compatibility
- macOS : compatible
- Windows : not compatible
- Linux : not compatible
- iOS : not compatible
- Android : not compatible
- Browser : not compatible
- API : not compatible
- n8n : not compatible
- Zapier : not compatible
Frequently asked questions
Is Thaw free?
Yes, fully free and open source on GitHub.
Which macOS version is required?
macOS 26 or later.
Thaw vs Bartender: which one to choose?
Thaw for free and open source. Bartender for a more polished experience with commercial support.
Final verdict
The best free and open source alternative to Bartender. An active fork of Ice with regular fixes.
- I recommend it to
- Any macOS 26+ user who wants to take back control of their menu bar without paying.
- Not suited for
- Users of macOS versions before 26.
- Value for money
- Excellent · 4.5 out of 5
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