# Bartender 6 vs Ice for Mac

> Both tidy a crowded menu bar by hiding icons until you need them. Bartender is the long-running paid option, with groups, triggers that show icons when something changes, and deep customisation; it changed owners in 2024. Ice is free and open source and covers hiding icons, a separate bar for hidden items and menu bar styling. Facts checked 2026-10-19 by MacWorthy; nobody pays to be listed or compared.

## Choose Bartender 6 if

- You want rules that reveal icons automatically, such as when the battery runs low.
- You want icon groups and detailed layout control.
- You're happy to pay for a polished, supported app.

## Choose Ice if

- You want it free and open source.
- You mainly need to hide icons and keep the notch area clear.
- You'd like to read the code that runs in your menu bar.

## Facts

| | [Bartender 6](https://macworthy.com/apps/bartender-6.md) | [Ice](https://macworthy.com/apps/ice.md) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Paid up front | Free and open source |
| Developer | Applause Group | Jordan Baird |
| Mac App Store | No | No |
| Homebrew cask | bartender | jordanbaird-ice |
| Open source | No | GPL-3.0 |
| Last commit | – | October 2026 |
| GitHub stars | – | 30k |

## Questions

### Is Bartender 6 better than Ice?

Neither is better for everyone. Both tidy a crowded menu bar by hiding icons until you need them. Bartender is the long-running paid option, with groups, triggers that show icons when something changes, and deep customisation; it changed owners in 2024. Ice is free and open source and covers hiding icons, a separate bar for hidden items and menu bar styling.

### How much does Bartender 6 cost?

Bartender 6 is paid software, bought up front from macbartender.com.

### Is Ice free?

Yes. Ice is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. The source code is on GitHub at jordanbaird/Ice.

### What else is like Bartender 6 and Ice?

Other utilities apps on MacWorthy worth a look are iStat Menus (one-time purchase), Amphetamine (free) and Klack (one-time purchase).

HTML version: https://macworthy.com/compare/bartender-6-vs-ice/