The short answer. Xbar and SwiftBar are the same idea with different levels of polish: put the output of any script into the menu bar, so a build status, a server count or a stock price becomes a line of text you can glance at. SketchyBar goes further and replaces the status bar itself, which is a configuration project rather than an app. AnyBar is the smallest possible version of the idea — one coloured dot whose meaning you define. WandelBar customises the bar as a surface: blur, tint, shadows, per-Space settings. MenubarX puts a whole web page in the menu bar. Thaw is the odd one here: it hides and shows menu bar items, which is management rather than customisation, and it is in this pool because the two jobs compete for the same strip of screen. The dividing question is whether you want to add something to the menu bar or to change what the menu bar is.
This guide covers 7 menu bar customization apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-16.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnyBar | menu bar indicator | Open source | EPL-1.0 | 0.2.3 |
| MenubarX | system tool | Free | not published | 1.7.6 |
| SketchyBar | system tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 2.24.0 |
| SwiftBar | system tool | Open source | MIT | 2.1.1 |
| Thaw | system tool | Open source | not published | 2.0.1 |
| WandelBar | system tool | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 0.2.0 |
| Xbar | system tool | Open source | not published | 2.1.7-beta |
What actually decides this
- Add content or restyle the bar. Script output, a pinned page and a coloured dot add items. A status bar replacement and a background customiser change the container. The second group is far more invasive and far more likely to conflict with the first.
- What the script contract is. The scripting tools agree on a convention: a line of text, a separator, then submenu items and attributes. Learning that convention once gets you every plugin anyone has written. A tool with a proprietary plugin format gives you only what its author shipped.
- How often it refreshes. A menu bar item that runs a script every second is a process that runs every second, forever, whether or not you look at it. The interval is the difference between a status indicator and a battery drain.
- Whether it survives a restart. A script that only runs when you click it is a launcher. A script that runs at login and keeps a value current is an indicator. Both are useful and they are configured differently, which is why the same plugin can feel broken in one setup and fine in another.
- What it does to the items already there. Anything that replaces or restyles the bar has to coexist with the system items and with whatever manager is already hiding icons. Two tools that both own the bar produce a bar that neither describes.
Our picks
- Xbar — Its record describes putting the output from any script or program into the menu bar, which is the script-output case. Choose it when you have a script and want its output in the menu bar.
- SwiftBar — Its record describes a powerful menu bar customisation tool, which is the same case from a different implementation. Choose it when you want the same scripting model with a more native feel.
- SketchyBar — Its record describes a highly customisable status bar replacement, which is the replace-the-container case. Choose it when you want to replace the status bar rather than add to it.
- AnyBar — Its record describes a menu bar app that shows one coloured dot you control, which is the minimal case. Choose it when all you need is one indicator with a meaning you choose.
- WandelBar — Its record describes customising the menu bar background with blur, tint, shadows and per-Space settings, which is the appearance case. Choose it when the look of the bar is the point.
- MenubarX — Its record describes pinning a webpage in the menu bar like an app, which is the web-page case. Choose it when the thing you keep checking is a web page.
The apps
AnyBar
AnyBar is a menu bar indicator for macOS. A menu-bar app that shows one coloured dot, whose meaning and colour you define. It is released under EPL-1.0.
Strengths. Open source under the Eclipse Public License, with no account and no paid tier. Listens on UDP port 1738, so any script in any language can set the dot without a dedicated client. Client libraries exist for Bash, Zsh, Fish, Go, Node, Deno, PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, Rust, Nim, Erlang, C, C#, Crystal and Emacs.
Trade-offs. The last version is 0.2.3, released 2021-02-18, so the project has not shipped in years. It shows one dot and nothing else — there is no text, no history and no graph. Anything sent over UDP is unauthenticated and unencrypted, so a listener is only appropriate on a machine you trust.
Not for. People who want a fixed set of readouts — AnyBar shows one dot you choose the meaning of.
What it does. Displays a single coloured dot in the menu bar. Controlled over UDP, port 1738 by default. Thirteen built-in styles including question, exclamation, filled and hollow. Displays custom 19×19 or 38×38 images from the ~/.AnyBar directory.
AnyBar is listed with current version 0.2.3.
Full profile and verified facts for AnyBar →
MenubarX
MenubarX is a system tool for macOS. A powerful Mac menu bar browser, pin webpage like an App. It is free.
What it does. MenubarX is a powerful Mac menu bar browser.
MenubarX is listed with current version 1.7.6.
Full profile and verified facts for MenubarX →
SketchyBar
SketchyBar is a system tool for macOS. A highly customizable macOS status bar replacement. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Full configurability at any time. Dynamic animation system. Powerful scripting and event system. Optimized to be fast and efficient.
SketchyBar is listed with current version 2.24.0.
Full profile and verified facts for SketchyBar →
SwiftBar
SwiftBar is a system tool for macOS. Powerful macOS menu bar customization tool. It is released under MIT.
What it does. Powerful macOS menu bar customization tool.
SwiftBar is listed with current version 2.1.1.
Full profile and verified facts for SwiftBar →
Thaw
Thaw is a system tool for macOS. A powerful menu bar management tool for hiding and showing menu bar items. It is open source.
Thaw is listed with current version 2.0.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Thaw →
WandelBar
WandelBar is a system tool for macOS. Customizes the menu bar background with blur, tint, shadows, textures, presets, and per-Space settings. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Customize the macOS Tahoe menu bar background with blur, tint, shadows, textures, presets, and per-Space settings!
WandelBar is listed with current version 0.2.0.
Full profile and verified facts for WandelBar →
Xbar
Xbar is a system tool for macOS. Put the output from any script or program into your macOS Menu Bar (the BitBar reboot). It is open source.
What it does. xbar lets you put the output of any executable script or program into your macOS menu bar.
Xbar is listed with current version 2.1.7-beta.
Full profile and verified facts for Xbar →
How to choose
- Free of charge. MenubarX — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. AnyBar, SketchyBar, SwiftBar, Thaw, WandelBar and Xbar — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
Open source: AnyBar, SketchyBar, SwiftBar, Thaw, WandelBar and Xbar (6 of 7).
Common mistakes
- Installing a status bar replacement and a menu bar manager at the same time, then debugging a bar that neither one owns.
- Refreshing a script every second for a value that changes once a day.
- Assuming a plugin that works in one of the scripting tools works unchanged in the other. The convention is shared; the edge cases are not.
- Replacing the status bar before writing down which system items you rely on. They do not all come back by uninstalling.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Verified 2026-10-16.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these menu bar customization apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 7 menu bar customization apps: AnyBar, MenubarX, SketchyBar, SwiftBar, Thaw, WandelBar and Xbar. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these menu bar customization apps free?
Pricing across this group: open source (AnyBar, SketchyBar, SwiftBar, Thaw, WandelBar and Xbar) and free (MenubarX). We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these menu bar customization apps are open source?
AnyBar (EPL-1.0), SketchyBar (GPL-3.0), SwiftBar (MIT), Thaw (not published), WandelBar (GPL-3.0) and Xbar (not published) are open source.
Do these menu bar customization apps support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
Who should not use these apps?
AnyBar each list an audience they are explicitly not aimed at. Those notes come from the same verified records as the rest of this guide, and they are worth reading before you install anything.
When was this data last verified?
The facts in this guide were last confirmed on 2026-10-16. Every app page carries its own verification dates and source list, so you can check any individual claim.
