Quick answer
Choose Tuck if you want a lightweight, polished menu bar manager with an unlimited free tier, zero telemetry, one-time Pro pricing, and Shelf Mode for the notch. Choose Ice if you want a free, open-source tool and don't mind community-paced support. Choose Bartender if you rely on its deepest automation and accept its paid model and post-acquisition privacy questions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Tuck | Ice | Bartender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide menu bar icons | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| One-click toggle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Global shortcut | ⌘⇧B | Yes | Yes |
| Notched MacBook support | Shelf Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-hide & hover reveal | Pro | Yes | Yes |
| Per-icon rules | Pro | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier | Unlimited free tier | Fully free | Trial only |
| Pricing model | One-time Pro | Free / open source | Paid license/plan |
| Telemetry | None | None (open source) | Discussed by users |
| App size | Under 10MB | Lightweight | Heavier |
| Support model | Direct, maintained | Community | Commercial |
Pricing compared
Ice is free and open source. Tuck has an unlimited free tier and a one-time Pro purchase — no subscription. Bartender uses a paid license model with a trial. If you want to pay once and own it, Tuck and Ice avoid recurring costs.
Privacy and trust
Tuck ships with zero analytics, telemetry, or crash reporting. Network access is limited to license validation and Sparkle update checks, so it's easy to verify behavior with a network monitor. Ice is open source, so its code can be audited directly. Bartender's data handling drew community scrutiny after its ownership changed, which is part of why many users now look for alternatives.
Best for the MacBook notch
On notched MacBooks, overflow icons can vanish behind the notch. Tuck's Shelf Mode moves hidden icons into a clean panel below the menu bar so nothing gets lost. Ice and Bartender both support notched Macs as well, but Shelf Mode is purpose-built for that layout.
How to switch
- Quit your current manager and remove it from login items.
- Install Tuck and grant Accessibility permission.
- Hold ⌘ and drag icons so the ones you want hidden sit to the left of Tuck.
- Click Tuck or press ⌘⇧B to toggle the menu bar.