TiidyA Bartender alternative for macOS 27.
If you want your menu bar tidy without building rules, Tiidy is the simpler choice. It costs US$9, once, needs only the Accessibility permission, and sets itself up in about a minute. If you want deep rules, triggers and profiles, Bartender does more, and you should pick it.
You want it done.
- You'd rather sort your bar in a minute than design it.
- You want it to stay tidy on its own, with nothing moving until you say yes.
- You want an app that never asks for Screen Recording.
- You want to pay once, and know who made it.
You want rules.
- You want triggers, like showing the battery when you unplug.
- You switch profiles for different displays or setups.
- You want to search and open menu bar items from the keyboard.
- You want one licence for all your Macs.
Side by side.
| Question | Tiidy0.5, public beta | Bartender 7By Applause Group |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$9, once | US$24.99, once. Bartender Pro is US$19.99 a year. |
| Macs per licence | 3, with free 1.x updates | All your Macs, with Bartender 7 updates |
| Free trial | 7 days, no card | 14 days |
| Screen Recording | Never asked for | Optional since Bartender 7. Without it, you see app icons instead of images of your items. |
| macOS 27 | Built for it, and only for it | Supported by Bartender 7 |
| Setup | One card per app with a suggestion. About a minute. | Arrange items yourself, then add rules and triggers as you like |
| Keeps itself tidy | New icons ask first. Weekly suggestions. Pop-outs when a tucked icon changes. | Triggers you set up, based on conditions like battery or Wi-Fi |
| Profiles | Yes, including by display setup | |
| Keyboard search | Yes, the Command Bar | |
| Who makes it | Petar Ceklic, Perth, Australia | Applause Group, which bought it in 2024 |
Prices in US dollars, before any local tax. A line means the app doesn't offer it.
Trust
A menu bar manager sits close to everything you do, so it's worth knowing what it can see and who runs it.
Tiidy uses Accessibility only. It has never asked for Screen Recording, because it doesn't need to see your screen to tidy it. Bartender 7 made Screen Recording optional, which is a good change, and it still works better with it on, by its makers' own account.
Bartender was sold to a new owner in 2024, and users only found out later, from a changed signing certificate. Its original developer has since explained and apologised. Tiidy is made by one named person in Perth, and every email reaches him.
Nothing leaves your MacTiidy has no analytics and no accounts. The privacy page lists the two things it goes online for.
Price
Tiidy is US$9, once, for up to three Macs, with every 1.x update free. Bartender 7 is US$24.99 once, for all your Macs, and Bartender Pro adds more tools for US$19.99 a year. If you use Tiidy on one or two Macs and don't need rules, it costs a third as much.
A minute, not a project
Bartender is a toolbox. That's its strength, and it's why people who like rules love it.
Tiidy starts from the other end. It shows you one card per app, each with a suggestion: Keep it in the bar, Tuck it behind the broom, or Bury it for Option-click. Press ← ↓ →, or accept the rest in one click. After that, new icons ask where they belong, and icons you stop using are suggested for tucking, at most once a week. Nothing moves without your yes.
Coming from Bartender?Setup reads your Bartender settings, if they're on your Mac, and fills in your first layout from them.
Where Tiidy is simpler, honestly
Tiidy has no triggers, no profiles and no keyboard search. It uses the same layout on every display. macOS 27 keeps Wi-Fi, Sound, Control Center and the clock visible for every app, and apps with two icons hide both. If any of those are deal breakers, Bartender is the better fit.
Try it for a week. It's free.7 days, no card, no account. macOS 27 and Apple silicon.
SourcesChecked 27 Sep 2026. Tell me if something has changed: hello@tiidy.app
- macbartender.com: Bartender 7 features, optional Screen Recording
- macbartender.com/purchase: plans, 14-day trial, all your Macs
- Meet Bartender 7: US$24.99 once, Pro US$19.99
- TidBITS, 5 June 2024: the quiet sale, and the apology
- 9to5Mac, 6 June 2024: the developer confirms the acquisition