Ice

Name: Ice
Brand: Ice

A free, open-source menu bar manager for Mac that hides, shows, and organizes your menu bar icons.

softwareOS & Utilitiesmenu-barmacosopen-source

What is Ice?

Ice is a macOS utility for taming an overcrowded menu bar. It creates a second, hideable row below the system menu bar where less-used icons can be tucked away, and lets you drag icons to rearrange their order or search for a specific one when the bar is packed. Built as an open-source alternative to paid menu bar managers, Ice is developed by Jordan Baird and distributed free of charge with its source on GitHub. It focuses purely on menu bar organization, offering appearance customization and adjustable icon spacing without adding unrelated system utilities.

SpecificationsAI-estimated

open source✅ Yes

api available❌ No

support optionsGitHub issues, community support

key integrationsNone

Key Features of Ice

A dedicated hidden section below the system menu bar stores less-used icons out of sight until needed.

Icons can be dragged and dropped to rearrange their order across the visible and hidden sections.

A built-in search lets you jump to a specific menu bar icon when many apps are running at once.

The spacing between menu bar icons can be adjusted to fit more or fewer items comfortably.

Menu bar appearance, including shape and styling of the hidden bar, can be customized.

The entire app is open source, so its behavior can be audited on GitHub rather than trusted blindly.

Use Cases for Ice

Cleaning up a crowded menu bar

Move rarely used status icons into the hidden section so only the essentials are visible at a glance.

Quickly finding a specific icon

Use search to locate one icon among many when several background apps are running.

Presenting or screen sharing

Temporarily hide extra menu bar icons to keep a clean-looking bar during a demo or screen share.

Reordering frequently used icons

Drag the icons you check often closer to the clock for faster access.

Pros & Cons of Ice

Pros

Completely free and open source, unlike several paid menu bar managers
Simple, focused feature set aimed only at menu bar organization
Actively maintained with a public GitHub repository
No account, subscription, or license key required

Cons

Mac-only, no equivalent for other operating systems
Fewer polish/automation features than some long-established paid alternatives
As a newer open-source project it has a smaller community than older commercial tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ice free to use?

Yes, Ice is completely free and open source, distributed under an open license on GitHub.

Who makes Ice?

Ice is developed by Jordan Baird as an open-source project.

Does Ice replace the macOS menu bar?

No, it adds a secondary hideable row beneath the system menu bar rather than replacing it.

Does Ice work on Intel Macs as well as Apple Silicon?

Ice targets modern macOS versions and is built to run on current Mac hardware; check the GitHub releases page for specific compatibility notes.

Pricing Overview

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Free

Detailed plans are not listed. Visit the official website for pricing information.

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Top Alternatives & Similar Software

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Bartender

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Bartender lets you take control of a cluttered macOS menu bar by hiding, grouping, and reordering menu bar icons, revealing hidden ones with a swipe, scroll, hover, or hotkey instead of them all competing for space. It adds custom styling, search across menu bar items, automation triggers that show or hide icons based on context, and the ability to build small widgets directly from menu bar apps. Now in its sixth major version, Bartender is sold as a one-time purchase, an annual Pro subscription that includes ongoing upgrades, or a lifetime 'Mega Supporter' tier, and remains one of the most recommended macOS utilities for anyone running more than a handful of menu bar apps.

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