Skip to content
cask.news
← Browse all apps

MacTools vs xbar

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

MacTools

7.0
Utilities

Menu bar toolbox

xbar

8.5
Developer Tools

View output from scripts in the menu bar

Metric MacTools xbar
Category Utilities Developer Tools
AI Score 7.0 8.5
30-day Installs 327 381
90-day Installs 431 1.2K
365-day Installs 431 3.5K
Version 1.0.28 2.1.7-beta
Auto-updates Yes No
Deprecated No No
GitHub Stars 149 18.0K
GitHub Forks 8 649
Open Issues 15 186
License Apache-2.0 MIT
Language Swift Go
Last GitHub Commit 1mo ago 1y ago
First Seen Jun 1, 2026 Aug 9, 2023

Reviews

MacTools

MacTools is a free, open-source collection of native macOS menu bar utilities designed to enhance productivity. It offers features like clipboard management, quick search, and system monitoring, making it ideal for users seeking streamlined workflow tools.

Provides a suite of menu bar utilities for quick access to productivity tools.

Pros

  • + Free and open-source with Apache-2.0 license
  • + Native macOS integration for smooth performance
  • + Variety of productivity-enhancing utilities

Cons

  • - Limited community discussion and traction
  • - Not yet feature-complete

xbar

xbar is a powerful macOS menu bar tool that allows developers to display script outputs directly in the menu bar, offering customization and automation capabilities.

Displays output from scripts or programs in the macOS menu bar.

Pros

  • + Customizable menu bar with script outputs
  • + Strong community support and active development
  • + Open-source with MIT license

Cons

  • - Beta version with some lingering bugs
  • - No auto-update feature