xbar
What it is
xbar places output from scripts and programs in the macOS menu bar for quick viewing. Its library contains hundreds of pre-built plugins covering AWS, finance, email, music, network, system, and weather categories. Examples include network status, YubiKey OATH TOTP codes, an OKX price ticker, Bluetooth trackpad battery status, miner statistics, and an RSS reader. Users can create plugins in any language and discover or manage them from Preferences > Plugins. The plugin directory is ~/Library/Application Support/xbar/plugins. xbar is free and completely open source under the MIT License. The project says Mat Ryer and Leah Anthony rewrote it in Go using Wails. The latest release requires macOS Catalina or newer, version 10.15 or later. It supports grouped and custom menu items plus keyboard shortcuts, while hiding and rearranging menu items are not supported.
For and against
For
- Hundreds of pre-built plugins
- Custom plugins in any language
- Open source under MIT License
- Grouped and custom menu items
- Keyboard shortcut support
Against
- Requires macOS Catalina or newer
- Cannot hide menu items
- Cannot rearrange menu items
- Available only on macOS
The verdict
xbar is a free menu-bar framework for displaying script output and plugin information. Its broad plugin library and language flexibility are balanced by macOS-only support and limited menu organization.
Who it suits
xbar suits macOS users who want script-based information visible in the menu bar. It also fits users comfortable creating or managing plugins.
Plans and prices
Free
Open source · MIT License
Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- At-a-glance information
- The site describes xbar as a way to see information you care about at a glance.xbarapp.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Custom plugins
- Users can write their own plugins in any language.xbarapp.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Examples
- Featured plugins include network status, YubiKey OATH TOTP codes, an OKX price ticker, Bluetooth trackpad battery status, miner statistics, and an RSS reader.xbarapp.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Implementation
- The project says xbar was rewritten in Go by Mat Ryer and Leah Anthony using Wails.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The project describes xbar as completely open source and links to an MIT license.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Platform requirement
- The latest release requires macOS Catalina or newer (10.15 or later).github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Plugin library
- The site offers hundreds of pre-built plugins across categories including AWS, finance, email, music, network, system, and weather.xbarapp.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Plugin location
- The plugin directory is ~/Library/Application Support/xbar/plugins.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Plugin management
- The GitHub README says users can discover and manage plugins from Preferences > Plugins in the xbar app.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- xbar puts output from scripts or programs into the macOS menu bar.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Release detail
- The v2.1.7-beta release notes say the plugin timeout was increased from one minute to two minutes.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The site asks users who use xbar to consider supporting it through GitHub sponsorship.xbarapp.com · read 7 Oct 2026
