ChocolateBar vs Vanilla: simple hiding, or a row you can see

Vanilla keeps it simple

Vanilla's own site presents it as a free, simple way to hide menu bar icons. The help page says you click its < and > arrows. Vanilla Pro is $10 USD one-time, plus tax, and the store page says it adds keyboard shortcuts, a completely removed section, auto-hide after five seconds, and launch at login. One license code can be activated up to ten times. The site does not state a minimum macOS version or a Screen Recording requirement. If what you want is a quieter menu bar with almost no setup, Vanilla is a clean, light choice and there is nothing wrong with stopping there.

ChocolateBar is the bigger toolbox

ChocolateBar can do that plain hide too, but it is built for the moment when hiding is not enough. The icons the notch ate can sit in a second row, full size, where you can actually use them. The row opens with ⇧⌘B or a click on the ChocolateBar icon. Running apps can ride along in that row, one chip per app, and that section is off by default (Settings > General > Show running apps, or ⌃⌘S).

There is also a lot more to shape. Horizontal or vertical. Mini or verbose. Positions and offsets, themes and translucency, filters for what appears, and profiles you can flip between. Some people want exactly that much control. Others just want Vanilla's arrows, and that is a perfectly good reason to pick Vanilla.

So it comes down to appetite. Vanilla is the minimal, set-and-forget option. ChocolateBar is the one to reach for when you want your hidden icons and your apps in view and laid out your way. It is a native app, paid once, free for the first 48 hours, and it only goes online to check for updates.

ChocolateBar for Mac runs on Intel and Apple Silicon, from macOS 12 Monterey through 15 Sequoia, including Ventura. If the bar has too many icons rather than a couple you want hidden, start with the too many icons guide. $15 once, or $12 for the next 20 buyers with code LAUNCH30. Apple's own menu bar icons are off by default.