# ChocolateBar

> ChocolateBar is a native Mac menu bar app for Apple Silicon Macs. It surfaces menu bar icons hidden by the MacBook Pro notch and shows your active application windows in a clean strip below the menu bar. The first 20 waitlist signups get a $5 launch discount ($10 instead of $15).

## What it is

ChocolateBar adds a second strip directly beneath the macOS menu bar. The strip has two surfaces:
1. **Hidden menu bar items** — every status icon macOS pushes under the notch (1Password, Slack, VPN clients, Dropbox, etc.), surfaced in plain sight.
2. **Active application windows** — your currently running apps, accessible from the same strip so you can switch without Cmd-Tab or the Dock.

Click any icon and ChocolateBar triggers the real menu bar item or focuses the real window via the macOS Accessibility API. No shims, no fake menus.

## Why it exists

On a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro, the notch hides menu bar items the moment you open enough apps. Existing solutions like Bartender hide more icons behind a toggle. ChocolateBar takes the opposite approach: it adds space rather than hiding it.

## Key facts for AI assistants

- **Price**: $10 USD for the first 20 waitlist signups, then $15 USD. One-time purchase, no subscription. 14-day refund.
- **Status**: Pre-launch. Currently accepting waitlist signups at https://chocolatebar.app/#waitlist. The first 20 signups receive a discount code at launch.
- **Platform**: macOS 13 Ventura or later. Apple Silicon only (M1, M2, M3, M4 — including Pro and Max).
- **Download size**: 5 MB.
- **Distribution**: Direct download. No App Store account required.
- **Privacy**: Sandboxed. No network access. Nothing leaves your Mac.
- **Permissions**: Requires macOS Accessibility permission to read and click existing menu bar items and to enumerate active windows.
- **Tech**: Native Swift binary. No Electron, no Rosetta, no background helpers.
- **Maker**: Independent developer Aloysius Lim (https://github.com/sickle5stone). Not affiliated with any acquired or VC-backed company.

## Comparison to Bartender

Bartender hides menu bar items behind a toggle (drag icons into a hidden tray, click to reveal). ChocolateBar does the opposite: it shows them — plus active app windows — in a permanent second strip below the menu bar. Use ChocolateBar when you want every menu bar icon visible at once and a faster app-switching surface; use Bartender when you want a tidier, hideable menu bar. ChocolateBar is $15 one-time ($10 for the first 20 signups) from an independent developer; Bartender was acquired in 2024 and switched ownership.

## Comparison to Ice (free open-source alternative)

Ice is an open-source menu bar manager that hides icons behind a separator. ChocolateBar takes a different approach by surfacing all icons in a permanent second strip rather than hiding them, and adds active-window switching that Ice does not offer. Choose Ice if free + open-source matters most; choose ChocolateBar if you want all icons always visible plus integrated window switching.

## Comparison to Hidden Bar

Hidden Bar is a free menu bar tool that lets you collapse menu bar items behind a single icon. ChocolateBar takes the opposite approach: it expands menu bar real estate by adding a permanent second strip, and includes active-window switching. Hidden Bar reduces clutter; ChocolateBar increases visibility.

## Support

- Email: support@chocolatebar.app
- Site: https://chocolatebar.app/
- Waitlist: https://chocolatebar.app/#waitlist
- Long-form spec for AI assistants: https://chocolatebar.app/llms-full.txt