Pelmet vs Vanilla
Vanilla is a simple, closed-source menu bar hider with a free tier; keyboard shortcuts, auto-hide, launch at login and its removed section are part of the paid Pro upgrade. Pelmet ships all of its features free under the MIT licence, and adds detection of the icons the MacBook notch hides.
Pelmet
Free · MITOpen source, no permissions required, detects notch overflow. macOS 13+.
Vanilla
FreemiumProprietary, closed source. Official site.
Side by side
Pelmet vs Vanilla, feature by feature
| Capability | Pelmet | Vanilla | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free (MIT) | Freemium (paid Pro) | |
| Open source | ✓ | — | |
| Hide and show menu bar icons | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ⌘-drag to arrange | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Keyboard shortcut | Free | Pro | |
| Auto-hide after a delay | Free | Pro | |
| Launch at login | Free | Pro | |
| Show on hover | ✓ | — | |
| Reports icons hidden by the MacBook notch | ✓ | — | |
| Panel listing hidden items | Shelf | — | |
| Needs no permissions | ✓ | ✓ |
Which one
Who each app is actually for
Choose Pelmet if…
- You do not want the basics — a shortcut, auto-hide, launch at login — behind a paywall.
- You want to read the code that is manipulating your menu bar.
- You have a notched MacBook.
Choose Vanilla if…
- You already own Vanilla Pro and it does what you need.
- You want the simplest possible setup and are happy with a closed-source app.
Verdict
Vanilla's free tier is genuinely usable, but the parts that make a menu bar hider pleasant to live with — a hotkey, auto-hide, launch at login — are the paid ones. Pelmet ships those free, under MIT, and adds notch overflow detection on top.
Switching
Moving from Vanilla to Pelmet
- 01
Quit Vanilla
Run one menu bar manager at a time so they do not compete for the same status items.
- 02
Install Pelmet
brew install --cask ismatBabirli/pelmet/pelmet, then look next to the clock.
- 03
Command-drag your keepers to the right of the divider
Vanilla's arrangement translates directly: anything you kept visible goes right of Pelmet's ╱.
FAQ
Questions
- Is Vanilla free?
- Vanilla has a free tier that hides menu bar icons. Keyboard shortcuts, the removed section, auto-hide after a delay, and start at login are part of the paid Pro upgrade.
- Does Pelmet have a paid tier?
- No. Every feature is free under the MIT licence. Contributions through Polar are optional and unlock nothing.
Other comparisons
Try Pelmet — it uninstalls as fast as it installs
Free, MIT licensed, and no permissions to grant. If it is not better than Vanilla for you, brew uninstall --cask pelmet and nothing is left behind.
$brew install --cask ismatBabirli/pelmet/pelmet