14 Free Mac Menu Bar Apps That Work Exactly Like iPhone Widgets

Joel Loynds/BGR

The Mac menu bar has been around since the first edition of Mac OS, and has become a staple of the company’s computing fare. While its role hasn’t really changed throughout the years, providing quick and easy access to a variety of system settings, it isn’t always getting the most love from Cupertino. Apple’s Menu Bar is fairly malleable, able to host various apps within it that function like iPhone’s best widgets. Checking battery levels across devices or having a clean note-taking app can really be quite helpful in a pinch. There’s more to it than just replicating the iPhone widget ecosystem, though.

Outside of the recommended apps below, if you want to check out some Apple Menu Bar apps that are extremely helpful, check out Amphetamine and Magnet. Amphetamine will keep your Mac awake, with schedules or indefinite settings. Magnet brings powerful snapping and window management tools for a low fee. We also recommend RunCat as one of the Mac menu bar extensions that you should install.