Free open-source macOS menu bar system monitor — CPU, temperature, battery, GPU, RAM, network.
No account · no telemetry · no subscription.
Formerly rNitro. Installs as MacBar.app.
Canonical site: https://chopstickshq.com/macbar/
Hub: https://chopstickshq.com/ · Releases: GitHub Releases
Search keywords: free macOS menu bar monitor · Apple Silicon CPU/temp · MacBook battery % · open-source iStat/Stats alternative · no telemetry · menubar system monitor
Recommended — Terminal (skips Gatekeeper; Apple Silicon):
printf "\n[######--------------] 1/3 Download\n" && curl --progress-bar -fL https://chopstickshq.com/macbar/MacBar-v1.5.8.zip -o /tmp/macbar.zip && printf "\n[############--------] 2/3 Unzip\n" && rm -rf /tmp/macbar-app && mkdir -p /tmp/macbar-app && unzip -qo /tmp/macbar.zip -d /tmp/macbar-app && printf "[####################] 3/3 Install\n" && mkdir -p ~/Applications && rm -rf ~/Applications/MacBar.app && ditto /tmp/macbar-app/MacBar.app ~/Applications/MacBar.app && xattr -cr ~/Applications/MacBar.app && printf "✓ Done → ~/Applications/MacBar.app\n"Or:
- Download the App ZIP from chopstickshq.com/macbar (accept Terms on the site) or Releases.
- Unzip → drag MacBar.app to Applications (or
~/Applications). - First launch: if macOS blocks it, right-click MacBar.app → Open → Open.
Builds are ad-hoc signed (not Apple-notarized yet). Prefer Terminal install or the App ZIP from the site.
Intel Macs: last Intel updates through v1.2.5-Beta. Apple Silicon continues to receive updates.
- Free alternative to paid menu bar monitors (not affiliated with iStat Menus or Stats)
- Local-first — sensors via macOS APIs (IOPS / IOKit / pmset)
- No account, no product telemetry
- Optional AI chat with your API keys in Keychain, plus cs.AI on supported builds
- Open source — this repo and the site installers
- Menu bar: CPU, temp, battery %, GPU, RAM, network
- Battery % aligned with the macOS menu bar
- Monitor UI: Modern · Legacy · New style
- Display modes: System / Light / Dark / OLED / IPS / LCD / Mini LED
- Lab tools, Advisor, App cleaner, and Chat on current macOS builds
- Lightweight sampling so MacBar stays out of top CPU processes
Requires: macOS 14.0+ (Sonoma) · universal binary when available
| Guide | Link |
|---|---|
| Product site | chopstickshq.com/macbar |
| Privacy | privacy.html |
| Terms | terms.html |
| FAQ | faq.html |
| Product | URL |
|---|---|
| HQ hub | https://chopstickshq.com/ |
| MacBar | https://chopstickshq.com/macbar/ |
| cs.AI | https://chopstickshq.com/chopsticks-ai/ |
| Fathom | https://chopstickshq.com/fathom/ |
- Issues: github.com/ilikemacos/MacBar/issues
- Site: chopstickshq.com/macbar
MIT — see LICENSE. UI fonts: Google Fonts under the SIL Open Font License where bundled.