ChocolateBar

Add a row under your menu bar for hidden icons

Menu Bar AppsAppleProductivity

▲ 72 votes1 commentsLaunched Jun 9, 2026

Daily #7Weekly #36

Let your notch eat no more! ChocolateBar is a native Mac app that adds a row under your menu bar for icons hidden by the MacBook notch. As you add menubar applications like claude usage notifiers, trackers, productivity apps, the notch starts to eat up menu bar items... and at some point macOS just gives up and shoves icons behind the notch where you can't even click them. Others tries to addresses this by hiding icons. I decided to create an additional bar to show you your menubar items!

AI Analysis

📝 Summary

ChocolateBar is a native Mac app that adds a second row under the menu bar to display icons hidden by the MacBook notch. It solves the pain point where accumulating menu bar apps (e.g. Claude usage notifiers, trackers, productivity tools) causes macOS to push icons behind the notch, rendering them inaccessible. Unlike competitors that hide icons, ChocolateBar keeps all items visible and clickable in an extra bar. The value proposition is a simple, effective solution for power users to maintain full access to their menu bar applications without compromise.

📈 Market Timing

In 2025-2026, with the ongoing boom in AI and productivity tools that integrate as menu bar apps, the notch obstruction issue is intensifying for many Mac users. Menu bar customization demand is strong amid maturing Apple Silicon ecosystem and focus on workflow efficiency. No major negative policy or economic factors. This represents a good time to address a persistent hardware-software friction point. Excellent Timing.

✅ Feasibility

Technical implementation as a native Mac menu bar app is moderately difficult but well-documented via AppKit/Swift. Development and operation costs are low with no supply chain needs. Minimal compliance risks for a utility app. Strong scalability for digital distribution and iterative updates. Fits well for indie developers familiar with Apple ecosystem. Overall rating: High.

🎯 Target Market

Main target segments: Tech professionals, developers and productivity enthusiasts using MacBook Pros with notch, focused on Apple ecosystem. Primarily located in North America, Europe and other developed markets. Estimated market size: Niche within global Mac user base (TAM: millions of Mac power users; SAM/SOM: tens to hundreds of thousands of potential paying users for menu bar tools). Core pain: inaccessible menu bar icons. High willingness to pay for convenient, native utilities.

⚔️ Competition

Competition level: Medium. Direct competitors: Bartender (macbartender.com), Ice (github.com/jordanbaird/Ice), Hidden Bar, Dozer, Vanilla. ChocolateBar's advantage is showing all icons in an extra visible bar rather than hiding/collapsing them, aligning with the 'let your notch eat no more' philosophy. Disadvantages: Less established brand than Bartender, potentially higher screen real estate usage, and fewer advanced features compared to full menu bar managers.

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