FavTray Review: Mac Menu Bar Developer Tools in One App
FavTray: Mac Menu Bar Developer Tools in One App
FavTray is a macOS menu bar application that puts essential developer tools behind a single icon. It replaces separate apps for eye rest reminders, AI cost tracking, window management, port scanning, system monitoring, keep-alive, and cloud billing — all running locally on your Mac with zero cloud dependency.
What Does FavTray Do?
FavTray consolidates the tools that macOS developers install individually into one native application. Instead of running Time Out for break reminders, Rectangle for window snapping, iStat Menus for system monitoring, Amphetamine for keep-alive, and a browser tab for cloud billing, FavTray handles all seven use cases from a single menu bar icon. Every feature runs locally — no accounts, no telemetry, no data leaves your Mac.
The Core Tools in FavTray
1. Eye Rest Timer (Free)
The Eye Rest Timer automates the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes of screen time, it reminds you to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This evidence-based technique reduces digital eye strain, which affects an estimated 65% of developers who spend 8+ hours at screens daily.
Key features:
- 6 timer presets (including Pomodoro mode)
- Smart pause detection during meetings (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet), video playback, screen recording, and active typing
- Office hours scheduling — breaks only trigger during work hours
- Statistics and streak tracking with 280+ motivational messages
- Pro: 36+ body break exercises across 8 categories (neck, shoulders, wrists, back, legs, hydration, posture, walking) with 3 intensity levels
The Eye Rest Timer is completely free with no feature restrictions. FavTray’s philosophy is that health tools should never be gated behind a paywall.
2. AI Usage Tracker (Free)
The AI Usage Tracker reads local log files from Claude (including Claude Code sessions at ~/.claude/) and OpenAI APIs to display real-time cost data in your menu bar. The average developer using Claude Code spends approximately $6 per day — that adds up to $120-250+ per month without visibility into where tokens go.
Key features:
- Today’s, 7-day and 30-day spend for Claude Code and Codex, broken down by model
- Session and weekly limits with reset times and a forecast of when you’ll hit them
- A notification when a limit runs out and when it’s back
- Full history on every plan, including Free
All tracking happens on your Mac. No FavTray server stores your data; the app talks directly to each provider.
3. Port Kill (Free, 10 kills a day)
Port Kill scans all listening TCP ports on your Mac and lets you terminate any process in one click. No more running lsof -i :3000 and kill -9 in the terminal when port 3000 is already in use.
Key features:
- Real-time TCP port scanning
- Automatic process categorization (web server, database, dev tool, system service, container, proxy, messaging)
- Search and filter by port number or process name
- One-click process termination
- Configurable refresh interval
Scanning and search are free with no limit. Free includes 10 kills a day, and Pro removes the limit.
4. Window Manager (Free; thirds 20 a day)
The Window Manager snaps application windows into predefined layouts using keyboard shortcuts or drag-to-edge gestures. It provides 15 snap layouts including halves, thirds, quarters, and fullscreen.
Key features:
- Free: all 15 snap layouts, custom keyboard shortcuts, drag-to-edge snapping; thirds and two-thirds 20 times a day
- Pro: unlimited thirds and two-thirds
5. System Info (Free Core / Pro)
System Info displays live CPU, RAM, disk, battery, and network statistics in your menu bar. It shows hardware details including chip model, core count, GPU, and serial number.
Key features:
- Real-time gauges for CPU load, RAM usage, disk capacity, and network throughput
- Universal app; tested on Apple Silicon
- Pro: Battery health alerts with configurable thresholds, top 5 processes by resource usage, copy-to-clipboard
6. Keep Alive (Free 3 hours a day / Pro)
Keep Alive simulates subtle mouse movements to prevent your Mac from sleeping, your Slack status from going idle, and your VPN from disconnecting. It offers 5 movement patterns (Random, Square, Triangle, Circle, Jitter) that look natural.
Key features:
- Stealth mode that returns the cursor to its exact original position
- Auto-pause on actual user activity
- Office hours scheduling
- Battery-aware mode
- Session timeouts (30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr)
7. Cloud Costs (Free for 1 account / Pro)
Cloud Costs combines AWS Cost Explorer and GCP Cloud Billing into a single menu bar dashboard. It shows your daily cloud spending, top 5 services by cost, and month-over-month trends.
Key features:
- AWS + GCP combined daily cost view
- Per-cloud breakdown and top services
- Auto-refresh every 15 minutes
- Quick links to AWS and GCP consoles
- Uses existing CLI credentials — no additional authentication
FavTray Pricing Breakdown
| Plan | Price | Duration | Macs | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Forever | Unlimited | Every tool opens. No limit on Eye Rest, AI Usage, System Info, Menu Bar Manager; daily limits such as 10 port kills, 20 snaps to thirds, 3 h of Keep Alive, 1 cloud account |
| Lifetime | See pricing | One-time | 1 | Every tool with no Free limits (the full notch island included) + every future feature, forever |
A 7-day unlimited free trial is available with no credit card or email required.
At its one-time price, FavTray costs less than a single month of subscription for most of the tools it replaces.
FavTray vs. Individual Apps: Cost Comparison
| Category | Separate App | Annual Cost | FavTray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Rest Timer | Time Out / Stretchly | $0-10 | Included (Free) |
| AI Cost Tracking | Helicone / LangSmith | $20-50/mo | Included |
| Window Manager | Rectangle Pro / Magnet | $10-15 | Included |
| Port Scanner | Terminal (lsof + kill) | Free but manual | Included (Free) |
| System Monitor | iStat Menus / Stats | $0-12 | Included |
| Keep Alive | Amphetamine / caffeinate | Free but separate | Included |
| Cloud Billing | AWS + GCP consoles | Free but separate tabs | Included |
| Total | 6-9 separate icons | $50-100+/year | $40/year |
Privacy and Security
FavTray stores its data on your Mac in UserDefaults and local files. No FavTray server stores your data: the app talks directly to the services you already use, plus a license check and an update check. There are no user accounts and no cloud sync. Credentials used for cloud cost monitoring are held in memory only.
System Requirements
- Operating System: macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
- Processor: Apple Silicon or Intel (universal app; tested on Apple Silicon)
- RAM: 4 GB minimum
- Permissions: File access for
~/.claude/logs (AI tracking), network access for cloud cost APIs
Who Is FavTray For?
Solo developers who spend 8+ hours at screens and want automated eye break reminders, visibility into AI API costs, and fewer menu bar icons.
Remote workers who need keep-alive functionality to prevent idle status on Slack, Teams, and VPN connections during breaks.
DevOps engineers who want a unified view of AWS and GCP cloud costs without switching between multiple browser tabs and consoles.
Small teams (2-4 developers) who buy a Lifetime license per Mac and want consistent tooling across workstations with one one-time payment per Mac.
Getting Started
FavTray requires no account creation, no email signup, and no credit card. Download the app, open it, and every tool works immediately. The 7-day trial activates automatically with no limits. After the trial, everything you set up keeps working, the free daily limits apply, and Pro-only features lock until you purchase a license.
Visit favtray.com to download FavTray for macOS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is FavTray?
FavTray is a macOS menu bar application that consolidates its developer tools into a single icon: Eye Rest Timer, AI Usage Tracker, Port Kill, Window Manager, System Info, Menu Bar Manager, Keep Alive, Cloud Costs, GitHub Notifications, Reminders, Meetings, AI Writer, Screenshot, Agent Sessions, Hydrate, Move, and FavShelf — an island for the notch (included with the Lifetime license). No FavTray server stores your data, and there's no account or cloud sync. Every tool opens on the free plan; some have daily limits, which the one-time Lifetime license removes.
How much does FavTray cost?
FavTray is free, with no account. Eye Rest, AI Usage, System Info and Menu Bar Manager have no limit; other tools are free up to a daily limit, such as 10 port kills, 20 snaps to thirds and 3 hours of Keep Alive. The Lifetime license is a one-time payment (1 Mac) that removes every limit and unlocks the Pro-only tools, including the full notch island. A 7-day unlimited trial requires no credit card.
Does FavTray track my data or require an account?
No FavTray server stores your data. The app talks directly to the services you already use, plus a license check and an update check. Eye rest statistics, AI usage costs, window layouts and settings are stored on your Mac, and API keys sit in the macOS Keychain. No account or email is required to use the app.
Can FavTray track both Claude and OpenAI API costs?
Yes. FavTray's AI Usage Tracker works out Claude Code and Codex cost from the logs they write on your Mac (~/.claude/ and ~/.codex/), and shows Claude API and OpenAI API spend when you add an Admin key. It shows today's, 7-day and 30-day spend, per-model breakdowns, and your session and weekly limits with a forecast of when you'll hit them. The costs are computed on your Mac, so no FavTray server sees your usage.
What macOS version does FavTray require?
FavTray requires macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later. It is built natively with Swift and SwiftUI as a universal app (Apple Silicon and Intel), tested on Apple Silicon with macOS 26. It lives in the menu bar and also shows a Dock icon by default, which you can turn off in Settings › General › Show in Dock.
How does FavTray compare to using separate apps like Rectangle, iStat Menus, and Time Out?
FavTray replaces up to 7 separate applications with a single menu bar icon. Instead of paying $50-100+ across Rectangle Pro ($10), iStat Menus ($12), Time Out ($10), Amphetamine (free but separate), and multiple other utilities, FavTray bundles all functionality for one small one-time payment. It also reduces menu bar clutter from 5-8 icons down to one.