FavTray vs. separate Mac apps
Side-by-side feature, pricing, and privacy comparison across 8 tool categories, including notch apps. See exactly what FavTray replaces and what you save.
Annual Cost Comparison
What it costs to run 7 separate apps vs. one FavTray license.
| Tool Category | Separate Apps | FavTray |
|---|---|---|
| Eye rest timer | $0-7/year | Free |
| AI cost tracking | $240-1,800/year | Included |
| Window manager | $0-10 one-time | Included |
| System monitor | $0-12 one-time | Included |
| Keep alive | $0 (separate app) | Included |
| Cloud billing | $0-600/year | Included |
| Port manager | $0 (terminal) | Free |
| Menu bar icons | 6-9 | 1 |
| Privacy policies | 6-9 | 1 (local only) |
| Total annual cost | $50-2,400+ | Free, or $4.99 once |
Notch apps — full comparison →
FavTray
FavShelf: now playing, weather and Claude/Codex usage free; a day calendar with Join, clipboard history, file shelf + AirDrop, camera check, Claude Code approvals and notch moments (Claude/Codex limits, water and stand-up asks) with Pro
Notchy
Broad free island: media + lyrics, shelf, clipboard, Pomodoro, HUDs, command palette, AI usage; macOS 13+
NotchNook
Polished media and file-tray island; went offline in September 2026 during a dispute at lo.cafe and relaunched at getnotchnook.com in October
Boring Notch
Media, calendar and Reminders, AirDrop shelf, camera mirror, HUDs; open source
Sapphire
Open-source island with shelf, Snap Zones, EQ, Nearby Share; Blip AI on paid tiers
Alcove
Polished HUDs, live activities, notifications and lock-screen widgets; macOS 15+; relies on private APIs (its FAQ)
Eye Rest Timer
FavTray
20-20-20 rule, 6 presets, Pomodoro mode, meeting detection (Zoom/Teams/Meet), typing-aware pause, office hours, stats & streaks, 36+ body break exercises
Time Out
Break reminders, micro/macro breaks, customizable intervals
Stretchly
Break reminders, exercises, cross-platform
Break Timer
Simple break reminders
AI Usage Tracker
FavTray
Real-time Claude & OpenAI costs, session and weekly limits, time-to-limit forecast, today/7-day/30-day spend, per-model token breakdowns
CodexBar
Free, open-source menu bar app for AI coding limits across 85+ providers; Linux app and CLI
Helicone
API proxy for cost tracking, analytics dashboard, caching
LangSmith
LLM observability, tracing, evaluation
OpenAI Dashboard
Usage page in browser, billing history
Window Manager
FavTray
15 snap layouts, keyboard shortcuts, drag-to-edge, multi-monitor, instant restore
Rectangle
Window snapping, keyboard shortcuts, many layouts
Magnet
Window snapping, drag-to-edge, keyboard shortcuts
Moom
Window management, custom layouts, grid snapping
System Monitor
FavTray
CPU, RAM, disk, network, battery in menu bar, top processes, Apple Silicon aware, hardware info
iStat Menus
Comprehensive system monitoring, customizable menu bar, notifications
Stats
System monitoring, open source, menu bar widgets
Activity Monitor
Built-in macOS system monitor
Keep Alive
FavTray
5 movement patterns, 6 simulation actions, stealth mode, auto-pause, office hours, battery-aware, session timeouts
Amphetamine
Prevent sleep, triggers, session management
KeepingYouAwake
Simple sleep prevention toggle
caffeinate
Terminal command to prevent sleep
Cloud Costs
FavTray
AWS + GCP combined, top 5 services, daily trends, auto-refresh, uses existing CLI credentials
AWS Cost Explorer
AWS billing dashboard, cost breakdowns, forecasting
GCP Billing
GCP billing dashboard, budgets, alerts
Infracost
Infrastructure cost estimation, CI/CD integration
Port Manager
FavTray
TCP port scanning, auto-categorization (7 types), search/filter, one-click kill, configurable refresh
Terminal (lsof + kill)
Command-line port scanning and process termination
Gas Mask
Hosts file manager (not port-specific)
When to choose FavTray
FavTray makes sense if you already run 3+ separate menu bar utilities and want to reduce clutter, consolidate subscriptions, and keep all your data local. The free tier opens every tool with no expiration: eye rest, AI tracking and system monitoring have no limit, and port kill, keep-alive, window thirds, screenshots, AI writing, meetings, reminders, GitHub and cloud costs run with daily limits or a small cap. Pro removes every limit and adds Space and the full notch island for a one-time $4.99.
If you only need one tool — like a dedicated window manager with 50+ layouts — a specialized app may serve you better. FavTray covers the 80% of features that developers use daily across 7 categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FavTray better than Rectangle for window management?
Rectangle is a dedicated window manager with more advanced layout options and a strong open-source community. FavTray's window manager covers the 10 most common snap layouts that developers use daily. The difference is that FavTray bundles window management with other tools in a single menu bar icon, while Rectangle adds a separate icon and only handles window snapping.
Should I use FavTray or iStat Menus for system monitoring?
iStat Menus offers deeper system monitoring with more customization options and sensor-level detail. FavTray's System Info covers the essentials — CPU, RAM, disk, network, battery, and top processes — which is sufficient for most developers. FavTray's advantage is consolidation: free system monitoring plus the rest of FavTray in one icon, for less than iStat Menus alone costs.
How does FavTray compare to Helicone for AI cost tracking?
Helicone is a cloud-based observability platform that proxies your API calls for detailed analytics. FavTray reads local log files directly from your Mac without proxying any API traffic. Helicone offers more granular analytics and team features, but costs $20-150+ per month and routes your AI requests through their servers. FavTray's AI Usage Tracker needs no FavTray server and is free on every plan, with Pro at a one-time $4.99 for the rest of FavTray.
Can FavTray replace Amphetamine for keeping my Mac awake?
Yes. FavTray's Keep Alive feature goes beyond Amphetamine by offering 5 mouse movement patterns, stealth mode that returns the cursor to its original position, auto-pause on real user activity, office hours scheduling, and battery-aware mode. Amphetamine prevents sleep through system assertions; FavTray simulates actual input events, which also keeps chat applications and VPN connections active.
Why not just use free individual apps instead of FavTray?
You can. If you only need one or two tools, dedicated free apps may be the better choice. FavTray's value proposition is consolidation: replacing 6-9 separate applications with one icon, one price, and one privacy policy. For developers who already run a timer, a window manager, a system monitor, and a keep-alive tool, FavTray reduces menu bar clutter and annual costs from $50-100+ to nothing on Free, or $4.99 once for Pro.
Does FavTray work offline?
Yes. All FavTray features work fully offline except Cloud Costs, which requires network access to fetch AWS and GCP billing data. Eye rest timer, AI usage tracking (from local logs), window management, port scanning, system monitoring, and keep-alive all work without an internet connection.