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The menu bar is one of the best parts of the Mac interface: persistent, out of the way, and always one click from any function you put there. These free apps make good use of that space without turning your menu bar into an icon parade.
Hidden Bar
This one is about managing the menu bar itself. Hidden Bar adds a divider you can drag icons across: anything to the left is always visible, anything to the right is hidden until you click the divider. If you have a lot of menu bar icons and a notched MacBook, this recovers a surprising amount of screen space. Free on the Mac App Store.
Rectangle
Window management via keyboard shortcuts. Snap a window to the left half, right half, or any corner of the screen. Resize to two-thirds, one-third, maximize. Works with keyboard shortcuts you can customize, or by dragging windows to screen edges. Once you learn the shortcuts, arranging multiple windows takes a second. Free, open source.
Stats
Shows CPU usage, RAM pressure, network speed, and disk activity as compact graphs or numbers in the menu bar. Click any item to see a detailed breakdown. Useful for spotting when something is using excessive CPU without having to open Activity Monitor. Free, open source, and notably lightweight itself.
Lungo
Keeps your Mac awake when you need it to stay on — during a presentation, a long download, or when you are following a recipe and do not want the screen to sleep. Click the icon to toggle it; it costs nothing and requires no configuration. There is a paid upgrade that adds a timer, but the free version covers most use cases.
Clocker
Adds multiple time zones to your menu bar, shown as a compact list when you click the clock. If you work with people in different time zones or frequently need to schedule calls across regions, Clocker saves the mental overhead of converting times manually. Free on the Mac App Store.
Hand Mirror
A menu bar app that opens your front camera as a small, floating mirror. Sounds unnecessary until you are about to join a video call and want to check how you look without opening Photo Booth or starting a call. One click, instant view. Free (with a paid version that adds more features).
Amphetamine
The more powerful cousin of Lungo. Keeps the Mac awake based on conditions you define: while a specific app is running, during specific hours, or until a file finishes downloading. Free on the Mac App Store, and more flexible than any built-in option.
A note on menu bar clutter
The temptation with menu bar apps is to install everything that sounds useful, which quickly creates a bar too full to read. A reasonable limit: if you have not clicked an icon in a week, remove it. Hidden Bar makes this sustainable by letting you hide icons you want available but not visible all the time.