AppleCrumble vs uBar: Which Mac Taskbar App Fits You?
Full disclosure up front: this comparison is published by AppleCrumble. uBar is a good app with a long history, and pretending otherwise would say more about us than about it. Where uBar is the better choice we say so plainly, because the goal of this page is that you end up with the right tool, not just our tool.
The short version
- Choose uBar if you are on an Intel Mac, you want a proven taskbar with a decade-plus track record, or you prefer a straightforward single one-time purchase for just a taskbar.
- Choose AppleCrumble if you want live window previews you can click, a real Start menu, window snapping and Quick Settings in the same app, and you are on Apple Silicon running macOS 14 or later.
What each app is
uBar (Brawer Software) is the veteran of the category. It can run as a taskbar or as a full Dock replacement, shows one button per app with window lists and grouping, supports multiple displays, and is deeply configurable in appearance and behavior. It has supported both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs across many macOS versions.
AppleCrumble is a newer, Apple Silicon-native suite. Crumble Bar is the Windows-style taskbar: one button per app, live ScreenCaptureKit thumbnails of every window on hover, click-to-raise, right-click jump lists, a Start menu with a searchable app list and power controls, a Quick Settings flyout and a calendar on the clock. Crumble Snap adds Rectangle-style window snapping, and Crumble Ask (optional) puts a Claude chat panel on a hotkey.
Feature by feature
| Capability | AppleCrumble | uBar |
|---|---|---|
| Taskbar with per-app buttons | Yes | Yes |
| Window lists per app | Yes, live thumbnail grid on hover | Yes, grouped window lists |
| Click a preview to raise that window | Yes | Window list entries raise windows |
| Start menu with app search | Yes, plus power controls | No |
| Built-in window snapping | Yes (Crumble Snap: zones, grids, layouts) | No |
| Quick Settings flyout (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Dark Mode) | Yes | No |
| Dock-replacement mode | No, it complements or hides the Dock | Yes |
| Multi-monitor bars | Yes | Yes |
| Reserves screen space | Yes | Yes |
| AI chat panel | Optional add-on (Claude) | No |
| Intel Mac support | No, Apple Silicon only | Yes |
| Minimum macOS | 14 (Sonoma) | Supports older versions; see vendor site |
Where the table says "see vendor site", that is deliberate: uBar's exact current requirements and behavior are theirs to state, and we would rather under-claim than misrepresent a competitor.
Pricing
| AppleCrumble | uBar | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 7 days, no credit card | Yes |
| Subscription | A$4.99/mo (A$7.99/mo with Ask) | Not offered |
| One-time | A$49.99 (A$85.65 with Ask & updates) | Around US$30 for an individual license |
Straight talk: for a taskbar alone, uBar's one-time price is lower. AppleCrumble's price covers the taskbar plus the snapping suite and the rest; whether that is worth it depends entirely on whether you would otherwise run two or three utilities side by side.
Verdict
uBar earned its reputation, and on an Intel Mac it is the answer, full stop. On Apple Silicon the question becomes what you want the bottom of your screen to do: if the answer is "show my windows, reliably, the way it has for years", uBar will not disappoint; if the answer is "previews I can click, a Start menu, snapping and the system toggles, in one native app", that is the workflow AppleCrumble was built around. Both have free trials; trying both against your actual week of work beats any table on the internet, including ours.
Also weighing ActiveDock? See AppleCrumble vs ActiveDock, or zoom out to the full roundup of taskbar apps for Mac.
Try AppleCrumble against your real work
7-day free trial, no credit card. Native Apple Silicon, about 6 MB.
Download the free trial See pricing