I’ve been using my MacBook Air for remote work across different time zones, and battery management has become more critical than ever. Apple’s built-in battery indicator shows the percentage, but I often need more detailed information. How many charge cycles has my battery been through? What’s the current temperature? How much power is my Mac actually consuming right now?
Bettery addresses these questions with a compact menu bar presence that packs in considerably more detail than macOS provides by default. Developer Anton Kovalev created this minimal battery indicator specifically for users who want comprehensive battery information without launching Activity Monitor or System Information.
The core display shows your battery percentage directly within the menu bar icon, which is more useful than Apple’s default battery icon that requires hovering or clicking to see the exact number. Click the icon and you get immediate access to remaining time estimates for both discharge and charge, current power consumption measured in watts, battery temperature, cycle count, and an overall health assessment.
What sets Bettery apart is its historical charge visualization feature. You can see how your battery has behaved over time, which helps identify patterns in usage and degradation. For someone managing battery health on a portable Mac that travels frequently, this historical view provides insights that the built-in tools simply don’t offer.
I’ve been working with Bettery on my Mac for the past few weeks, and the app uses minimal resources. At roughly 15MB of memory and negligible CPU impact, it stays out of the way while providing constant visibility into battery status. The interface supports both light and dark modes, adapting automatically to match your system preferences.
The app also displays Low Power Mode status, which becomes relevant on newer macOS versions where Apple has brought this feature from iOS to the Mac. Being able to see at a glance whether Low Power Mode is active helps me make informed decisions about performance versus battery life.
Bettery is available on the Mac App Store for $9.99, which positions it as a premium utility. For context, that’s similar to other specialized system monitoring tools. The app requires macOS 15.2 or later, meaning it only runs on recent operating system versions. This requirement likely enables the developer to take advantage of newer APIs for battery monitoring, but it does limit compatibility to Macs running Sequoia or later.
The developer maintains a privacy-focused approach. According to the App Store listing, Bettery collects no user data, which aligns with the general expectation for system utilities that monitor local hardware. The app weighs in at just 4.4 MB, making it one of the lighter monitoring tools available.
One limitation worth noting is the macOS version requirement. If you’re running Sonoma or earlier, you’ll need to look elsewhere. AlDente and coconutBattery are solid alternatives that work with older macOS versions, though they take different approaches to battery management and monitoring.
For users who want quick access to detailed battery information without opening system utilities, Bettery provides a clean solution. It’s the kind of tool that becomes part of your daily workflow when you need to stay aware of battery health and power consumption. The $9.99 price tag might seem steep for a battery monitor, but for users who depend on portable Macs and want comprehensive battery insights at a glance, it delivers focused functionality without unnecessary complexity.
