Best Touch Bar Replacements for Mac in 2026

The Touch Bar is gone, but most of what you used it for has a better replacement in 2026. Apple removed the Touch Bar from the MacBook Pro lineup in late 2023, with the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro being the last model to ship with one. If you've moved to an M-series machine since then, you've lost a strip of adaptive controls that was genuinely useful for a handful of daily tasks.

This guide covers the best replacements for each thing the Touch Bar did well. We make DeckPilot, the #1 pick on this list. We still recommend BetterTouchTool for deep macOS gesture customization and the macOS built-in controls where they actually fit better.

What you actually miss (and what you don't)

Before picking a replacement, it helps to be specific about which part of the Touch Bar you actually used.

What most people actually used:

• Volume and brightness sliders (drag in place, no menu)
• Media controls: play/pause, skip, timeline scrub
• App-specific shortcuts: a row of controls that changed per app in Logic, Photoshop, Final Cut
• Mic mute indicator and one-tap toggle
• Emoji picker

What almost nobody misses:

• Accidental taps mid-typing
• No physical Esc key on the 2016-2019 models
• The strip going dark between interactions
• Controls that moved every time you switched apps without warning

If you only used the Touch Bar for volume and brightness, skip to the Control Center section. The built-in function keys on every current MacBook Pro cover it. If you used it for app-specific shortcuts, media scrub, or the mic mute indicator, read on.

Touch bar replacement quick comparison

1. DeckPilot

Type: Mac app + iPhone or iPad client Price: Free, Pro at $39/year or $79 lifetime Touch Bar replacement: Virtual Touch Bar strip on your iPhone, plus a full button deck above it

DeckPilot is the most direct replacement for the Touch Bar in 2026. Your iPhone sits beside your keyboard and shows a virtual Touch Bar strip of controls at the bottom of the screen. Free modules on that strip: volume slider, brightness slider, spacer, and clock. Pro modules add media playback controls, a Now Playing display, mic mute toggle, and an active app label.

The key difference from the real Touch Bar: DeckPilot's strip doesn't disappear when you look away, it runs wirelessly from your phone, and it comes with a full grid of labeled shortcut buttons above it. The Touch Bar gave you a row of small icons that required precise taps on glass above your keyboard. DeckPilot gives you large, named buttons on a phone screen you can tap without looking at your MacBook at all. Both iPhone and iPad work as the deck surface, giving you a larger screen if preferred.

Per-deck Touch Bar means every app gets its own strip layout. Your Logic Pro deck has transport and track controls on the strip. Your Zoom deck has mic mute and camera toggle, covered in depth in the Zoom meetings deck guide. Your browser deck has tab navigation. Switch apps and the deck switches automatically with App-Aware decks, Pro tier.

The Notch pill is the closest thing to having Touch Bar controls on the Mac itself: a persistent overlay that lives in the MacBook's display notch with media playback and mic mute, visible without reaching for your phone. That's a Pro feature. See the setup guide for details.

For all M-series Macs, DeckPilot runs natively with no Rosetta layer. Our Apple Silicon compatibility guide covers the full picture if you want to verify compatibility before downloading.

Strengths:

• Free Touch Bar strip modules: volume, brightness, clock, spacer
• Pro Touch Bar modules: media/Now Playing, mic mute, active app
• Full button grid above the strip: open apps, trigger shortcuts, run macros
• App-Aware decks: strip and buttons swap automatically with the frontmost Mac app
• Notch pill: media and mic controls float in the Mac's menu bar notch (Pro)
• Connects over Wi-Fi or USB; iPhone setup guide if you're new to the pairing flow

Weaknesses:

• Requires an iPhone or iPad (iOS 17+)
• Touch screen, no physical key click
• Media playback modules and Notch pill require Pro

Download DeckPilot for Mac →

2. BetterTouchTool

Type: Mac utility (gestures, window management, floating menus) Price: ~$12-24 one-time Touch Bar replacement: Unmatched Touch Bar customizer if your Mac has one. Floating trigger menus for app-specific shortcuts on Touch Bar-free Macs.

BetterTouchTool is the correct answer if you are still on a Touch Bar MacBook Pro and want to make the strip actually useful. It remains the most powerful Touch Bar editor available: per-app layouts, conditional visibility, custom widgets, live data feeds. If you upgraded to an M-series machine, BetterTouchTool pivots to floating menus triggered by trackpad gestures or hotkeys that can surface app-specific shortcuts on demand.

The experience is different from a visual strip. BetterTouchTool on a Touch Bar-free Mac is more of a keyboard-and-gesture tool than a persistent visual surface. For the persistent strip feel, DeckPilot on an iPhone is a closer analog. BetterTouchTool is the better pick if you already use it for window snapping, trackpad customization, and key remapping, and want app shortcut panels built into that same tool.

Full breakdown at /compare/bettertouchtool.

3. Elgato Stream Deck Neo

Type: Hardware, 8 LCD keys + small info strip at top Price: ~$99 Touch Bar replacement: The small info bar shows time, date, and basic status, with two touch points beside it for flipping between pages. It is not a scrollable strip like the Touch Bar, but it gives you an at-a-glance display plus physical buttons. See the Stream Deck comparison for a full hardware lineup breakdown.

The Neo is Elgato's entry-level device. If you miss having a row of app-specific buttons plus a small info area without hunting through menus, the Neo covers that at the lowest hardware price point. Physical keys eliminate the accidental-tap problem the Touch Bar had entirely. Be honest: if you mainly want a small info display plus 6 to 8 shortcut buttons, the Neo does that job.

4. Elgato Stream Deck +

Type: Hardware with 4 dials + LCD touch strip + 8 LCD keys Price: ~$200 Touch Bar replacement: The LCD touch strip along the top of the dials is the closest hardware analog to the Touch Bar's drag-to-adjust gestures. Physical dials for volume and brightness replace sliders with something that feels more satisfying.

If the Touch Bar's volume slider was your most-used feature, the Stream Deck + dials are a hardware upgrade on that interaction. Turn a physical dial instead of dragging on glass above the keyboard. Combined with the touch strip and 8 LCD keys, this replicates the Touch Bar's most useful surface with more feedback. The $200 price is steep as a pure Touch Bar replacement, but if you also want a full shortcut deck for Logic, Premiere, or Ableton, it earns its cost. See the Stream Deck alternatives overview for more context.

5. macOS Control Center and function keys

Type: Built-in to macOS Price: Free

This is the right answer for anyone who used the Touch Bar almost exclusively for volume, brightness, play/pause, and mic mute. Every M-series MacBook Pro ships with dedicated physical function keys for all four. The media keys work system-wide. Control Center in the menu bar provides sliders. The mic mute indicator sits in the menu bar.

If your honest answer is "I mostly just dragged the volume slider," the function keys are faster. No app to install, nothing to configure. Do not buy hardware or software to replace a Touch Bar you used for volume three times a day.

6. Raycast and Alfred

Type: Keyboard launcher / command palette Price: Raycast free, paid tiers vary; Alfred free, Powerpack one-time upgrade Touch Bar replacement: App-specific quick actions triggered by keyboard, not by tapping a visual strip

Raycast and Alfred are keyboard-first alternatives to the Touch Bar's per-app controls idea. Instead of a strip of icons appearing when you switch apps, you press a hotkey, type a few letters, and trigger the action. For people who liked the Touch Bar because it surfaced app commands they'd forget otherwise, Raycast extensions do the same thing with a keyboard pattern. The interaction model is completely different.

This is a hedge: if you were already a heavy keyboard shortcut user who glanced at the Touch Bar as a reminder more than a primary input, Raycast may feel like a better fit. If you genuinely liked tapping a visual strip with your finger, Raycast will not replace that feeling.

7. Loupedeck Live

Type: Hardware with 6 dials + 8 LCD keys + touch panel Price: ~$179 Touch Bar replacement: Fully customizable LCD grid plus dials, per-app profiles

Loupedeck Live has per-app profiles that shift the button layout when you switch applications, similar to how the Touch Bar behaved. The dials handle audio levels physically. For professionals who use Photoshop, Lightroom, or video editing tools where Loupedeck ships deep profiles, the investment pays off. As a straight Touch Bar replacement for everyday Mac use, it is overkill at $179. More detail in the Loupedeck comparison.

How to pick the right one

The fastest decision tree based on what you actually used the Touch Bar for. More options in the stream deck alternatives overview if none of these fit cleanly. For Mac power users doing deep workflow automation, DeckPilot's macro and App-Aware features go well beyond what the Touch Bar ever offered.

• You used it for volume and brightness only: macOS function keys + Control Center. Free, nothing to install.
• You used it for media controls and mic mute: DeckPilot free tier. Touch Bar strip modules cover both out of the box.
• You used it for app-specific buttons that changed per app: DeckPilot free or Pro. App-Aware decks replicate this wirelessly.
• You still have a Touch Bar Mac and want it deeply customized: BetterTouchTool.
• You want the controls on the Mac itself, not a second device: DeckPilot Pro Notch pill (floats in the Mac notch).
• You want physical keys and a small persistent info display: Elgato Stream Deck Neo (~$99).
• You want physical dials for audio plus a touch strip: Elgato Stream Deck + (~$200).
• You want a full creative control surface for design and video: Loupedeck Live (~$179).

The bottom line

For most people who miss the Touch Bar, DeckPilot's free tier is the right replacement. The Touch Bar strip at the bottom of the iPhone deck handles the four things people actually used it for: volume, brightness, media playback, and mic mute. You get a visual strip that changes per app, runs wirelessly next to your keyboard, and costs nothing to start. The full button grid above the strip turns out to be more useful than the strip itself for most former Touch Bar users.

The trap to avoid: spending $150 to $200 on hardware to replace a Touch Bar you mostly used for volume. The M-series MacBook Pro's physical function keys already handle that. Spend money on hardware only when you need tactile keys for a specific workflow, like live audio mixing or video editing, where the extra buttons earn their cost daily.

Frequently asked questions

What did the Touch Bar actually do? The Touch Bar was a narrow OLED touchscreen above the keyboard on 2016-2021 MacBook Pro models. It displayed context-sensitive controls that changed with the active app: transport buttons in Logic Pro, adjustment sliders in Photoshop, quick-reply chips in Messages, a volume and brightness slider in most apps. It also showed an Escape key (replacing the physical key on some early models), an emoji picker, and a function row toggle.

When did Apple remove the Touch Bar? Apple removed the Touch Bar from the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro when the M1 Pro and M1 Max models launched in late 2021, replacing it with physical function keys. The 13-inch MacBook Pro kept the Touch Bar through the M2 model in 2022. The 13-inch was discontinued in mid-2023 when the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro replaced it, ending the Touch Bar line entirely. No current Mac ships with one.

Can I add a Touch Bar to a current M-series MacBook Pro? No hardware Touch Bar accessory exists for current MacBook Pros. The closest software alternative is DeckPilot's virtual Touch Bar strip on an iPhone, which provides a similar strip-format row of controls that changes per application. The Notch pill adds a persistent strip-like element to the Mac's notch area. Read more at /how-to/touch-bar.

Does BetterTouchTool add a Touch Bar to a Mac that doesn't have one? No. BetterTouchTool customizes the Touch Bar on Macs that have one. On a Touch Bar-free Mac, it offers floating menus, gesture customization, and key remapping, which can approximate some of what the Touch Bar did via keyboard triggers rather than a physical strip. See the full comparison at /compare/bettertouchtool.

Which DeckPilot Touch Bar modules are free? Volume slider, brightness slider, spacer, and clock are free on every tier. The media playback controls, Now Playing display, mic mute button, and active app label are Pro features. The Notch pill, which puts media and mic controls in the Mac's display notch, is also Pro. See /pricing for the full breakdown.

What is the DeckPilot Notch pill? The Notch pill is a small persistent overlay that DeckPilot places inside the MacBook Pro's display notch. It shows a Now Playing widget and a mic mute toggle accessible without touching your phone. It is the closest available replacement for having Touch Bar controls on the Mac itself rather than on a secondary device.

Will I miss the Touch Bar in Logic Pro? Probably not for long. Logic Pro's Touch Bar showed transport controls, volume faders, key commands, and smart controls. DeckPilot's Logic Pro template pack covers all of those on a larger, labeled surface. App-Aware decks activate the Logic deck automatically when Logic is the frontmost app, then switch to a different deck when you tab away, replicating the automatic switching behavior the Touch Bar had. Full guide: /blog/best-stream-deck-for-logic-pro-2026.

Is there a cheap way to test a Touch Bar replacement before committing? Yes. Download DeckPilot free, open an iPhone deck, and use the built-in volume and brightness Touch Bar modules for a week. If you find you're reaching for the phone strip the same way you reached for the Touch Bar, you have your answer. The whole setup is free, and you can try the Pro trial for the media and mic mute modules before paying anything.