MergeHelper vs. Neat
Neat is a minimalist GitHub notifications manager for macOS. MergeHelper focuses on pull requests and merge requests across both GitHub and GitLab with live CI and approval status. Here is how they compare.
Neat takes a clean, distraction-free approach to GitHub notifications. It lives in your menubar and gives you a simple, organized view of your GitHub activity without overwhelming you with options. If you value simplicity and a minimal interface, Neat is designed around that philosophy.
MergeHelper is purpose-built for developers who need to track pull requests and merge requests across both GitHub and GitLab. It keeps the PR/MR list ordered by relevance, includes PR event notifications, and surfaces live CI and approval status so you can act quickly without opening a full notifications inbox.
If you work exclusively on GitHub and want a minimal notification manager, Neat's design-first approach makes it feel natural and unobtrusive. If you split your work between GitHub and GitLab, MergeHelper reduces the need to check two separate systems by giving you one centralized list of everything that needs review.
The key difference: Neat is a GitHub-only notifications manager with emphasis on design and simplicity. MergeHelper is a cross-platform PR/MR tracker that keeps event notifications, live CI, approvals, and build logs close to the review list.
Quick comparison
| Feature | MergeHelper | Neat |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub support | ✓ | ✓ |
| GitLab support | ✓ | - |
| macOS menubar app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Minimalist design focus | ✓ | ✓ |
| PR/MR focused workflow | ✓ | - |
| All GitHub notifications | - | ✓ |
| Native macOS design | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing | Free (up to 3 PRs/MRs) $12 one-time for unlimited |
Varies by plan |
Screenshots
MergeHelper unifies GitHub and GitLab PRs/MRs with clear status indicators.
Neat provides a clean, minimal view of GitHub notifications.
Detailed feature breakdown
Design philosophy and user experience
Neat emphasizes visual simplicity and a distraction-free experience. The interface is carefully designed to feel native to macOS, with smooth animations, thoughtful spacing, and a focus on reducing cognitive load. If you appreciate apps that feel polished and stay out of your way, Neat delivers that refined experience.
MergeHelper shares the same design values but applies them to a more focused use case. The interface is minimal and native-feeling, but the content is optimized for reviewing pull requests and merge requests with CI, approvals, and build log access baked in. You get the same clean aesthetic with a workflow tailored to code review rather than a full notifications inbox.
Platform support and scope
Neat is built exclusively for GitHub on macOS. It mirrors your GitHub notifications and presents them in a way that feels natural on Mac. If your workflow is GitHub-only and you value a native Mac experience, Neat is designed for that environment.
MergeHelper is also Mac-first but it bridges GitHub and GitLab. The value is not just in the interface but in the ability to see all your review work in one place without switching between platforms. For teams that use both services, that unification is the primary benefit.
Notification scope and filtering
Neat shows all your GitHub notifications including issues, pull requests, mentions, and other activity. It provides a unified inbox that gives you a complete picture of what is happening across your repositories. The focus is on helping you stay aware without getting overwhelmed.
MergeHelper deliberately centers on pull requests and merge requests. It keeps PR/MR event notifications and live status in the list while leaving issues and broader activity to other tools. This makes the app less of a general notification hub and more of a review queue manager with the right context.
Update frequency and interaction model
Neat keeps your notification list synchronized with GitHub and provides a smooth, responsive interface for marking notifications as read or navigating to the source. It is designed to feel like a natural extension of GitHub's own notification system but with a better Mac experience.
MergeHelper uses smart polling to keep your PR and MR list up to date and provides direct links to review pages and build logs on GitHub and GitLab. The interaction model is optimized for quick triage: you see what needs attention, check CI or approvals, and click through to review.
Integration depth and actions
Neat integrates with GitHub's notification system to give you a streamlined view of activity. You can mark notifications as read, filter by type, and navigate to the relevant pages on GitHub. The app stays focused on being a notification manager rather than trying to replace the web interface.
MergeHelper integrates with both GitHub and GitLab APIs to pull PR and MR data. It surfaces key metadata like status, age, author, approvals, and CI, and provides direct navigation to review pages and build logs. The goal is to make the menubar app the primary place you check for review work, not just a notification relay.
Workflow examples
If you work on a GitHub-only team and want a distraction-free way to stay on top of notifications, Neat is designed for that. You check the menubar when you have a moment, triage what needs attention, and mark things as read without leaving your current context.
If your team uses both GitHub and GitLab, Neat stays focused on GitHub. You would still need to check GitLab separately, which brings back context switching. MergeHelper shows all PRs and MRs in one list.
If your primary workflow is code review rather than general notification triage, MergeHelper's focused approach means you see fewer items but everything in the list is actionable. Neat's broader scope is better for staying aware, but MergeHelper is better for staying focused on what needs to ship.
Setup and security
Neat connects to GitHub using a personal access token and respects GitHub's permission model. The setup is straightforward: generate a token with the appropriate scopes, paste it into the app, and you are ready to go. Data is handled locally on your Mac, which keeps your notifications private and fast.
MergeHelper requires tokens for both GitHub and GitLab if you use both platforms. Credentials are stored in the macOS Keychain, and all data processing happens locally on your device. The app does not collect usage analytics or send your data to external servers, so you maintain full control over your information.
Why choose MergeHelper
MergeHelper is a menubar app that unifies GitHub and GitLab pull requests and merge requests in one place. If you work across both platforms, the unified list saves time and reduces the mental overhead of checking two separate systems.
The app is optimized for developers who spend significant time reviewing code. The interface is clean and minimal, but the content is focused on what matters most: which PRs and MRs are open, which ones are aging, which ones are ready to merge, and whether CI and approvals are in place.
- ✓Unified GitHub and GitLab PR/MR tracking in one menubar app
- ✓Review-first workflow with CI and approval context at a glance
- ✓Native Mac experience with local data processing
Why choose Neat
Neat is a solid choice if you work exclusively on GitHub and want a notification manager that feels native, minimal, and distraction-free. The design is thoughtful and polished, and it stays out of your way while keeping you informed.
If you value beautiful interfaces and appreciate apps that prioritize simplicity, Neat is built around that philosophy. It provides a full view of your GitHub activity without overwhelming you, and it integrates seamlessly with the Mac experience.
- ✓Beautiful, minimal design focused on simplicity
- ✓Complete GitHub notifications coverage
- ✓Native macOS experience with smooth animations
Pricing comparison
MergeHelper
Free for up to 3 concurrent PRs/MRs.
$12 one-time purchase unlocks unlimited tracking with lifetime updates.
Neat
Pricing varies by plan.
Check the Neat website for current pricing and feature tiers.
Compare more apps
The bottom line
Neat is a good fit for developers who want a thoughtfully designed GitHub notification manager on Mac. MergeHelper is for developers who need a unified view of pull requests and merge requests across GitHub and GitLab.
If you only use GitHub and prefer a broad notification view, Neat's design and simplicity are a strong match. If you use both platforms or focus primarily on code review, MergeHelper's unified PR/MR list reduces context switching and keeps your workflow efficient. Teams that split work between GitHub and GitLab often see the biggest benefit because MergeHelper replaces two separate tools with one centralized view.