So Lee asked what made Synergy worth $5 when PTHiTunesNotifier was free and did essentially the same thing. So I decided to run down a quick comparison of the two.

  • PTHiTunesNotifier offers more button choices for the button controls in the menu bar (though I prefer Synergy's choices over PTHiTunesNotifier's)
  • PTHiTunesNotifier offers more control over the layout of the track display window
  • Synergy has a few more hot key options for controlling iTunes
  • Synergy offers greater control over the menu bar buttons
  • Synergy includes recently played tracks in its drop-down menu; it is able to remember up to the last 50 songs played (set in the number in the prefs)
  • Synergy includes the Playlist and iTunes submenus (if you don't want to use hot keys to control iTunes)
  • Synergy offers button spacing control (this can be important when you have tons of stuff in your menu bar, like I tend to)
So there you have it. If you're already using PTHiTunesNotifier and you're happy with it, or you're just a cheapskate, then you're not missing much with Synergy. To me, Synergy simply feels like the more well-polished app. I like its button choices and options better, and I consider it $5 well spent.