Mac notch app comparison
More than a notch app.For a fraction of the price.
Media island, drop shelf, clipboard, focus timers, AI coding activity, revenue dashboards and message replies, for a one-time $3.99. Pick another Mac notch app below and compare the details.
Free trial•macOS 14+•Nothing leaves your Mac
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Tap any app to highlight its column. Green means included, amber means limited support, and a gray dash means it isn't in the app's published feature set. View sources.
| Feature |  NotchPop$3.99 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files and sharing | ||||||||||||||
| File shelf / drag-drop tray | IncludedParks files right in the notch | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| AirDrop quick send | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included |
| Clipboard manager | IncludedOpt-in, stays on your Mac | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Clipboard search and pinned items | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Not included |
| Image conversion | IncludedPNG, JPEG, HEIC and PDF, on-device | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Media and audio | ||||||||||||||
| Now Playing controls | IncludedApple Music and Spotify | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Audio output switcher | IncludedSpeakers, AirPods, AirPlay and more | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Ambient soundscapes | IncludedRain, ocean, café, forest, white noise | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Limited support | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| System HUDs and glanceables | ||||||||||||||
| Volume and brightness HUD | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Weather widget | IncludedHourly and daily forecasts | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included |
| System stats | IncludedCPU, memory, disk, network, battery | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Productivity | ||||||||||||||
| Calendar and events | IncludedMonth view and day agenda | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Join meetings from the notch | IncludedZoom, Google Meet and Teams, one click | Included | Limited support | Limited support | Limited support | Limited support | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Not included | Limited support | Not included |
| Focus timer / Pomodoro | IncludedLive countdown while collapsed | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Reminders and tasks | IncludedNatural-language reminders | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Notes and scratchpad | Included | Included | Not included | Limited support | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Not included |
| Hydration reminders | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Emoji picker | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Unit and currency converter | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Developers and makers | ||||||||||||||
| AI coding activity | IncludedClaude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Limited support | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Revenue dashboard | IncludedStripe, Polar, Dodo Payments, AdSense | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Website analytics | IncludedGoogle Analytics 4 | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Screen time | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Notifications | ||||||||||||||
| Message alerts + reply | IncludediMessage and WhatsApp | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Platform | ||||||||||||||
| Works without a notch | IncludedFloating island on any display | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| External display support | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Limited support | Not included | Included |
| Runs on Intel Macs | IncludedUniversal: Apple Silicon and Intel | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Notarized download / Mac App Store | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Not included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not included |
| Value | ||||||||||||||
| Free or one-time purchase available | Included$3.99 once, 7-day free trial | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Open source | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included | Not included | Included |
Swipe the table sideways to see every app.
What they cost
NotchPop costs $3.99 once, with every update included and no subscription.
Best valueNotchPop$3.99One-time, lifetime updates
The Boring NotchFreeOpen source, GPL-3.0
Atoll (beta)FreeOpen source, GPL-3.0
Droppy$9.99One-time, 2 Macs
DynamicLake Pro$13.99+One-time, pay what you want
Alcove$14.99One-time
NotchBuddy$19.99One-time
NotchFlow$20Lifetime or $3/mo
NotchNook$25One-time or $3/moThe Boring Notch, Atoll, NotchDrop and MewNotch are free and open source. NotchPop is a signed, notarized, supported app with a one-time price and a 7-day free trial.
Head to head
Comparing NotchPop with one app? Open its side-by-side page.
Frequently asked
questions
No. The notch is where NotchPop lives, but it's a whole productivity island: a file shelf, clipboard history, media and audio controls, focus timers, calendar, weather, system stats, AI coding activity, revenue dashboards and message replies. On Macs without a notch it becomes a floating island with the same tools.
It depends what you want. The Boring Notch, Atoll and MewNotch are the best free options, Alcove focuses on media and live activities, and Droppy has the largest extension library. NotchPop gives you media, files, clipboard, focus, calendar, developer activity, revenue and replies in one app for a one-time $3.99, the lowest paid price here.
Yes. NotchPop covers NotchNook's core, media controls, a drag-and-drop file tray, AirDrop, calendar and timers, and adds clipboard history, weather, system stats, AI coding activity and message replies. It costs $3.99 once versus NotchNook's $25 once or $3 a month.
Yes. NotchPop is $3.99 once for one Mac, and $14.99 covers five. Droppy is $9.99 for two Macs and has a bigger extension library; NotchPop adds revenue dashboards, website analytics, ambient soundscapes and an audio output switcher, and gives you a longer 7-day free trial.
Yes. On iMacs, Mac minis, Mac Studios, external displays and older MacBooks, NotchPop shows a floating island with every tool. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later and runs on Apple Silicon and Intel.
Yes, The Boring Notch, Atoll, NotchDrop and MewNotch are free and open source. The trade-offs are unsigned builds for some of them and beta changes for Atoll. NotchPop isn't free, but it's a one-time $3.99 after a 7-day free trial, signed and notarized by Apple.
See it on your own Mac
Try every feature free for 7 days. Keep it for a one-time $3.99, no subscription, ever.
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple Silicon and Intel, notched and non-notch Macs.
Reviewed September 23, 2026 using developer feature lists, release notes, App Store listings, public source code and published comparisons. Amber means limited support. Gray dashes mean a capability isn't in the app's published feature set; closed-source apps have not been exhaustively tested.
Sources: Droppy, Alcove, NotchNook, The Boring Notch, Atoll (beta), DynamicLake Pro, NotchBuddy, NotchFlow, Canopy, Seam, NotchDrop, Perch, MewNotch.
Prices are listed US prices unless another currency is shown; taxes and regional prices can differ. This is NotchPop's own comparison. Send a correction. Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.