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.
7-day free trial From $3.99 once No subscription
Apple Silicon · macOS 14+ Your clipboard and files stay on 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 listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| AirDrop quick send | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Clipboard manager | IncludedOpt-in, stays on your Mac | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features |
| Clipboard search and pinned items | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features |
| Image conversion | IncludedPNG, JPEG, HEIC and PDF, on-device | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Media and audio | ||||||||||||||
| Now Playing controls | IncludedApple Music and Spotify | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included |
| Audio output switcher | IncludedSpeakers, AirPods, AirPlay and more | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Ambient soundscapes | IncludedRain, ocean, café, forest, white noise | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Limited support | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| System HUDs and glanceables | ||||||||||||||
| Volume and brightness HUD | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included |
| Weather widget | IncludedHourly and daily forecasts | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features |
| System stats | IncludedCPU, memory, disk, network, battery | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Productivity | ||||||||||||||
| Calendar and events | IncludedMonth view and day agenda | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features |
| Join meetings from the notch | IncludedZoom, Google Meet and Teams, one click | Included | Limited support | Limited support | Limited support | Limited support | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features |
| Focus timer / Pomodoro | IncludedLive countdown while collapsed | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features |
| Reminders and tasks | IncludedNatural-language reminders | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Notes and scratchpad | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features |
| Hydration reminders | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Emoji picker | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Unit and currency converter | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Developers and makers | ||||||||||||||
| AI coding activity | IncludedClaude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Limited support | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Revenue dashboard | IncludedStripe, Polar, Dodo Payments, AdSense | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Website analytics | IncludedGoogle Analytics 4 | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Screen time | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Notifications | ||||||||||||||
| Message alerts + reply | IncludediMessage and WhatsApp | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features |
| Platform | ||||||||||||||
| Works without a notch | IncludedFloating island on any display | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| External display support | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Limited support | Not listed in published features | Included |
| Runs on Intel Macs | Not listed in published featuresNotchPop is Apple Silicon only | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included |
| Notarized download / Mac App Store | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Included | Included | Not listed in published features |
| 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 listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Included | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Not listed in published features | Included | Not listed in published features | 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$5.99One-time launch offer; $19.99 regular
NotchFlow$20Lifetime or $3/mo
NotchNook$25One-time, 5 devices; $3/mo for 2The Boring Notch, Atoll, NotchDrop and MewNotch are free and open source. NotchPop is a supported app with a one-time price and a 7-day free trial. Its current download is self-signed and requires manual first-launch approval.
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 free options, Alcove focuses on media and live activities, and Droppy offers a Droplet ecosystem, cloud sharing and iPhone sync. NotchPop combines media, files, clipboard, focus, calendar, developer activity, revenue and replies for a one-time $3.99. Our table covers selected capabilities, rather than every feature in every app.
NotchPop is an option if you want media controls, a file tray, AirDrop, calendar and timers alongside clipboard history, weather, system stats, AI coding activity and message replies. NotchPop costs $3.99 for one Mac, $6.99 for two or $14.99 for five. NotchNook lists $25 once for five devices, or $3 a month for two; check its current checkout before deciding.
NotchPop is $3.99 once for one Mac or $6.99 for two; Droppy is $9.99 for two Macs. NotchPop includes revenue dashboards, website analytics, ambient soundscapes and an audio output switcher. Droppy offers a Droplet ecosystem, cloud file sharing and iPhone sync. NotchPop's trial is 7 days; Droppy's is 3 days.
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 on an Apple Silicon Mac.
Yes, The Boring Notch, Atoll, NotchDrop and MewNotch are free and open source. NotchPop is $3.99 once after a 7-day free trial. Its current download is self-signed and requires manual approval on first launch in macOS.
Selected details checked individually: Droppy (October 4, 2026) — $9.99 once for two Macs, with a 3-day trial. Alcove (October 4, 2026) — The current purchase price is $14.99. NotchBuddy (October 4, 2026) — $5.99 limited launch offer for the first 100 customers; $19.99 regular price. Seam (October 8, 2026) — Its published player includes an audio output picker; $29 once for two Macs, with a 48-hour trial.
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.