NotchMindI make NotchMind, one of the apps in this list, so take my opinion with that in mind. To keep this fair, every price, trial and feature below comes from the maker’s own website, store page or code repository, checked on 4 October 2026. Where I couldn’t find something there, I say so instead of guessing. If you spot a mistake, email me and I’ll fix it.
The short version
| If you want | Look at |
|---|---|
| Free and open source | Boring Notch or Atoll |
| The lowest price for two Macs, with a trial | Droppy |
| A free version to start with | OneNotch |
| A pure Dynamic Island look | Alcove |
| An Intel Mac | DynamicLake Pro or Boring Notch |
| Clipboard actions, Secret Guard and developer tools | NotchMind |
The full side-by-side table, kept up to date, is on the comparison page.
What every notch app does, and what sets them apart
Almost every notch app shows what’s playing, lets you skip and pause, and shows volume and brightness changes. Most have a file shelf where you can park files. Those are table stakes now.
The differences are in four places:
- Price and licensing. One-time or subscription, how many Macs, and whether you can try it first.
- What lives in the notch beyond music. Clipboard history, call controls, coding agent status, notifications.
- Which Macs it supports. Some need a notch and Apple silicon; some run on Intel or show a floating island on any display.
- Trust. Notarized by Apple or not, open source or not, what it sends over the network.
The apps
Droppy
US$9.99 one time for 2 Macs, with lower prices in many countries, a 3-day free trial and a 14-day refund. It needs macOS 14 or later and works with or without a notch. Droppy is built around a file tray, with clipboard history, a floating player with lyrics, meeting controls and a big library of free extensions, including AI agent tracking. It also has an iPhone companion app.
Good to know: it’s the cheapest paid option for two Macs here, and the only one whose site lists an iPhone app. A lot of its features come as optional extensions.
NotchNook
US$25 one time, or US$3 a month, with a 48-hour trial, as of our last successful check on 30 September 2026. NotchNook is one of the first notch apps and known for its file tray and widgets.
Good to know: its website, lo.cafe, could not be reached when I checked on 4 October 2026, and it’s no longer listed on Setapp. Check with the maker before buying.
Alcove
US$14.99 one time for up to 3 Macs, with a 72-hour trial and a 14-day refund. Alcove is a polished Dynamic Island with live activities, custom HUDs and lock screen widgets.
Good to know: it’s the one to pick if looks come first. Its site doesn’t list clipboard history, a file shelf or call controls.
OneNotch
Free, with a Pro upgrade at US$9.99 one time for 2 Macs (US$6.99 as a launch offer) and a 14-day refund on Pro. It needs macOS 15 and Apple silicon. OneNotch centres on clipboard history, with boards, iCloud sync, screenshot markup, translation, window layouts and AI agent status.
Good to know: the free version is generous, which makes it easy to try. It works on displays without a notch as a “pill”.
NotchBay
US$19 one time for 1 Mac (US$9 until 9 October 2026). NotchBay has live activities, a clipboard tray that recognizes text in screenshots, Zoom and Meet controls, and on-device dictation that types into any app.
Good to know: it’s notarized by Apple, so the first launch needs no extra approval. Its site doesn’t list a trial or refund policy.
Notchy
US$4.99 a month, US$34.99 a year, or US$79 one time, for every Mac you own. Notchy has synced lyrics, an iOS-style lock screen, a file shelf and clipboard history.
Good to know: the only one here priced mainly as a subscription. The lifetime licence covers all your Macs.
DynamicLake Pro
One time, at a price you name above a minimum, shown in your own currency on Gumroad, with a 14-day money-back guarantee and up to 3 Macs. It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Intel and Apple silicon, with or without a notch. It’s an iPhone-style Dynamic Island with chat notifications, file actions, an app switcher and a minimal mode.
Good to know: one of the few paid options that supports Intel Macs.
Boring Notch
Free and open source (GPL-3.0), for macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon or Intel. It has music controls, a file shelf with AirDrop, calendar, HUD replacements and a camera mirror.
Good to know: the best-known free option, with a large community on GitHub.
Atoll
Free and open source (GPL-3.0), for macOS 14 or later on a MacBook with a notch. It has media controls, CPU, GPU and network stats, timers, clipboard history, a color picker and lock screen widgets.
Good to know: the free pick if you want system stats and clipboard history.
MediaMate
From €6.99 one time for 5 Macs, with a try-out mode and a 14-day money-back guarantee, for macOS 13 or later on any Mac. It focuses on better volume, brightness and Now Playing overlays.
Good to know: when I checked, its store page said it was not currently for sale.
NotchMind
My app. From US$9.99 one time for 1 Mac, US$15.99 for 2 Macs or US$29.99 for 5, with a 14-day refund and no trial. It needs macOS 15 and Apple silicon. Beyond music, files and HUDs, it has clipboard history with actions for what you copy, Secret Guard for copied passwords and API keys, call controls, Claude Code and Codex status, developer tools and a Help Center for every feature.
Good to know: it isn’t notarized by Apple yet, so the first launch needs one approval with Open Anyway, and it has no free trial. I’d rather say that here than have you find out later.
How to choose
- Try before you buy. Droppy, Alcove, NotchNook and MediaMate have trials; OneNotch has a free version; NotchMind has a 14-day refund.
- Count your Macs. Licences cover anything from 1 Mac to every Mac you own.
- Check your Mac. Intel Macs and displays without a notch narrow the list.
- Think about what you copy. If you copy colors, JSON, links or API keys all day, clipboard actions and a secret warning matter more than a nicer volume bar.
Whatever you pick, you can try a few: most have refunds, and two are free.