Is NotchNook discontinued? What actually happened in 2026

Last checked: 1 November 2026. We make NotchBuddy, another notch app, so this sticks to what the sources say and links every one.

If you searched NotchNook discontinued, you probably saw one of three things: the old lo.cafe page not loading, Homebrew refusing to install it, or a Setapp notice. All three were real. None of them means the app ended.

Timeline: July to November 2026

Here is what happened, in order. Dates are from the sources at the end.

July 2026

A statement posted on lo.cafe by one of the company's founders said, in its own words, "No, lo.cafe did not end, neither did NotchNook." It described a disagreement between the partners over who controls the company's accounts and products. It also announced a new app called NOOTCH, with a discount for NotchNook lifetime licence holders.

16 September 2026

MacMagazine, a Brazilian Apple news site, reported on the dispute. According to that report, Stripe payments for NotchNook were suspended, Setapp removed NotchNook with removal scheduled for 22 September, the lo.cafe site was offline, and lo.cafe advised users not to buy, renew or rely on the app until things were resolved. This is the moment most "NotchNook is dead" posts come from.

19 September 2026

The Homebrew cask for NotchNook was disabled, so brew install --cask notchnook stopped working. As of 1 November 2026, the cask page on formulae.brew.sh returns not found.

Late September 2026

NotchNook went back on sale through a new checkout. lo.cafe's history page lists NotchNook returns in September 2026, and purchases through the current checkout started on 24 September.

22 October 2026

MacMagazine followed up to report that NotchNook was back. We are citing the date from a mirror archive, not a stable article URL.

1 November 2026

The getnotchnook.com changelog lists version 1.6.17, a fix for licence activation. Version 1.6.16 shipped the day before. The app is being updated.

What NotchNook looks like now

Based on getnotchnook.com on 1 November 2026:

• Publisher: lo.cafe Ltda.
• Editions: Pro, for Apple silicon Macs, and Classic, which also supports Intel Macs.
• Trial: a 48-hour free trial.
• Licence: each licence covers up to two Macs.
• Refunds: a 7-day refund window on new purchases. The site says purchases made under an earlier refund promise keep that promise.
• Requirements: macOS 14.6 or later for the current version.
• Price: the site showed more than one price on the day we checked (different figures in the buy button and in the page's product data). Check getnotchnook.com for the current price before you buy.

The original lo.cafe/notchnook page still returns a 404. That is why some old links and reviews say it is gone.

What about NOOTCH?

NOOTCH is the separate app announced in the July statement on lo.cafe, aimed at people who already owned NotchNook. On 1 November 2026 the NOOTCH page linked from that statement returned a 404, and we could not find a public release. Right now NotchNook at getnotchnook.com is the one you can buy and download. If NOOTCH ships, we will update this post.

We have not taken a side in the dispute. This post records what each party published.

I bought NotchNook before September. Does my licence still work?

The honest answer is that it may not activate automatically.

• getnotchnook.com has a Recover your license page with separate options for Pro and Classic.
• Support is listed as support@getnotchnook.com.
• One competitor's write-up from 9 October 2026 said keys bought before 24 September don't activate automatically, and that lifetime licences can be reviewed manually. We could not confirm that from NotchNook's own pages, so treat it as a report, not a rule.
• The 1 November release (1.6.17) specifically mentions a licence activation fix. If activation failed for you in October, update first.

If you bought through Setapp, NotchNook was removed from Setapp in September. Your Setapp subscription still covers other apps, but you would need to buy NotchNook directly to keep using it.

If you think you are owed a refund, the MacMagazine report covers who was handling payments at the time. Contacting NotchNook support with your original receipt is the place to start.

Should you switch?

Not necessarily. If NotchNook does what you want and your licence works, there is no reason to move. It is back, it is updated, and the new editions cover both Apple silicon and Intel.

Reasons people do switch:

• They lost access during the outage and don't want to pay again.
• They want something free and open source. Boring Notch (GPL-3.0, on GitHub) is the usual pick. See NotchBuddy vs Boring Notch.
• They're on macOS 14.0 to 14.5, below the current NotchNook minimum of 14.6.
• They want a different set of features.

A longer list of other apps is in NotchNook alternatives. For a direct comparison, see NotchBuddy vs NotchNook.

Where NotchBuddy fits

We make NotchBuddy, so weigh this accordingly.

NotchBuddy is a different kind of notch app. Its main feature is a desk pet that lives in your notch. You pick one of five: Pebble the cat, Pip the rabbit, Orbit the visitor, Moss the sprout or Ember the flame. It wanders, naps and stays quiet while you focus. If you sell software, you can connect Stripe, RevenueCat, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Paddle, Dodo Payments, Gumroad or App Store Connect. New sales, renewals and trials then come in with a cha-ching, and your pet reacts. See the pets.

• A Pomodoro focus timer.
• Clipboard history.
• A file shelf with AirDrop.
• Notes and music controls.

It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. On Macs without a notch, or on an external display, the pet lives in a small pill. It's $10 once from our site, or a free download with a 3-day trial on the Mac App Store. See pricing.

If your main reason for a notch app was file shelving and media controls, NotchNook or Boring Notch may suit you better.

Sources

All checked on 1 November 2026.

• lo.cafe founder statement, July 2026: lo.cafe
• MacMagazine, 16 September 2026, via a mirror: dispute, Stripe suspension, Setapp removal
• MacMagazine, 22 October 2026, date archive mirror only: jorgelar.com.br/2026/10/22
• getnotchnook.com, what's new, NotchNook is back and recover license
• lo.cafe history: locafe.app/history
• Homebrew cask, now not found: formulae.brew.sh/cask/notchnook