NotchBuddyNotchNook alternatives you can get right now
NotchNook's product page and Setapp listing are offline. Here's what to use instead, depending on what you used it for.
If you went looking for NotchNook this month, you probably hit an error page. As of 25 September 2026, lo.cafe's NotchNook page and its Setapp listing are offline, and Homebrew disabled its notchnook package on 19 September because the download was unreachable. lo.cafe's homepage says a rebuilt successor, NOOTCH, is on the way. Until then, here's what to use instead. We make one of these apps, NotchBuddy; facts about the others come from their own sites.
What NotchNook did
As last sold, NotchNook turned the notch into a hub with music controls, a file tray with AirDrop, a calendar, a camera mirror and widgets you could arrange, for $25 once (five Macs) or $3 a month. It also worked on Macs without a notch.
The alternatives at a glance
| App | Price | Closest to NotchNook for |
|---|---|---|
| Alcove | $14.99 once | Polished music, pop-ups and calendar |
| The Boring Notch | Free | Music and a file shelf, open source |
| Atoll | Free | Widgets and power-user extras on notched MacBooks |
| OmniNotch | $14.99 once | Lots of tools, a file shelf and AirDrop |
| MacNotch | $22.99 once or $3.99/mo | A dashboard with a free trial, also in Setapp |
| Notchy | Free | Many features, works on any display |
| NotchBuddy | $20 once | File shelf, music, calendar and mirror, plus sales alerts and a pet |
If you mostly used music and the file tray
The Boring Notch covers both for free, with AirDrop and replacement volume and brightness pop-ups. Alcove does music and pop-ups with more polish, but its file tray is only announced, for version 1.8.
If you want more tools than NotchNook had
OmniNotch, Notchy and NotchBuddy each add a clipboard history and timers. OmniNotch adds on-device AI, weather and stocks; Notchy adds dozens of extras for free; NotchBuddy adds a Pomodoro timer, spoken reminders, sales alerts and five pets.
If you had it on several Macs
NotchNook's one-time licence covered five Macs. Alcove, OmniNotch and MacNotch cover three. A NotchBuddy licence covers one Mac, so it's the more expensive choice for a household with several.
Switching
- Quit NotchNook
Quit it and remove it from System Settings → General → Login Items, so two apps don't compete for the notch.
- Install the replacement
Download it from its own website. Unsigned apps show a warning the first time you open them; signed ones, like NotchBuddy, don't.
- Set up what you used
Put music, the file shelf and the calendar where you can reach them first. In NotchBuddy they're all under More, and you can put two favourites in the dock.
Questions, answered.
Is NotchNook gone for good?
We can't say. As of 25 September 2026 its product page and Setapp listing return errors and Homebrew has disabled its package, and lo.cafe's homepage announces a successor called NOOTCH. Check lo.cafe for the latest.
What's the closest free alternative to NotchNook?
The Boring Notch: music, a file shelf with AirDrop, a calendar and a camera mirror, free and open source.
Do any alternatives have a file tray like NotchNook's?
Yes. The Boring Notch, Atoll, OmniNotch, MacNotch, Notchy and NotchBuddy all list a file shelf with AirDrop. Alcove's tray is announced for version 1.8.