NotchBuddyBest Mac notch apps in 2026, compared by job
Free or paid, polished or packed with tools: which notch app to pick for music, focus, files, developer work or sales alerts.
Mac notch apps, side by side.
Six notch apps on price, licences and tools. Every fact about another app comes from its own website or README, and we mark where NotchBuddy falls short too.
| Feature | NotchBuddy | Alcove | OmniNotch | MacNotch | Boring Notch | Atoll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20 once | $14.99 once | $14.99 once ($5 launch offer) | $22.99 once or $3.99/mo | Free (GPL-3.0) | Free (GPL-3.0) |
| Macs per licence | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Any | Any |
| Trial / refund | No trial · 14-day refund | 72-hour trial · 14-day refund | No trial · 7-day refund | 14-day trial · 14-day refund | Free | Free |
| Minimum macOS | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Macs without a notch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Notched MacBook listed |
| Sales alerts (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store Connect…) | 8 platforms | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Animated desk pet | 5 pets | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Music controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File shelf + AirDrop | Yes | Tray due in 1.8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clipboard history | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Pomodoro / timers | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Timer |
| Reminders | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Notes | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Apple Notes sync |
| Calendar | Read-only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| System stats | Yes | Battery | Yes | Yes | Battery | Yes |
| Weather | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | On roadmap | Yes |
| Volume & brightness pop-ups | No | Yes | Volume | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI chat | No | Not listed | On-device | Not listed | Not listed | Your Gemini key |