Crest vs Alcove: which notch app do you actually want?
By the makers of Crest · updated 6 October 2026 · full disclosure
| Crest | Alcove | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 once, or $2.99 a month | $14.99 one-time |
| What it puts in the notch | Music on the closed notch, then pages of widgets you stretch: lyrics, the next meeting with Join, notes, to-dos, weather, batteries, CPU and memory, clipboard history, pull requests, the Authenticator (your two-factor codes, typed in for you), and your coding agents’ questions | Notifications, Live Activities, customizable HUDs, Lock Screen widgets, swipe gestures |
| Free tier | Never expires, plus a 7-day Pro trial | A 72 hour trial, then it is a purchase |
| Devices per licence | Two Macs | Up to three at once, and you can deactivate one from settings |
| Future updates | Through Crest 7 if you buy once; every update while you subscribe | Included, its FAQ says so plainly |
| Refunds | 7 days, with a reason | 14 days, no reason required |
| Data collected | No tracking. Licensing stores your email and a machine identifier, and update checks send an anonymous install count you can turn off. That is the list | None, its FAQ says so and points at its privacy policy |
| Developer tools | GitHub pull requests and CI, live Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI sessions | |
| Agent approvals | Allow or Deny a Claude Code prompt from the notch | |
| Macs with no notch | It shows a floating pill instead | Not stated on its site |
Why Crest is better
- A free tier that never expires. Now Playing with lyrics, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping. Alcove gives you 72 hours.
- It covers the working day. The next meeting with one-tap join, todos, CPU, battery and your clipboard history.
- It answers your coding agents. Allow or Deny a Claude Code prompt right on the notch.
- It works without a notch. External display or older Mac: a small pill in the same place.
Full comparison and details
Alcove is the Dynamic Island, faithfully: fluid transitions, notifications sliding out of the notch, Live Activities, swipe gestures, Lock Screen widgets. Crest is a panel that answers the things you keep opening windows for. Both can be bought once and both live in the same strip of screen, so people compare them, but they are solving different problems.
Last updated: 6 October 2026
Crest 6, 30 September 2026: Crest was redesigned from the ground up: one shape that grows out of the notch, music on the closed notch, pages of widgets you stretch, and one card for every coding agent’s question. This page is updated for it. What’s new in Crest 6.
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Crest. Alcove's prices and limits below are taken from Alcove's own pages, checked again on 6 October 2026.
The short version
Pick Crest if you want the notch to hold what you keep opening windows for: what is playing, the meeting you are two minutes from missing, your todos, CPU and battery, your clipboard history, and Claude Code waiting on a yes or no.
Pick Alcove if you want the iPhone's Dynamic Island on your Mac. It is $14.99 once, future updates are included, and it runs on three devices at a time.
Side by side
The comparison table is at the top of this page.
Where Crest is better
- There is a free version, and it does not expire. Now Playing with lyrics and the queue, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping stay free. Alcove gives you 72 hours to decide.
- It covers the working day, not the animation. The meeting you are about to be late for with a one-tap join and a camera check, your todos and notes, CPU, memory, disk, network and battery, and your clipboard history. That is several windows you stop opening.
- It answers your coding agents. When Claude Code asks permission, the prompt pins to the notch until you allow or deny it, on whichever display you are looking at, even over a fullscreen app. Nothing else in this category does that.
- Pages of widgets you arrange, and swipe between. Home, Work and Code. A meeting coming up flips it to Work, your editor in front flips it to Code, and a manual pick always wins.
- It still works on a Mac without a notch. External display or an older Mac, you get a tidy floating pill in the same place.
Where Alcove fits
- It is the Dynamic Island. Fluid transitions, notifications that come out of the notch, Live Activities, swipe gestures and Lock Screen widgets. Crest does not mirror notifications or do gestures.
- It is cheaper. $14.99 against $24.99, though Crest's price includes Take and Minutes.
- Three devices. Up to three at a time, with a licence tab to deactivate one yourself. Crest covers two Macs.
- It is upfront about private APIs. Its FAQ says Alcove relies on private Apple APIs that Apple could change or remove, and that the app is sold as is.
The pricing math
Alcove is $14.99 once, with all future updates included, up to three devices at a time, a 72 hour trial and a full refund within 14 days. Crest Pro, with Take and Minutes, is $24.99 once, two Macs, updates through Crest 7, or $2.99 a month with every update, a 7 day refund, and a free tier that keeps working if you never pay.
Ten dollars apart, and Crest's price includes Take and Minutes, so price is not the decision here. The decision is whether you want the notch to look like an iPhone or to work like a dashboard. Both can be bought once, and Crest never requires a subscription.
FAQ
How much does Alcove cost?
$14.99, once. So yes, it costs money: there is no free tier, only a 72 hour trial. The price includes all future updates and up to three devices at once, and its FAQ offers a full refund within 14 days with no reason required. It needs macOS 15 or later. From tryalcove.com and its FAQ page (updated June 2026), checked 6 October 2026.
What happens after Alcove's 72 hour trial?
Its FAQ calls it a limited 72h trial and says nothing more about the end of it, so plan on paying $14.99 if you want to keep it. With the 14 day refund on top, trying it costs you very little. Crest's free tier has no clock on it at all, and Pro adds a 7-day trial on top.
Is Alcove worth it?
If you want the Dynamic Island on your Mac, yes. It does that one thing well, $14.99 once is fair, updates are included and one licence covers three Macs. Two things to know first: it needs macOS 15 or later, and its own FAQ says it relies on private Apple APIs that Apple could change. If you want the notch to do work instead, like answering your coding agents or holding your clipboard, Alcove is the wrong tool and Crest's free tier already does both.
Can I run Crest and Alcove at the same time?
Not comfortably. Both hang something from the notch and both react to your cursor arriving there, so they will fight over the same space. Try one at a time.
Does Crest do Dynamic Island notifications?
No. Crest shows its own live activities in the notch, like a recording in progress or an agent waiting on you, but it does not mirror every system notification and it has no swipe gestures. That is Alcove's job.
Does Crest have a free version?
Yes. Now Playing with lyrics, the Shelf, the Clipboard, window snapping and answering your coding agents are free, and the free tier never expires. Pro, with Take and Minutes, is $24.99 once, or $2.99 a month.
Put the notch to work
Music, the next meeting, todos, system stats, your clipboard and Claude Code approvals, one glance up. The free tier is a real app, not a demo.
Download Crest for macOS Get all three apps, $24.99In the official Homebrew cask
macOS 14 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon & Intel) · 7-day Pro trial, no card up front
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