The best NotchNook alternatives for Mac in 2026
By the makers of Crest · updated 9 October 2026 · full disclosure
| Price | Free option | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crest | $24.99 once, or $2.99 a month | Free tier, no account | A notch that does real work, including Claude Code approvals |
| NotchNook | $25 once or $3 a month | 48-hour trial only | The deepest customization |
| The Boring Notch | Free | Free and open source | A capable free hub, if the Gatekeeper step does not bother you |
| Alcove | $14.99 once | No free tier | The cleanest Dynamic Island look |
| SuperIsland | Free | Free and open source | People who want to write their own modules |
| Notchy | Free | Free, donations welcome | A free notch app on macOS 13 Ventura |
| MediaMate | About $8 once | No | Better volume and brightness HUDs, and little else |
Why Crest is better
- A free tier that never expires. Now Playing with lyrics, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping. NotchNook has a 48-hour trial.
- It answers your coding agents, free. Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI, with Allow and Deny on the notch.
- Three apps for one price. Take and Minutes come with Crest Pro: $24.99 once or $2.99 a month.
- It works without a notch. External display or older Mac: a small pill in the same place.
Full comparison and details
Short answer, checked on 9 October 2026: NotchNook is on sale again, from a new site, getnotchnook.com, for $25 once or $3 a month, with a 48-hour trial and no card. Its relaunch offer, $15 once or $2 a month for as long as you stay subscribed, ends on 17 October 2026 (checked 13 October 2026); until then it costs less than Crest. Still want something else? Here are six alternatives, and where each NotchNook feature lives in Crest.
Last updated: 9 October 2026
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Crest, one of the six. Prices were read off each app's own site on 3 October 2026, and NotchNook's again on 9 October 2026. Where another app is the better pick for you, we say so, because a comparison nobody believes helps nobody.
Where NotchNook stands right now
Update, 9 October 2026: NotchNook is on sale again from a new site, getnotchnook.com, at version 1.6.5: each licence covers two Macs, on macOS 14.6 or later, Apple silicon or Intel, with or without a notch. Its old page, lo.cafe/notchnook, still answers “not found”, Setapp’s NotchNook address still opens its general catalog, and Homebrew’s NotchNook cask has been disabled since 19 September 2026. lo.cafe’s home page shows a statement from NotchNook’s co-founders about a dispute over control of the company behind the app. We are not taking sides. How Crest and NotchNook compare, feature by feature: Crest vs NotchNook.
Already own NotchNook? The new site’s licence help says keys bought before 24 September 2026 do not activate automatically: it offers a manual review for lifetime licences, or a new licence, and an old monthly subscription does not carry over. NotchNook still has a trial and no free tier, so when the 48 hours end you pay or you stop. For an app that polished that is fair, and it is the main reason people look for alternatives.
Coming from NotchNook
Nothing imports from NotchNook, so here is where each thing you used lives in Crest, and whether it is in the free tier or needs Crest Pro.
| NotchNook had | In Crest | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|
| File tray | The Shelf: drop files on the notch, then compress them or convert images right there | Free |
| AirDrop drop zone | AirDrop straight from the Shelf | Free |
| Media controls | Now Playing, on the closed notch and as a widget | Free |
| Clipboard | The Clipboard widget | Free |
| Volume and brightness | Shown on the notch when you press the keys | Free |
| Calendar | The Calendar widget, with a Join button when a call is about to start | Pro |
| Battery info | The Batteries widget: your Mac and connected devices such as AirPods | Pro |
| Mirror | Camera check: see yourself and your mic level before a call | Pro |
| Colours, layouts, haptics | Four pages of widgets you arrange and stretch. Fewer looks to tweak than NotchNook had | Free |
Download Crest freeFree tier, no account · 7-day Pro trial, no card · macOS 14 or later
In the official Homebrew cask
When NotchNook is still the right buy
If you want the deepest customization in the category, colours, layouts and haptics, and you like its file tray and AirDrop drop zone, NotchNook is hard to beat, and Setapp users rated it 89% positive across 1,438 ratings while it was there. It is on sale again, so it is a real option. If it is not the one for you, here is what else you can install.
The comparison table is at the top of this page.
Crest Our pick$24.99 one-time or $2.99 a month · free tier
In one sentence: Crest is a notch app for the Mac, on macOS 14 or later, that turns the MacBook notch into pages of widgets: music, a file shelf, a clipboard, window snapping, the Authenticator (your two-factor codes, typed in for you), and the allow and deny prompts of Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI.
Crest treats the notch as a place to get work done. It opens into a row of pages full of widgets: your music with synced lyrics, the next meeting with a Join button, your to-dos, system stats, saved SSH hosts, the Authenticator (your two-factor codes, typed in for you), and Claude, which turns a sentence into a reminder or a calendar event once you approve it. Now, Home, Work and Code each keep their own layout, and you swipe between them with two fingers.
If you run Claude Code, Codex or Copilot CLI, Crest answers their permission prompts from the notch: Allow or Deny in one click, over fullscreen apps. NotchNook has nothing like it.
The free tier is a working app, not a countdown: Now Playing, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping, with no expiry and no account. Sign in when you want 7 days of Pro with no card. Crest Pro unlocks the rest, with Take and Minutes, for $24.99 once on 2 Macs with updates through Crest 7, or for $2.99 a month.
Strengths: a free tier that stays free, signed and notarized, developer tools NotchNook does not have, and a small pill at the top of the screen on a Mac without a notch.
Watch-outs: less visual customization than NotchNook and a shorter track record.
Best for: anyone who wants more out of the notch than music and a tray, without needing a subscription. Compared in depth: Crest vs NotchNook
Download Crest freeFree tier, no account · 7-day Pro trial, no card · macOS 14 or later
In the official Homebrew cask
The Boring Notch Free · open source
The Boring Notch is the free alternative most people try first, and it earns that. It is open source under GPL-3.0 with around 10,700 stars on GitHub, runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and covers music with a live visualizer, a file shelf with AirDrop, calendar, and replacement HUDs for volume, brightness and the keyboard backlight.
The catch is installing it. Its README says the team does not have an Apple Developer account yet, so macOS warns you that the app comes from an unidentified developer. You clear that once, with the Terminal command in the README or from Privacy & Security. It is a volunteer project, so check its issue tracker for how it behaves on your version of macOS.
Best for: a capable notch hub for $0, if the Gatekeeper step is fine by you. github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch · Compared in depth: Crest vs The Boring Notch
Alcove $14.99 one-time
Alcove is the one to pick if what you liked about NotchNook was the look. It brings the iPhone's Dynamic Island to the notch with fluid transitions, notifications, live activities, swipe gestures, custom HUDs and Lock Screen widgets. Its site lists it at $14.99.
It stays close to that one idea and does not try to be a productivity hub, so it does less than NotchNook or Crest, on purpose.
Best for: the most Apple-like notch for the least money among the paid apps. tryalcove.com · Compared in depth: Crest vs Alcove
SuperIsland Free · open source
SuperIsland is free and open source, and its site says it works on any Mac. It covers Now Playing, battery status, the next meeting with a join link, weather, file drops, notifications and volume and brightness HUDs, and it has a JavaScript SDK for writing your own modules.
If you would rather build the widget you want than wait for someone to ship it, it is the most open option on this list.
Best for: tinkerers. dynamicisland.app
Notchy Free · donations
Notchy is free with no paid tier, with an optional Buy me a coffee link, and it runs on macOS 13 Ventura, older than most notch apps support. Its site lists music with lyrics, clipboard history, timers, AI usage and HUDs.
If your Mac is still on Ventura, it is the easiest free place to start.
Best for: a free notch app on an older macOS. notchy.dev
MediaMate About $8 one-time
MediaMate does one job. It replaces the macOS volume, brightness and keyboard backlight HUDs with cleaner ones and tucks Now Playing into the notch. It runs on any Mac on macOS 13 or later and sells on Gumroad for about $8.
If what bothered you about NotchNook was paying for a lot you never open, this is the opposite: no shelf, no calendar, no clipboard.
Best for: nicer system HUDs for the price of a sandwich. MediaMate · Compared in depth: Crest vs MediaMate
FAQ
Is NotchNook free?
No. It has a 48-hour trial with every feature and no card, then costs $25 once or $3 a month (checked 9 October 2026). The free alternatives are The Boring Notch, SuperIsland and Notchy, and Crest has a free tier that never expires.
What happened to NotchNook?
It is on sale again. In September 2026 its old site, lo.cafe, stopped selling it, Setapp stopped listing it and Homebrew disabled its cask. On 9 October 2026 a new site, getnotchnook.com, sells version 1.6.5 for $25 once or $3 a month, each licence on two Macs, with a 48-hour trial and no card. The old page, lo.cafe/notchnook, still answers “not found”, and lo.cafe’s home page shows a statement from NotchNook’s co-founders about a dispute over control of the company behind the app. We are not taking sides.
What is the best free NotchNook alternative?
For most people, The Boring Notch: it is free and open source and covers music, a file shelf, calendar and HUDs, but it is not notarized, so macOS warns you when you install it. Notchy is free and runs on macOS 13. If you want a notarized app with a free tier you can upgrade later, Crest's free tier covers Now Playing, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping, with no account.
Is NotchNook worth $25?
For the deepest customization it can be, and Setapp users rated it 89% positive across 1,438 ratings while it was there. Its 48-hour trial lets you find out before you pay. If you want a notch that does more work for about the same money, Crest Pro is $24.99 once, with Take and Minutes, or $2.99 a month, and you can use its free tier first.
What is cheaper than NotchNook?
Compared with NotchNook’s regular $25 once, The Boring Notch, SuperIsland and Notchy are free, MediaMate is about $8 and Alcove is $14.99, each paid once. Crest Pro costs about the same, $24.99 once with Take and Minutes, or $2.99 a month against NotchNook’s $3.
Can I run two notch apps at the same time?
Not well, because they all draw in the same spot. Quit one before you try the next.
Try Crest free
Download it with no account. Now Playing, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping are free for good, and signing in gives you 7 days of Pro with no card. Pro, with Take and Minutes, is $24.99 once, on 2 Macs, or $2.99 a month.
Download Crest for macOS Get all three apps, $24.99In the official Homebrew cask
macOS 14 Sonoma or later · signed and notarized by Apple · 7-day refund
Keep reading: Best Mac notch apps in 2026 · vs NotchNook · vs The Boring Notch · vs Alcove · vs MediaMate · Dynamic Island for Mac · Codex approvals in the notch · Facts and prices · Crest overview