Guide · Updated
MacBook notch apps: which one to pick in 2026
Short answer. Free and open source — Boring Notch or Atoll. Free and polished — Notchy. The best-known paid one is NotchNook, the prettiest is Alcove, the most customizable is MacNotch. For AI agents — Vibe Island or Crest. SparkU is for people who want agents, Discord and an all-day island in one app — but it doesn't launch until spring 2027. Below: a table with prices and who each one suits.
How we compared
SparkU is a notch app too, so we're an interested party. To keep this useful, we:
- take prices and features from official sites and GitHub pages, not other reviews;
- say when we couldn't verify something;
- name, in each group, who should pick something other than us.
Nearly every "best notch apps" ranking in search is written by the maker of one of these apps, and each puts its own app first. Keep that in mind when reading any comparison, ours included.
Every app in one table
Prices in US dollars as of October 15, 2026. Prices in this category change often — check the site before you buy.
Free
| App | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Boring Notch | Open source (GPL-3.0), about 11k GitHub stars. Music, file shelf, calendar, camera mirror | Not notarized: you'll have to clear the quarantine flag by hand. The visualizer is an animation. Last release November 2025 |
| Atoll | Open source (GPL-3.0). Clipboard, CPU and GPU load, lock screen, a real audio visualizer | Asks for many permissions, including screen recording. Per its README, notched Macs only |
| Notchy | Clipboard, Pomodoro, files, AI agent limits, Claude Code and Codex approvals. Works without a notch, lets you pick the screen | Closed source. macOS 13 or later |
| Brow | Focused on productivity | Free tier; Pro is $4.99/month or $49/year |
| Perch | On the Mac App Store. Media, weather, calendar, timer, clipboard | Extras from $3.99/month or $24.99 lifetime |
Paid, general purpose
| App | Price | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchNook | $25 one-time or $3/month | Created the category. File shelf, Shortcuts, works without a notch | macOS 14.6 or later |
| Alcove | $14.99 one-time | Beautiful animation, gestures, lock screen widgets | More about looks than work. macOS 15 or later |
| MacNotch | $22.99 one-time or $3.99/month; on Setapp | The most customizable: modules, window layouts, Git. Claude Code and Cursor approvals in beta | 14-day trial |
| DynamicLake Pro | $16.90 one-time | Clipboard, file conversion, calls and AirDrop | Third-party sites list $13.99 |
| Seam | $29 one-time | Minimal, island mode on any screen | 48-hour trial, 14-day refund |
| DynamicHorizon | $11.99 lifetime | Animations, works on every Mac | macOS 14.6 or later |
| Droppy | $9.99 one-time | File shelf, works without a notch | — |
| MediaMate | €6.99 | Replaces the system volume and brightness indicators | Does one thing |
For AI agents
| App | Price | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe Island | $19.99 one-time | 30 agents: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, OpenCode and more. Answers and plan review from the island | Agents only: no music, files or calls |
| Crest | Free; Pro $24.99 one-time or by subscription | Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI. Notarized by Apple | Mostly agents |
| SparkU | One-time purchase, price not announced yet | Agents plus an all-day island: music, files, Discord, calendar | Launching spring 2027, in beta now |
If you just want to hide the notch and don't need an island, there's the free TopNotch. It paints the menu bar black so the notch disappears.
Who each one suits
- You don't want to pay — Notchy if you want polish and notchless support; Boring Notch or Atoll if you want open source.
- You want beauty and animation — Alcove.
- You want to customize everything — MacNotch, especially if you already pay for Setapp.
- You want a file shelf and nothing else — Droppy or NotchNook.
- You want nicer volume indicators — MediaMate.
- You work with AI agents and need nothing else — Vibe Island or the free Crest. More in the guide on Claude Code.
- You want agents, Discord and an all-day island in one app — join the SparkU beta.
When not to pick SparkU
- You need it now. SparkU launches in spring 2027. Beta invites go out in waves, and a spot isn't guaranteed.
- You need Codex, Gemini CLI or Cursor. SparkU currently supports Claude Code, OpenCode, Antigravity and Hermes; Codex is in the works. For a wide choice of agents — Vibe Island.
- Open source matters to you. Ours is closed — take Boring Notch or Atoll.
- Your Mac has no notch. Our notchless mode is still experimental. More in the guide on islands without a notch.
- You need Apple notarization today. The SparkU beta isn't notarized yet.
FAQ
What's the best notch app for Mac? There's no single answer: Alcove for looks, MacNotch for customization, Vibe Island for AI agents, Notchy and Boring Notch for free. Start with what you'll do in the island most often.
Are there free ones? Yes: Boring Notch and Atoll are open source, Notchy is free, and Brow, Perch and Crest have free tiers.
Are they safe to install? Check which permissions an app asks for and why, and whether Apple has notarized it. An island usually needs Accessibility and system audio access. Screen recording is needed less often — ask why a given app wants it.
Will they keep working once Apple ships a Mac with its own island? On notched Macs, yes — nothing changes for them. On a new MacBook Pro with Apple's island, third-party apps will most likely have to sit next to it. More in the guide on Dynamic Island for Mac.
Sources (as of October 15, 2026): official websites, Mac App Store listings and GitHub pages of the listed apps. We couldn't verify NotchNook's price on the developer's site — it comes from third-party reviews.