The best notch apps for MacBook in 2026
The best MacBook notch apps: Boring Notch and Atoll (free), Droppy, Alcove, DynamicLake, MediaMate, NotchDrop, and Koi. Music, AirDrop, battery and more.
Start here
What Boring Notch does, and why people look past it
Boring Notch is a free, open source notch app for Mac (GPL-3.0), with about 11,000 stars on GitHub, installed with Homebrew. Its README lists music controls with a visualizer, a calendar and reminders, a mirror from your camera, a charging indicator with the percentage, a file shelf with AirDrop, and a HUD for volume, brightness and the keyboard light. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
For a lot of people it's the right answer, and it costs nothing. People look for something else when it won't open, when they'd rather not install with Homebrew, or when they want what it doesn't have yet: its README lists Bluetooth live activities, so AirPods, as not built yet, along with weather and lock screen widgets.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Koi is first below because it's ours. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, GitHub page or App Store listing, checked October 25, 2026.
The picks
The best Boring Notch alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: A whole assistant in the notch, with music, AirPods, AirDrop and a teleprompter
Koi 2.0 lives in the notch. Hover it and it opens on Talk, an AI you talk to out loud that sees your screen; Dictate, your voice typed into any app on the Mac; Record calls; Documents; and Calendar, with the Tools a pill away: a teleprompter under the camera, a board on your desktop, keyboard sounds and more.
Play Spotify or Music and the artwork sits in the notch with bars beside it; hover for a player with shuffle, back, play or pause, next and the speakers. For a few seconds it widens as AirPods connect with their battery, the charger goes in or out, or the volume changes. Drag files up to it and drop them on AirDrop. On a Mac without a notch, Koi draws a small one of its own.
Where Boring Notch does better: it's free and open source, it has a camera mirror, a calendar and reminders in the notch, and a brightness and keyboard light HUD. Koi is $20 a month, $7 for a first week, or Lifetime, paid once, with no free trial.
2. Atoll
Best for: Free and open source, with system stats and Bluetooth widgets
Atoll is free and open source (GPL-3.0). Its README lists media from Apple Music, Spotify and other players, live activities for battery and charging, lock screen widgets including Bluetooth devices, CPU and GPU stats, timers, a clipboard, a color picker and a calendar. It needs macOS 14 or later and a MacBook with a notch. The closest free swap.
3. Droppy
Best for: The most features for one payment, AirPods included
$9.99 once for two Macs, with a 14-day refund, for macOS 14 or later. Its site lists now playing, a file tray that zips and converts, AirPods with their battery, volume, a calendar, a clipboard, meeting controls, screen recording and a teleprompter extension, and a pill on Macs without a notch.
4. Alcove
Best for: The Dynamic Island look
$13.99 once, for macOS 15 or later. Its site lists smooth transitions, notifications, live activities, gestures, HUDs you can customize and lock screen widgets. Pick it over Boring Notch for polish and the iPhone feel, rather than a list of tools.
5. NotchDrop
Best for: Just the file shelf, free
Free and open source (MIT), on GitHub and the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later. Files dragged to the notch stay there a day (you can change it), with an AirDrop button. No music. Boring Notch's README says its first version was based on it.
6. MediaMate
Best for: Nicer volume and brightness popups, and now playing
MediaMate replaces the Mac's volume, brightness and keyboard light popups and shows now playing in the notch. Pay what you want on Gumroad, €6.99 suggested, for macOS 13 or later; its site says all Macs are supported. No file shelf.
Comparison
Boring Notch vs the alternatives
From each app's own page, checked October 25, 2026. “Not listed” means the page doesn't say.
| Price | Music | Files | AirPods | macOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boring Notch | Free, open source | Yes | Shelf, AirDrop | Not yet | 14+ |
| Koi | $20 a month, or Lifetime, paid once | Spotify and Music | Files Tray, AirDrop | Yes, with battery | 14+ |
| Atoll | Free, open source | Yes | Not listed | Bluetooth widget | 14+ |
| Droppy | $9.99 once | Yes | Tray | Yes, with battery | 14+ |
| Alcove | $13.99 once | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 15+ |
| NotchDrop | Free, open source | No | Shelf, AirDrop | No | 13+ |
| MediaMate | Pay what you want, €6.99 suggested | Now playing | No | Not listed | 13+ |
Head to head
Boring Notch vs Alcove
Boring Notch is free and does more: music, a file shelf with AirDrop, a calendar, a camera mirror and HUDs. Alcove is $13.99 once and is about how it feels: transitions, gestures, live activities and lock screen widgets, closest to the iPhone's Dynamic Island. Boring Notch needs macOS 14, Alcove macOS 15.
Honest take
When Boring Notch is still the better pick
Stay on Boring Notch if
- You want a notch app for free, and open source.
- You want a camera mirror, a calendar and a brightness HUD in the notch.
- You don't need dictation, call recording or an assistant.
Choosing
Which Boring Notch alternative should you pick?
- Free, with Bluetooth widgets and system stats? Atoll.
- The most for one payment? Droppy.
- The Dynamic Island look? Alcove.
- Just a shelf? NotchDrop.
- Better volume popups? MediaMate.
- The notch as the way into an AI you talk to, dictation, call recording and a teleprompter? Koi.
More in the best notch apps for Mac, with how-tos to show Spotify in the notch and AirDrop from the notch. See Koi's plans.
Keep exploring
The best NotchNook alternatives for Mac
NotchNook's page is gone. The best NotchNook alternatives for Mac: Boring Notch and Atoll (free), Droppy, Alcove, NotchDrop and Koi, with prices checked.
Your notch, put to work
Koi lives in your MacBook's notch. Hover it for Talk, Chat, Dictate and Record, see Spotify, AirPods and battery there, drop files on it to AirDrop, read a script.
How to show Spotify in your MacBook's notch
macOS can't put Spotify in the notch, but an app can. How to show the song, artwork and controls in your MacBook's notch with Koi, or free with Boring Notch.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It's free and open source under GPL-3.0, installed with Homebrew, and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Atoll: free and open source, with media from Apple Music and Spotify, battery and charging, Bluetooth widgets, system stats and a calendar. NotchDrop is free if you only want a file shelf.
Boring Notch is free and does more, with music, a file shelf, a calendar and HUDs. Alcove is $13.99 once and is about the Dynamic Island look and feel. Alcove needs macOS 15.
Not yet. Its README lists Bluetooth live activities as not built yet. Droppy and Koi show AirPods with their battery.