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's going on with NotchNook
NotchNook was one of the best known notch apps for Mac, sold by lo.cafe. Today its page on lo.cafe is gone, and the lo.cafe home page is a statement from its founder about a dispute over the company in July 2026. It says customers and subscribers vanished from its Stripe account, that Setapp blocked its account, and apologizes to everyone who lost access to NotchNook, saying access will be restored. It announces a rebuild called NOOTCH, with 90% off for NotchNook lifetime owners, and says NotchNook will probably go open source.
That's one side's account, and we can't check it. What we can say is that there's no NotchNook page to buy it from today. If yours stopped working, or you're looking for a notch app now, the apps below cover what most people used it for: music in the notch, a place to drop files, and status like charging.
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 NotchNook alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: A whole assistant in the notch, with music, 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.
The notch shows things on its own as well. Play Spotify or Music and the artwork sits in it with bars beside it; hover for a player. AirPods connecting, the charger going in or out and the volume each show for a few seconds. 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 NotchNook-style apps do better: no widgets you add yourself and no brightness HUD. Koi does have a Files Tray beside AirDrop that holds files for later. And it isn't a small one-time purchase: Koi is $20 a month, $7 for a first week, or Lifetime, paid once, with no free trial.
2. Boring Notch
Best for: A free, open source replacement
Free and open source (GPL-3.0), installed with Homebrew, for macOS 14 or later. Its README lists music controls with a visualizer, a calendar and reminders, a camera mirror, a charging indicator, a file shelf with AirDrop, and a HUD for volume, brightness and the keyboard light. AirPods aren't in it yet.
3. Droppy
Best for: The most features for one payment
$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.
5. Atoll
Best for: Free, with system stats
Free and open source (GPL-3.0), for macOS 14 or later on a MacBook with a notch. Media from Apple Music, Spotify and others, battery and charging, lock screen widgets with Bluetooth devices, CPU and GPU stats, timers, a clipboard and a calendar.
6. NotchDrop
Best for: Only the file shelf, free
Free and open source (MIT), also on the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later. Files dragged to the notch stay there a day, with an AirDrop button. No music.
Comparison
NotchNook alternatives compared
From each app's own page, checked October 25, 2026. “Not listed” means the page doesn't say.
| Price | Music | Files | AirPods | macOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koi | $20 a month, or Lifetime, paid once | Spotify and Music | Files Tray, AirDrop | Yes, with battery | 14+ |
| Boring Notch | Free, open source | Yes | Shelf, AirDrop | Not yet | 14+ |
| Droppy | $9.99 once | Yes | Tray | Yes, with battery | 14+ |
| Alcove | $13.99 once | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 15+ |
| Atoll | Free, open source | Yes | Not listed | Bluetooth widget | 14+ |
| NotchDrop | Free, open source | No | Shelf, AirDrop | No | 13+ |
Honest take
When a small notch app is the better pick
Stay on a notch utility if
- You want widgets, weather or a brightness HUD in the notch.
- You want to pay once, or nothing. Boring Notch, Atoll and NotchDrop are free.
- You don't need dictation, call recording or an assistant.
Choosing
Which NotchNook alternative should you pick?
- Free and closest overall? Boring Notch.
- The most for one payment, AirPods included? Droppy.
- The Dynamic Island look? Alcove.
- Just the shelf? NotchDrop.
- 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, or see Koi's plans.
Keep exploring
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.
How to AirDrop from your MacBook's notch
Drag files to your MacBook's notch and drop them on AirDrop. How to do it with Koi, free with Boring Notch or NotchDrop, and the usual ways to AirDrop on Mac.
Koi 2.0: your notch, a teleprompter and a board on your desktop
Koi 2.0 moves into your MacBook's notch, with a teleprompter under the camera, a board on your desktop, Spotify, AirDrop, keyboard sounds and an idle screen.
Support
Frequently asked questions
lo.cafe's home page, a statement from its founder about a July 2026 dispute over the company, says its customers and subscribers vanished from its Stripe account and apologizes to everyone who lost access to NotchNook. It says access will be restored.
Boring Notch: free and open source, with music controls, a file shelf with AirDrop, a charging indicator and a calendar. Atoll and NotchDrop are free too.
Boring Notch is free and open source and can be installed today, which NotchNook can't. It doesn't show AirPods yet.
lo.cafe announces a rebuild called NOOTCH, with 90% off for NotchNook lifetime owners, and says NotchNook will probably go open source.