Drop it on the notch. Drag it out later.
Drop files on the notch to keep them handy, then drag them into any app later. Koi's Files Tray keeps a link to each file, never a copy, and sends nothing.
Start here
What Yoink does, and what it costs
Yoink is a shelf for drag and drop. Start dragging and it slides out at the edge of the screen (or only near it, or at the pointer); drop your files, go where they belong, and drag them out. It moves and copies like Finder, groups files in stacks, and keeps a clipboard history, with password managers left out by default. It works with Handoff, Shortcuts and a Share extension.
It's $8.99 once on the Mac App Store or its own site, with a 28-day trial from the site, and it's in Setapp too. It needs macOS 10.13 or later, and turned 15 this September.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, checked October 26, 2026.
The picks
The best Yoink alternatives for Mac in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: A shelf in the notch, beside AirDrop
Drag files up to the notch and drop them on Files Tray. They wait in the notch's Tray tab, newest first, until you drag them into any app, Finder or Koi's board. Dragging one out leaves it in the tray. Koi keeps a link to each file, never a copy, up to 50, and nothing about them is sent. The spot beside it sends files with AirDrop.
Where Yoink is better, plainly: it's paid once, it has a clipboard history, stacks and Handoff, and it runs on much older Macs. Koi's tray is one part of Koi, which is $20 a month or Lifetime, paid once, with dictation, call recording and an assistant in the same notch.
2. Dropover
Best for: The most ways to open a shelf, the notch included
Shake the pointer mid-drag, or drop on the menu bar icon or the notch, and a floating shelf appears. Shelves resize and convert images, make ZIPs and upload to share a link. Free with a 3-second wait after a 14-day trial; Pro is $7.99 once, on the Mac App Store only. macOS 13 or later. More in our Dropover alternatives.
3. Dropzone
Best for: A shelf plus a grid of actions
Dropzone 5 has a Drop Bar that holds files, and a grid of actions to drop them on: move, copy, AirDrop, run Shortcuts, resize images, upload to SFTP, S3 or Imgur, and your own in Ruby or Python. Free, with Pro at $35 for life. macOS 13 or later. More in our Dropzone alternatives.
Comparison
Yoink vs the alternatives
From each app's own site. “Not listed” means the site doesn't mention it.
| Opens | In the notch | Clipboard history | macOS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoink | At the screen edge as you drag | Not listed | Yes | 10.13+ | $8.99 once |
| Koi | Drop on the notch | Yes | No | 14+ | $20 a month, or Lifetime, $199 once |
| Dropover | Shake, shortcut, menu bar, notch | Yes | No | 13+ | Free with a wait; Pro $7.99 once |
| Dropzone 5 | Top of the screen, menu bar, F3 | Not listed | Not listed | 13+ | Free; Pro $35 for life |
Honest take
When Yoink is still the better pick
Stay on Yoink if
- You want a shelf and a clipboard history in one small app, paid once.
- Your Mac is older than macOS 14.
- You hand files to your iPhone or iPad with Handoff.
Choosing
Which one should you pick?
- A plain shelf, paid once? Stay on Yoink.
- A shelf with share links and actions? Dropover.
- A grid of actions and scripts? Dropzone.
- A shelf in the notch, with AirDrop beside it and the rest of Koi? Koi.
See Koi's Files Tray, or the plans on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
The best Dropover alternatives for Mac
Dropover alternatives for Mac compared: Yoink, Dropzone, Clop and Koi's Shift wheel. Drag and drop shelves vs tools that change the file, with prices.
The best Dropzone alternatives for Mac
Dropzone 5 alternatives for Mac: Koi's Files Tray and Shift wheel, Dropover and Yoink. Drag and drop shelves and actions compared, with prices and macOS.
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.
Support
Frequently asked questions
$8.99 once, on the Mac App Store or its site, with a 28-day trial from the site. It's in Setapp too.
Yoink's site doesn't mention the notch. Koi's Files Tray and Dropover both take files dropped on the notch.
No. It keeps a link to each one, up to 50, and nothing about them is sent.