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.
Start here
What a notch app does
A notch app turns the black strip around your MacBook's camera into something useful, like the Dynamic Island on an iPhone. Hover it, or let it react on its own, and it widens to show the song that's playing, your battery, the volume, a place to drop files, or a whole panel of tools. macOS itself does nothing with the notch: the menu bar just works around it.
Most people who only want music and a file shelf in the notch should start with Boring Notch, which is free and open source. If you'll pay once, Droppy and Alcove are the polished picks.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Koi is first below because it's ours, and because it's a whole assistant that lives in the notch, not a notch app alone. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, GitHub page or App Store listing, checked October 25, 2026. We didn't run tests or benchmarks.
What matters
What to look for in a notch app
- Now playing: which players it reads (Spotify, Apple Music, browsers), and whether it has controls.
- A file shelf or AirDrop, if you move files between apps and devices.
- Status: charging, AirPods, the volume and brightness.
- Macs without a notch: some draw one of their own, some need the real thing.
- The macOS it needs. Several want Sonoma 14 or Sequoia 15 and later.
- The price. Two good ones are free and open source.
The picks
The best notch apps 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 down into a black window: 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. Those Tools hold a teleprompter that reads right under the camera and is left out of screen shares in apps like Zoom, Meet and Teams, a board on your desktop like Excalidraw, keyboard sounds and more.
The notch shows things on its own too. Play Spotify or Music and the song's artwork sits in it with bars dancing beside it; open it for a player with the song, how far in it is, play, pause, skip, shuffle 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 to send them to a nearby iPhone or Mac. On a Mac without a notch, Koi draws a small one of its own.
Where it loses: it's not a cheap notch utility. Koi is $20 a month, $7 for a first week, or Lifetime, paid once, paid from the first day with no free trial. It has no weather, no brightness HUD, and no widgets you add yourself. If the notch is all you want, the apps below cost far less.
2. Boring Notch
Best for: A free, open source notch app
Boring Notch is free and open source (GPL-3.0), with about 11,000 stars on GitHub, and installs 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.
Its README lists Bluetooth live activities as not built yet, so no AirPods for now. For music and files in the notch at no cost, this is the one to try first.
3. Droppy
Best for: The most features for one payment
Droppy is $9.99 once for two Macs, with a 14-day refund, and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Its site lists now playing with motion art, a file tray that can zip and convert, AirPods with their battery, volume live activities, a calendar, a clipboard, meeting controls, screen recording and a teleprompter extension. On an iMac, a Mac mini or an external display it shows a Dynamic Island style pill instead.
It overlaps with most of what Koi's notch does, for a one-time price. Its old GitHub repository and Gumroad page are no longer up, so buy from its site.
4. Alcove
Best for: A polished Dynamic Island look
Alcove is $13.99 once and needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Its site lists smooth transitions, notifications, live activities, gestures, HUDs you can customize and lock screen widgets. It's the one to pick if you want the notch to feel like the iPhone's Dynamic Island and little else.
5. Atoll
Best for: Free, with system stats and lock screen 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.
6. DynamicLake Pro
Best for: Plugins and extras on external displays
DynamicLake Pro is $13.99 on its Gumroad page. Its site lists music, AirDrop, battery alerts, a calendar, meetings, weather, volume and brightness, audio and video conversion, plugins, and an option for external displays.
7. 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. It's pay what you want on Gumroad, with €6.99 suggested, and needs macOS 13 or later. Its site says all Macs are supported. It has no file shelf.
8. NotchDrop
Best for: Just a file shelf, free
NotchDrop is free and open source (MIT), on GitHub and the Mac App Store, and needs macOS 13 or later. Drag a file to the notch and it waits there for a day (you can change how long), with an AirDrop button. It does files only, no music.
Comparison
Notch apps for Mac compared
From each app's own site, GitHub page or App Store listing, checked October 25, 2026. “Not listed” means the app's own page doesn't say.
| Price | Music | Files | Needs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koi | $20 a month, or Lifetime, paid once | Spotify and Music, with a player | Files Tray, AirDrop | macOS 14 |
| Boring Notch | Free, open source | Yes, with a visualizer | Shelf, AirDrop | macOS 14 |
| Droppy | $9.99 once | Yes | Tray, zip, convert | macOS 14 |
| Alcove | $13.99 once | Not listed | Not listed | macOS 15 |
| Atoll | Free, open source | Apple Music, Spotify and more | Not listed | macOS 14, a notch |
| DynamicLake Pro | $13.99 | Yes | AirDrop | Not listed |
| MediaMate | Pay what you want, €6.99 suggested | Now playing | No | macOS 13 |
| NotchDrop | Free, open source | No | Shelf, AirDrop | macOS 13 |
NotchNook
What happened to NotchNook?
NotchNook was one of the best known notch apps. Today its page on lo.cafe is gone, and lo.cafe's home page is a statement from its founder about a dispute over the company in July 2026. It apologizes to everyone who lost access to NotchNook and says access will be restored, 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. If NotchNook stopped working for you, any app above replaces most of it. More in NotchNook alternatives.
Dynamic Island
Is there a Dynamic Island for Mac?
Not from Apple. The Dynamic Island is an iPhone feature, and macOS doesn't use the MacBook's notch for anything. Every app on this page adds something like it. Alcove copies the look most closely; Boring Notch and Atoll do it for free.
No notch
Do notch apps work on a Mac without a notch?
Some do. Koi draws a small notch of its own at the top of the screen, Droppy shows a pill on an iMac, a Mac mini or an external display, and MediaMate says all Macs are supported. Atoll says it needs a MacBook with a notch. The others don't say on their own pages.
Choosing
Which notch app should you use?
- Free, music and files? Boring Notch.
- Free, with system stats? Atoll.
- Just a place to drop files? NotchDrop.
- The most for one payment? Droppy.
- The Dynamic Island look? Alcove.
- Better volume popups? MediaMate.
- An assistant you talk to, dictation, call recording and a teleprompter, opened from the notch? Koi.
How-tos: show Spotify in the notch and AirDrop from the notch. 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.
The best teleprompter apps for Mac in 2026
The best teleprompter apps for Mac: notch teleprompters that follow your voice and hide from screen share, free and open source picks, and what each costs.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Boring Notch: it's free and open source, with music controls, a file shelf with AirDrop, a charging indicator and a calendar. Atoll is free too, with system stats and lock screen widgets.
Not from Apple. macOS doesn't use the notch. Apps like Alcove, Boring Notch, Atoll, Droppy and Koi add something like the iPhone's Dynamic Island.
Some. Koi draws a small notch of its own, Droppy shows a pill on an iMac, a Mac mini or an external display, and MediaMate says all Macs are supported. Atoll needs a MacBook with a notch.
Its page on lo.cafe is gone. lo.cafe's home page, a statement from its founder about a dispute over the company, apologizes to people who lost access and announces a rebuild called NOOTCH. Boring Notch, Droppy and Alcove replace most of it.
Koi, Boring Notch, Atoll, Droppy, DynamicLake and MediaMate all show what's playing. Koi shows Spotify or Music's artwork in the notch and a player when you hover it.