CleanShot X alternatives for Mac
CleanShot X suits a designer, support or product person who captures and shares screenshots and clips all day. Which notch app fits depends on the job, so this page compares CleanShot X with 62 other options on what they cost over time, which Macs they run on and what they do. Every fact comes from the app’s own pages.
Which CleanShot X alternative fits you.
People look for an alternative for a few different reasons. Find yours, then read the one or two apps listed under it.
- You want to pay less
- CleanShot X costs $35 over three years. NotchStar costs $4 once. Cheaper than CleanShot X over three years: AgentNotch (Free), Boring Notch (Free), Dynamic Notch (Free), Hidden Bar (Free), Ice (Free), Maccy (Free), MewNotch (Free), NotchBar (Free), NotchDrop (Free), Notchi (Free), Notchmeister (Free), NotchPop (Free), NotchSpace (Free), Stats (Free), SuperIsland (Free), TopNotch (Free), Vibe Notch (Free), NotchBox ($0 free tier, or $4.99 for the paid tier), Tuneful ($4.99), Notch Buddy ($5.99), NotchThings ($0 free tier, or $6.99 for the paid tier), OneNotch ($0 free tier, or $6.99 for the paid tier), Dropover ($0 free tier, or $7.99 for the paid tier), Yoink ($8.99), DaisyDisk ($9.99), Droppy ($9.99), Gojo ($9.99), Notchet ($9.99), Korinotch ($11.50), DynamicHorizon ($11.99), Alcove ($12.99), DynamicLake ($13.99), Crest ($14.99), NotchNest ($0 free tier, or $14.99 for the paid tier), PastePal ($0 free tier, or $14.99 for the paid tier), ChocolateBar ($15), DropNotch ($0 free tier, or $15 for the paid tier), NotchNook ($19), Seam ($19.90), OmniNotch ($19.99), CueNotch ($0 free tier, or $29.99 for the paid tier), Notchie ($29.99), PromptSmart ($29.99), Xnapper ($29.99).
- You are on an older macOS
- CleanShot X needs macOS 13 or later. These list a lower floor: Be Focused (macOS 12), ChocolateBar (macOS 12), DaisyDisk (macOS 10.13), Notchmeister (macOS 11), Session (macOS 10.15), Shottr (macOS 10.15), Stats (macOS 12), TopNotch (macOS 11).
- You want open source
- CleanShot X is not listed as open source. Open source options: AgentNotch (MIT), Atoll (Open source, GPL 3.0), Boring Notch (Open source, GPL 3.0), Dynamic Notch (GPL 3.0), Hidden Bar (Open source, MIT), Ice (Open source, GPL 3.0), Maccy (MIT), MewNotch (GPL 3.0), NotchBar (AGPL 3.0), NotchDrop (MIT), Notchi (GPL 3.0), NotchPop (MIT), NotchPrompter (Open source, license name not stated), Sapphire (Open source, AGPL 3.0), Stats (Open source, MIT), Vibe Notch (Apache 2.0).
- You want it free
- Free with no paid tier: AgentNotch, Boring Notch, Dynamic Notch, Hidden Bar, Ice, Maccy, MewNotch, NotchBar, NotchDrop, Notchi, Notchmeister, NotchPop, NotchSpace, Stats, SuperIsland, TopNotch, Vibe Notch.
- You want clipboard, files, timers and the rest in one app
- You already take screenshots with macOS and only want a tray to drag several into a chat. That is the case for NotchStar over CleanShot X.
CleanShot X and its alternatives at a glance.
| App | Price | Over 3 years | Needs macOS | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 NotchStar | $4 once, 7 day trial | $4 | 14 or later | You already take screenshots with macOS and only want a tray to drag several into a chat. |
| CleanShot X | $35 once, no trial | $35 | macOS 13 or later | You capture and share screenshots and clips all day and want annotation, recording and cloud links. |
| AgentNotch | Not stated | Free | macOS 14.0 or later | You use Claude Code or Codex and want tool calls, tokens and estimated cost in the notch. |
 Alcove | $12.99 one time | $12.99 | macOS 15 or later | You want the Dynamic Island feel: live activities, instant notifications and lock screen widgets. |
| Alfred | Free, Powerpack 34 GBP | Not priced in USD | Not confirmed | You want a launcher with workflows, and a clipboard viewer inside it that can save clips as snippets. |
 Atoll | Not stated | Not stated | macOS 14.0 or later | You want source code you can read, build and change under GPL 3.0. |
| Avocado | Free core app, Pro price not stated | Not priced in USD | macOS 14 or later | You want a free teleprompter with no time limit, and may pay for Pro later. |
| Bartender | Not stated (4 week trial) | Not stated | macOS 27 for Bartender 7 | Your menu bar is crowded and some icons disappear behind the notch. |
| Be Focused | Free; Pro $2.99/month, $19.99/year or $39.99 lifetime | $0 free tier, or $39.99 for the paid tier | macOS 12.0 or later | You want tasks, tags and due dates tied to your Pomodoro sessions. |
 Boring Notch | Free | Free | macOS 14 or later | You want a free app, or you want to read, build and change the source under GPL 3.0. |
 Brow | Free; Pro $4.99/month or $49/year | $0 free tier, or $147 for the paid tier | macOS 14 or later | You want a launcher and window management in the same app as the notch tools. |
 ChocolateBar | $15 once, 48 hour free trial | $15 | macOS 12 to 15 | Your real problem is a crowded menu bar and you need to recover or tidy the icons. |
 Crest | $14.99 once, 7 day trial | $14.99 | macOS 14 or later | You use Claude Code, Codex or Copilot CLI and want permission prompts and questions to appear in the notch. |
| CueNotch | Free; Pro $29.99 lifetime or $7.99 a week | $0 free tier, or $29.99 for the paid tier | macOS 14.0 or later | You want voice following, Ghost Mode and script import from PowerPoint, PDF, Word and Markdown. |
| DaisyDisk | $9.99 once, free trial | $9.99 | macOS 10.13 or later | You want a full visual map of the disk, including hidden space, System Data and snapshots. |
| DropNotch | Free, Pro $15 once | $0 free tier, or $15 for the paid tier | macOS 13.0 or later | A file shelf with one click actions is the main thing you want, and a free tier is enough to start. |
| Dropover | Free, Pro $7.99 | $0 free tier, or $7.99 for the paid tier | macOS 13 or later | You drag files between apps all day and want a shelf that opens when you shake the pointer. |
 Droppy | $9.99 once, 3 day trial | $9.99 | macOS 14 or later | You want live activities, window snapping and a long list of extensions in one app. |
| Dropzone | $35, 14 day trial | $35 | macOS 13 or later | You want drag targets that upload, move or run your own scripts, written in Ruby or Python. |
| Dynamic Notch | Free (no price stated) | Free | macOS 14.6 or later | You want the closest free copy of the iPhone Dynamic Island behavior on a Mac. |
| DynamicHorizon | $11.99 lifetime | $11.99 | macOS 14.6 or later | You want lock screen media with lyrics and a notch with 20 or more modules. |
 DynamicLake | $13.99 one time | $13.99 | macOS 14 or later | You want the Dynamic Island feel with message, email and call notifications. |
| Gojo | $9.99 lifetime, 3 day trial | $9.99 | macOS 14 or later | You want dictation in the notch, with offline transcription on your Mac. |
| Hidden Bar | Free | Free | macOS 13 or later | You just want to hide a few menu bar icons, for free. |
| Ice | Free | Free | macOS 14 or later | You want a free, open source way to hide and arrange menu bar icons. |
| iStat Menus | Not stated (14 day trial) | Not stated | macOS 13.5 or later | You want sensors, fan control, GPU readings and notification rules, not just five basic readouts. |
| Korinotch | $11.50 lifetime, 14 day trial | $11.50 | macOS 14 or later | You want a notch app with a media HUD, meeting alerts, a Pomodoro and a Dropzone, and you accept creating an account. |
| Maccy | Free | Free | macOS 14 or later | You only want clipboard history and you want it free, under the MIT license. |
 MacNotch | From $4.99 a month via Setapp | $179.64 | macOS 14 or later | You want the widest feature set: widgets, weather, device batteries, file actions and profiles. |
 MediaMate | 6.99 euros, 5 devices, with a tryout mode | Not priced in USD | macOS 13 or later | You want the system volume and brightness indicators replaced with compact ones. |
| MewNotch | Free | Free | macOS 14.0 or later | You want free, GPL licensed software. |
| Notch Buddy | $5.99 for the first 100 customers, then $19.99 | $5.99 | macOS 14 or later | You run a small business or site and want revenue or visitor numbers in the collapsed notch. |
| NotchBar | Not stated | Free | macOS 14.5 or later | You want to read and modify the source of a notch widget bar under AGPL 3.0. |
 NotchBox | Free, NotchBox Pro $4.99 in app | $0 free tier, or $4.99 for the paid tier | macOS 13 or later | You are on macOS 13 and NotchStar does not run there. |
| NotchDrop | Free if built from source | Free | Not stated | A temporary file shelf with AirDrop is all you want, and you want it free and open source. |
| Notchet | $9.99 once, 7 day trial | $9.99 | macOS 14 Sonoma or later | Clipboard history with search, including text inside images, is the one thing you want from the notch. |
| Notchi | Free | Free | macOS 15.0 or later | You run Claude Code or Codex and want session status, usage quota and cost in the notch. |
| Notchie | $29.99 once | $29.99 | macOS 14.6 or later | You want a teleprompter that hides during screen sharing in supported apps and pauses when you hover the notch. |
| Notchmeister | Free | Free | macOS 11.0 or later | You want playful visual effects around the notch, not tools. |
 NotchNest | Free; $14.99 once or $2.99 a month | $0 free tier, or $14.99 for the paid tier | macOS 14 or later | You want AI help inside the notch, such as a daily calendar brief or rewriting copied text, and you run Apple silicon with Apple Intelligence. |
 NotchNook | Pro $19 lifetime or $3 a month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2 a month | $19 | macOS 14.6 or later; Pro on Apple silicon only | You want live activities, a lock screen display and a volume and brightness replacement, and you are on Apple silicon. |
| NotchPop | Free | Free | macOS 14 or later | You want a free app and open source code you can read. |
| NotchPrompter | Free on GitHub; App Store price not stated | Not priced in USD | macOS 14 Sonoma or later | You want a teleprompter that follows your voice and hides itself from screen sharing and recordings. |
 NotchSpace | Free | Free | macOS 15 or later | You want to reorder or collapse crowded menu bar icons from the notch. |
 NotchThings | Free, $6.99 lifetime unlock, 7 day trial | $0 free tier, or $6.99 for the paid tier | macOS 15.6 or later | You use Claude or Codex heavily and want your remaining usage allowance in the notch. |
 OmniNotch | $5 flash sale, then $19.99 once | $19.99 | macOS 14 or later | You want the most tools in one app, including AI chat, weather, stocks and a converter. |
 OneNotch | Free, Pro $6.99 once | $0 free tier, or $6.99 for the paid tier | macOS 15 or later | Clipboard boards, transforms and screenshot tools are what you want from a notch app. |
| Paste | $2.49 a month or $29.99 a year | $89.64 | Not stated | You want unlimited clipboard history that stays across restarts, with full search. |
| PastePal | Free, Pro $14.99 | $0 free tier, or $14.99 for the paid tier | macOS 14 or later | You want a clipboard manager with collections, search, text transforms and sync to an iPhone or iPad. |
| PromptSmart | $29.99, with in app purchases | $29.99 | macOS 13.0 and Apple M1 or later | You want a script that follows your speech while you record or present. |
| QuackScreen | EUR 20 once, free version with watermark | Not priced in USD | macOS 26 (Tahoe) | You want to record your screen and take annotated screenshots from the notch. |
| Raycast | Free, Pro $10 per month | $0 free tier, or $288 for the paid tier | Not stated | You want a launcher with search, snippets and clipboard history in one app. |
 Sapphire | Free tier; paid plans from $15.99 a month | $0 free tier, or $575.64 for the paid tier | macOS 14.6 or later | You want a free app and the source code, and the free tier is enough. |
 Seam | $19.90 one time, 48 hour trial | $19.90 | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon only | You want a Dynamic Island style surface with live activities, notifications, a lock screen display and volume and brightness indicators. |
| Session | Free; $4.99/month or $39.99/year | $0 free tier, or $119.97 for the paid tier | macOS 10.15 or later | You want website and app blocking during focus sessions. |
| Shottr | Pay what you want | Not priced in USD | macOS 10.15 or later | You take annotated screenshots often and want OCR, a ruler, scrolling capture and an S3 compatible upload. |
| Stats | Free | Free | macOS 12 or later | You want free, open source monitoring with GPU, sensors and Bluetooth readings. |
| SuperIsland | Free | Free | macOS 14 or later | You are a developer who wants to script your own notch modules in JavaScript, for free. |
 TopNotch | Free download | Free | macOS 11 or later | You want the camera housing to disappear into a black menu bar. |
| Tuneful | $4.99 once | $4.99 | macOS 15 or later | You only want a polished music player in the notch, menu bar or a mini player. |
| Vibe Notch | Not stated | Free | macOS 15.6 or later | You run several Claude Code sessions and want to approve or deny tool permissions from the notch. |
| Xnapper | From $29.99 once | $29.99 | Not confirmed | You post polished screenshots to social media or docs and want backgrounds, social sizes and compression. |
| Yoink | $8.99 once, 28 day trial | $8.99 | Not confirmed | You want a cheap, proven drag shelf that also keeps a clipboard history. |
Prices are USD list prices as each app’s own pages stated them on the check date. “Over 3 years” is the cheapest way to pay for three years of use: a one time price counts once, and a subscription counts the cheaper of monthly times 36 or yearly times 3. Sales, regional pricing and extra device fees are not included.
What CleanShot X does well.
- Markup, redaction, backgrounds and scrolling capture.
- Screen recording with webcam, click highlights and keystrokes, saved as MP4 or GIF, with a built in video editor.
- On device text recognition and QR reading.
- Cloud sharing links with comments, capture history and pinning screenshots above windows.
Where CleanShot X is limited.
- Updates after the first year cost $19 per year.
- There is no free trial; the pricing page offers a 30 day money back guarantee instead.
- Cloud storage is 1 GB on Basic; unlimited on Pro is subject to fair use.
- The page does not state silicon support or a release date, and the cloud privacy policy was not read.
Stay with CleanShot X, or try NotchStar.
Stay with CleanShot X if…
- You capture and share screenshots and clips all day and want annotation, recording and cloud links.
- You need scrolling capture, redaction, text recognition or a video editor.
- You want a 30 day money back guarantee and are fine paying $19 per year for updates after year one.
Try NotchStar if…
- You already take screenshots with macOS and only want a tray to drag several into a chat.
- You want clipboard history, a file shelf, timers and calendar in the same $4 app.
- You want no yearly renewal: $4 once for up to 3 Macs, with a 7 day trial.
CleanShot X is a full capture app and NotchStar is not one. The Screenshot Tray holds up to 12 macOS screenshots for 5 minutes each. Choose CleanShot X if you capture, mark up or record. Choose NotchStar if you want a cheap holding tray among ten tools. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
Moving from CleanShot X to NotchStar.
What you gain
- A $4 one time price with no yearly renewal, a 7 day trial and up to 3 Macs.
- Clipboard history, a file shelf with an AirDrop zone, calendar, timers and more in the notch.
What you give up
- Capture, scrolling capture, annotation, redaction and screen recording.
- Text recognition, cloud links and the video editor.
NotchStar does not capture, so you cannot replace CleanShot X with it. If you only wanted a tray of recent shots, use macOS screenshots with the Screenshot Tray. Export anything you need from CleanShot X's history first.
The other options, one by one.
- AgentNotch
- Best for: A developer who wants local only Claude Code and Codex monitoring in the notch. Compare with NotchStar · AgentNotch alternatives
- Alcove
- Best for: A Mac user on macOS 15 or later who wants iPhone style Dynamic Island behaviour on the Mac: live activities, notifications, lock screen widgets and restyled volume and brightness HUDs. Compare with NotchStar · Alcove alternatives
- Alfred
- Best for: Someone who wants a launcher with workflows and a modest clipboard history. Compare with NotchStar · Alfred alternatives
- Atoll
- Best for: A Mac user with a notched MacBook who wants an open source, Dynamic Island style notch with live activities, lock screen widgets and many built in tools, and who is comfortable granting Accessibility and Screen Recording access. Compare with NotchStar · Atoll alternatives
- Avocado
- Best for: A presenter who wants a free teleprompter with an optional Pro tier. Compare with NotchStar · Avocado alternatives
- Bartender
- Best for: Someone with a crowded menu bar and a notch. Compare with NotchStar · Bartender alternatives
- Be Focused
- Best for: Someone who wants task driven Pomodoro with reports. Compare with NotchStar · Be Focused alternatives
- Boring Notch
- Best for: A Mac user who wants a free, inspectable notch app for music, calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop and system HUDs, and who does not mind approving an unsigned app once. Compare with NotchStar · Boring Notch alternatives
- Brow
- Best for: A Mac user who wants to replace a launcher, a clipboard manager, a window manager and a screenshot tool with one free app, and who may pay $49 a year for AI writing help. Compare with NotchStar · Brow alternatives
- ChocolateBar
- Best for: Someone with a crowded menu bar, on a notched MacBook or not, who wants to hide or reach every status icon, and who runs macOS 12 to 15, including Intel Macs. Compare with NotchStar · ChocolateBar alternatives
- Crest
- Best for: A developer on a notched MacBook who runs Claude Code or Codex all day and wants approvals, 2FA codes, passwords and file sending in one notch app. Compare with NotchStar · Crest alternatives
- CueNotch
- Best for: A presenter who wants a feature rich notch teleprompter and accepts in app purchases. Compare with NotchStar · CueNotch alternatives
- DaisyDisk
- Best for: Someone who wants to see what fills the disk. Compare with NotchStar · DaisyDisk alternatives
- DropNotch
- Best for: A user who wants a file shelf in the notch with a small one time Pro upgrade. Compare with NotchStar · DropNotch alternatives
- Dropover
- Best for: Someone who drags files between apps often and wants a shelf that appears on demand. Compare with NotchStar · Dropover alternatives
- Droppy
- Best for: A Mac user who wants one app to replace a file tray, clipboard manager, music widget and several small utilities, and likes switching modules on and off. Compare with NotchStar · Droppy alternatives
- Dropzone
- Best for: A power user who wants drag targets that upload, move or run scripts. Compare with NotchStar · Dropzone alternatives
- Dynamic Notch
- Best for: Someone who wants the closest free copy of iPhone Dynamic Island behavior on a Mac. Compare with NotchStar · Dynamic Notch alternatives
- DynamicHorizon
- Best for: A user who wants a polished paid lock screen and media notch for a one time fee. Compare with NotchStar · DynamicHorizon alternatives
- DynamicLake
- Best for: A MacBook owner who wants iPhone style live activities, message and call alerts and plugins in the notch, and does not mind a larger app that asks for notification access. Compare with NotchStar · DynamicLake alternatives
- Gojo
- Best for: Someone who wants dictation plus clipboard and window tools in the notch, at a low price. Compare with NotchStar · Gojo alternatives
- Hidden Bar
- Best for: Someone who just wants to hide a few icons. Compare with NotchStar · Hidden Bar alternatives
- Ice
- Best for: A user who wants a free menu bar organizer. Compare with NotchStar · Ice alternatives
- iStat Menus
- Best for: A power user who wants detailed hardware stats in the menu bar. Compare with NotchStar · iStat Menus alternatives
- Korinotch
- Best for: Someone who wants a low priced lifetime notch app and does not mind creating an account. Compare with NotchStar · Korinotch alternatives
- Maccy
- Best for: Someone who wants a free, open source, keyboard driven clipboard history and nothing else. Compare with NotchStar · Maccy alternatives
- MacNotch
- Best for: A Mac user who already pays for Setapp, or who wants a configurable dashboard of widgets, device batteries and file actions in the notch and accepts a subscription. Compare with NotchStar · MacNotch alternatives
- MediaMate
- Best for: A Mac user who dislikes the large system volume and brightness overlays and wants compact, themed ones plus a now playing view, and does not need a toolbox in the notch. Compare with NotchStar · MediaMate alternatives
- MewNotch
- Best for: Someone who wants free, open source notch HUDs plus a shelf and a mirror. Compare with NotchStar · MewNotch alternatives
- Notch Buddy
- Best for: An indie founder who wants revenue and traffic numbers in the notch. Compare with NotchStar · Notch Buddy alternatives
- NotchBar
- Best for: A developer who wants a free open source widget bar in the notch. Compare with NotchStar · NotchBar alternatives
- NotchBox
- Best for: A Mac user on macOS 13 or later who wants many small widgets in the notch, including a browser, water tracker and app shortcuts, and prefers to try an app free and buy later through the Mac App Store. Compare with NotchStar · NotchBox alternatives
- NotchDrop
- Best for: Someone who only wants a temporary file shelf and AirDrop in the notch, free and open source. Compare with NotchStar · NotchDrop alternatives
- Notchet
- Best for: Someone who wants a clipboard manager in the notch for $9.99 once. Compare with NotchStar · Notchet alternatives
- Notchi
- Best for: A developer using Claude Code or Codex who wants status in the notch. Compare with NotchStar · Notchi alternatives
- Notchie
- Best for: A presenter who wants a paid once, no data teleprompter. Compare with NotchStar · Notchie alternatives
- Notchmeister
- Best for: Someone who wants fun effects around the notch, not a tool. Compare with NotchStar · Notchmeister alternatives
- NotchNest
- Best for: A Mac user with Apple silicon who wants a free notch app with AI helpers, bookmarks and a clipboard manager, and is happy to pay $14.99 once if the free caps get in the way. Compare with NotchStar · NotchNest alternatives
- NotchNook
- Best for: A developer on an Apple silicon MacBook who runs Claude Code or Codex all day and wants agent approvals, live status around the notch, clipboard, music and calendar in one app. Compare with NotchStar · NotchNook alternatives
- NotchPop
- Best for: A budget minded Mac user who wants a free, open source, all in one notch widget set. Compare with NotchStar · NotchPop alternatives
- NotchPrompter
- Best for: A presenter who wants a free open source notch teleprompter. Compare with NotchStar · NotchPrompter alternatives
- NotchSpace
- Best for: A Mac user on macOS 15 or later with a crowded menu bar who wants a free temporary shelf, a launch bar for pinned apps and a break reminder, and does not need clipboard history. Compare with NotchStar · NotchSpace alternatives
- NotchThings
- Best for: A MacBook user on macOS 15.6 or later who wants a customizable notch dashboard with AI usage limits, media and volume controls, and several utilities in one Mac App Store app. Compare with NotchStar · NotchThings alternatives
- OmniNotch
- Best for: A Mac user who wants one app for AI chat, AI usage limits, live sales totals, weather and stocks as well as the usual shelf, clipboard and timers, and is fine with a closed app that stores a license key in the Keychain. Compare with NotchStar · OmniNotch alternatives
- OneNotch
- Best for: A developer or designer on an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 15 or later who copies and screenshots all day and wants boards, OCR, markup and window snapping in one app. Compare with NotchStar · OneNotch alternatives
- Paste
- Best for: A Mac and iPhone user who wants synced, unlimited clipboard history and is fine paying yearly. Compare with NotchStar · Paste alternatives
- PastePal
- Best for: Someone who wants a one time purchase clipboard manager that also works on iPhone and iPad. Compare with NotchStar · PastePal alternatives
- PromptSmart
- Best for: Someone who wants a script that follows their speech while recording or presenting. Compare with NotchStar · PromptSmart alternatives
- QuackScreen
- Best for: Someone on macOS 26 who wants recording and screenshots from the notch. Compare with NotchStar · QuackScreen alternatives
- Raycast
- Best for: A launcher user who already wants one app for search, snippets and clipboard. Compare with NotchStar · Raycast alternatives
- Sapphire
- Best for: A tinkerer on a notched MacBook who wants Face ID, window snapping, a per app audio mixer and lock screen widgets without paying, and who is comfortable granting Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Compare with NotchStar · Sapphire alternatives
- Seam
- Best for: A founder or manager on an Apple silicon MacBook who lives in meetings, wants upcoming events, music, a focus timer and battery in view at all times, and dictates a lot of text. Compare with NotchStar · Seam alternatives
- Session
- Best for: A knowledge worker who wants a Pomodoro style timer with blocking. Compare with NotchStar · Session alternatives
- Shottr
- Best for: A developer or writer who wants fast annotated screenshots without a fixed price. Compare with NotchStar · Shottr alternatives
- Stats
- Best for: Someone who likes free, open source software and wants full system stats in the menu bar. Compare with NotchStar · Stats alternatives
- SuperIsland
- Best for: A developer who wants to script their own notch modules for free. Compare with NotchStar · SuperIsland alternatives
- TopNotch
- Best for: A MacBook owner who dislikes the notch cutting into a bright wallpaper and wants the menu bar to read as a solid black strip, at no cost, without adding any tools. Compare with NotchStar · TopNotch alternatives
- Tuneful
- Best for: A music listener who only wants a polished player in the notch, menu bar or a mini player. Compare with NotchStar · Tuneful alternatives
- Vibe Notch
- Best for: A developer who runs several Claude Code sessions and wants to approve from the notch. Compare with NotchStar · Vibe Notch alternatives
- Xnapper
- Best for: Someone who posts polished screenshots to social media or docs. Compare with NotchStar · Xnapper alternatives
- Yoink
- Best for: A Mac user who wants a cheap, proven drag shelf that also keeps a clipboard history. Compare with NotchStar · Yoink alternatives
Questions.
Does NotchStar take screenshots?
No. The Screenshot Tray catches screenshots macOS takes and holds up to 12 of them for 5 minutes each. It does not capture, annotate or record.
How much is CleanShot X?
Its pricing page lists Basic at $35 once, with 1 GB of cloud and one year of updates. Renewal is $19 per year. Pro is $10 per user per month billed annually. It lists no trial and a 30 day money back guarantee.
Can I use both?
Nothing in the pages we read says they conflict, but we have not tested them together.
What should I compare when I look for a CleanShot X alternative?
Start with the macOS version the app needs, then whether it is a one time purchase, a subscription or free, then the tools you would use every day. If privacy matters, check what the app collects and whether it is open source.
Are these comparisons independent?
No. NotchStar’s makers wrote them. We use only what each app’s own pages say, date every check, link the sources, say plainly where another app does more, and have not tested the other apps ourselves.
Best Mac notch apps: a neutral roundup of the options. All alternatives pages: the full list.
Put your notch to work.
Buy it once for $4, activate it in a minute, and keep it. Not sure yet? Try every tool in the browser on the home page, or install the 7 day trial.