What a Mac notch app really costs over 1, 3 and 5 years
Over three years, a Mac notch app that you pay for once costs between $4 and $29.99, while the subscriptions in this table cost between $44.97 and $179.64, apart from one weekly plan. NotchStar is the lowest at $4 once, for up to 3 Macs, and it stays $4 at year 1, year 3 and year 5. NotchNook Pro at $3 a month reaches $108 by year 3 and $180 by year 5. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
How the sums work
Every figure is a payment the app’s own page lists, read on 4 November 2026. The sums were done in a Python script with exact decimals, not by hand.
- A one time price is counted once, whatever the period.
- A monthly plan is multiplied by 12, 36 and 60. A yearly plan is multiplied by 1, 3 and 5. A weekly plan is multiplied by 52, 156 and 260.
- Prices stay the same for the whole period. In real life they can change.
- Tax is left out. OmniNotch and Notch Buddy say their prices exclude tax, Crest says its prices include tax outside the US and Canada, and most pages do not say.
- The cost of one Mac is shown, so apps that cover several Macs are not credited here. See the multi Mac comparison for that.
The full table, sorted by 3 year cost
| Rank | App and plan | Billing | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NotchStar | $4 once | $4 | $4 | $4 |
| 2 | NotchBox Pro | $4.99 once | $4.99 | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| 3 | Tuneful | $4.99 once | $4.99 | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| 4 | NotchThings | $6.99 once | $6.99 | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| 5 | OneNotch Pro | $6.99 once | $6.99 | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| 6 | Droppy | $9.99 once | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| 7 | Gojo Personal | $9.99 once | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| 8 | Notchet | $9.99 once | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| 9 | Korinotch | $11.50 once | $11.50 | $11.50 | $11.50 |
| 10 | DynamicHorizon | $11.99 once | $11.99 | $11.99 | $11.99 |
| 11 | Alcove | $12.99 once | $12.99 | $12.99 | $12.99 |
| 12 | DynamicLake | $13.99 once | $13.99 | $13.99 | $13.99 |
| 13 | Crest Pro | $14.99 once | $14.99 | $14.99 | $14.99 |
| 14 | NotchNest Lifetime | $14.99 once | $14.99 | $14.99 | $14.99 |
| 15 | ChocolateBar | $15 once | $15 | $15 | $15 |
| 16 | DropNotch Pro | $15 once | $15 | $15 | $15 |
| 17 | NotchNook Classic | $15 once | $15 | $15 | $15 |
| 18 | NotchNook Pro | $19 once | $19 | $19 | $19 |
| 19 | Seam | $19.90 once | $19.90 | $19.90 | $19.90 |
| 20 | Gojo Multi Mac | $19.99 once | $19.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| 21 | OmniNotch | $19.99 once | $19.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 |
| 22 | Notchy | $24.99 once | $24.99 | $24.99 | $24.99 |
| 23 | CueNotch Pro Lifetime | $29.99 once | $29.99 | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| 24 | Notchie | $29.99 once | $29.99 | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| 25 | NotchNest yearly | $14.99 a year | $14.99 | $44.97 | $74.95 |
| 26 | NotchNook Classic monthly | $2 a month | $24 | $72 | $120 |
| 27 | Gojo Personal monthly | $2.99 a month | $35.88 | $107.64 | $179.40 |
| 28 | NotchNest monthly | $2.99 a month | $35.88 | $107.64 | $179.40 |
| 29 | NotchNook Pro monthly | $3 a month | $36 | $108 | $180 |
| 30 | Brow Pro yearly | $49 a year | $49 | $147 | $245 |
| 31 | Brow Pro monthly | $4.99 a month | $59.88 | $179.64 | $299.40 |
| 32 | Gojo Multi Mac monthly | $4.99 a month | $59.88 | $179.64 | $299.40 |
| 33 | MacNotch on Setapp | from $4.99 a month | $59.88 | $179.64 | $299.40 |
| 34 | CueNotch Pro weekly | $7.99 a week | $415.48 | $1,246.44 | $2,077.40 |
Gojo Multi Mac and OmniNotch tie at $19.99, and Seam sits just below at $19.90. The two Gojo rows are different plans: Personal covers one Mac and Multi Mac covers up to three.
What the table shows
The cheapest 24 plans are all one time. The most expensive one time plan here, at $29.99, is still below the cheapest subscription at 3 years, NotchNest yearly at $44.97. The cheapest monthly plan is NotchNook Classic at $2, which costs $24 in a year and $72 in three.
Subscriptions are cheaper only if you stop. The yearly plan on NotchNest is $14.99, the same as its lifetime price, so it ties after year 1 and costs double after year 2. At $3 a month, NotchNook Pro is $36 in the first year, which is nine times the NotchStar price. By year 5 the multiple is 45. At 5 years NotchNest monthly is about 45 times and Brow Pro monthly about 75 times the NotchStar price.
Free tiers change the answer. Brow, NotchNest, NotchBox and OneNotch have free tiers, so a person who stays within the free limits pays nothing. The table prices the paid plan.
Where NotchStar is not the cheapest
NotchStar is the lowest priced app with a stated price in this table, but it is not the cheapest option overall. Boring Notch, Atoll and NotchPop are free, and the free apps page lists more. MediaMate is 6.99 euros once, shown in its own currency because it is not converted here. NotchStar is closed source, needs macOS 14 and has no live activities.
Notes on the one time rows
- Updates can end. Crest Pro says updates run through Crest 7. ChocolateBar lists one year of updates, and the installed version keeps working afterwards. Seam lists at least a year of free updates. These rows are counted once, which assumes you do not buy an upgrade.
- Launch prices can change. OneNotch Pro is $6.99 on one page and $9.99 on another, with a launch code valid until 19 November 2026. OmniNotch showed a flash sale at $5 against a normal $19.99, and the table uses $19.99. DropNotch showed a $10 launch offer until 9 November, and the table uses $15.
- Trials differ. NotchStar gives 7 days and a 7 day refund. Droppy gives 3 days and a 14 day refund, and NotchNook gives 48 hours.
Some apps are left out because their price is not stated or not in dollars. Notch Buddy lists $5.99 for the first 100 buyers, 89 of which had sold when its page was read, then $19.99. Avocado lists no price for Pro. Boring Notch and the other free apps have no price to total.
How to use this
- Count how long you will keep the app. For under a year a $2 monthly plan can be close to a one time price. For three years or more the one time prices win.
- Check whether the paid plan is the one you need. Free tiers cover a lot.
- Read the one time price guide for Mac counts and trials, and the under $5 page for the cheapest group. NotchStar’s own terms are on the pricing page.
How we checked
Each price was read from the app’s own website, Mac App Store listing or GitHub page on 4 November 2026. Notchy’s price comes from the page recorded in our one time price guide. Where a field was not stated, the app is left out or the gap is noted. Confirm on the app’s page before you buy.
Sources
- NotchStar pricing
- NotchNook and NotchNook FAQ
- NotchNest and NotchNest on the Mac App Store
- Brow, Gojo, Droppy, Notchet and Korinotch
- Tuneful on the Mac App Store and NotchBox on the Mac App Store
- NotchThings pricing, OneNotch, DynamicHorizon, DynamicLake and Alcove
- Crest pricing, ChocolateBar, Seam pricing, OmniNotch and DropNotch
- Notchy pricing, Notchie on the Mac App Store, CueNotch on the Mac App Store and MacNotch on Setapp
