Mac notch apps for $10 or less, and what the extra $5 buys
At a glance
| App | Price | Requirements | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | $4 once, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial, 7 day refund | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel, no account | Ten tools in one app: clipboard history, a file shelf with AirDrop, now playing, calendar, timers, a teleprompter, a camera mirror, system stats, notes and disk tools, plus a Screenshot Tray. |
| Droppy | $9.99 once, 3 day trial, 14 day refund, 2 Macs | macOS 14 or later; Intel support not stated | A modular suite with live activities, a file tray, clipboard history, window snapping and 41 free extensions. |
| Notchet | $9.99 once, 7 day trial, 2 Macs | macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon and Intel | A clipboard manager and file shelf in the notch, with search that reads text inside images. |
| Gojo | $9.99 lifetime for one Mac, 3 day trial; $19.99 lifetime for up to 3 Macs | macOS 14 or later, a Mac with a physical notch; chip support not stated | Clipboard, shelf, now playing, calendar, camera mirror, window snapping and offline dictation. |
| NotchThings | Free on the Mac App Store, $6.99 lifetime purchase, 7 day trial | macOS 15.6 or later; chip support not stated | A customizable dashboard of 16 modules with AI usage tracking, a volume mixer, notes and a clipboard. |
| OneNotch | Free tier; Pro $6.99 once with a launch code until 19 November 2026, 2 Macs | macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon | Clipboard boards, screenshots with OCR and markup, window snap zones and a file shelf. |
| NotchBox | Free with a $4.99 NotchBox Pro purchase | macOS 13 or later; chip support not stated | Many small widgets: a browser, Pomodoro, camera mirror, clipboard, calendar, notes and app shortcuts. |
| Tuneful | $4.99 once on the Mac App Store | macOS 15 or later | Music controls in the notch, the menu bar or a mini player, and nothing else. |
| MediaMate | 6.99 euros once, 5 devices, 14 day money back guarantee | macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | Replacement volume and brightness overlays plus a now playing view in the notch. |
Prices and availability were checked on 4 November 2026. Verify the linked product page before buying.
For $10 or less, NotchStar is the cheapest notch app with several tools, at $4 once for up to 3 Macs. The extra $5.99 to $9.99 buys different things: Droppy adds live activities, window snapping and 41 extensions, Gojo adds window snapping and offline dictation, and Notchet adds deeper clipboard search with fewer tools. Free apps also exist. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
What the extra $5 buys, app by app
The three apps at $9.99 are close in price and far apart in what they do. Each line below comes from the app’s own pages.
- Droppy ($9.99 once) is the larger suite. Its site lists live activities beside the collapsed notch, a File Tray that can zip and convert files, clipboard history with pins and search, window snapping, a Pomodoro timer, a teleprompter that can follow your voice, a camera preview and system stats. Extra tools arrive as free extensions, 41 of them. It gives a 3 day trial and a 14 day refund, and one license covers two Macs.
- Notchet ($9.99 once) is narrower. It is a clipboard manager and shelf. Search reads text inside images, and Universal Clipboard copies from an iPhone or iPad are included. Its page lists no calendar, timers or music. It covers 2 Macs after a 7 day trial and contacts the internet for the license check and updates.
- Gojo ($9.99 lifetime) lists clipboard, a shelf, media controls, calendar and reminders, a camera mirror, window snapping and dictation that runs on the Mac. That price covers one Mac. Three Macs cost $19.99, which is more than the $10 line. It needs a Mac with a physical notch, and its optional cloud transcription sends audio to a provider.
If you want live activities or window snapping, the extra money is justified, because NotchStar offers neither. If you want clipboard history, a shelf, timers, a teleprompter and a camera mirror, you can have those at $4 and keep $5.99.
Features each app lists
“Not listed” means the page read does not mention it. It is not proof the feature is missing.
| App | Clipboard | File shelf | Now playing | Calendar | Timers | Live activities | Window snapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | Yes, 50 items | Yes, with AirDrop | Yes | Yes, today and tomorrow | Yes | No | No |
| Droppy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notchet | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Gojo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| NotchThings | Yes, off until you turn it on | Yes | Yes | A calendar widget | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| OneNotch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes, snap zones |
| NotchBox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
Pay once for less than $10
| App | Price | Trial and refund | Macs covered | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | $4 once | 7 day trial, 7 day refund | Up to 3 | macOS 14 |
| Tuneful | $4.99 once | Not stated | Family Sharing for up to 6 people | macOS 15 |
| NotchBox | Free, Pro $4.99 | Apple’s terms | Not stated | macOS 13 |
| MediaMate | 6.99 euros once | 14 day money back guarantee, tryout mode | 5 devices | macOS 13 |
| NotchThings | Free, $6.99 lifetime | 7 day trial, no refund policy stated | Not stated | macOS 15.6 |
| OneNotch | Free, Pro $6.99 once | No trial, 7 day refund | 2 | macOS 15, Apple silicon |
| Droppy | $9.99 once | 3 day trial, 14 day refund | 2 | macOS 14 |
| Notchet | $9.99 once | 7 day trial | 2 | macOS 14 |
| Gojo | $9.99 lifetime | 3 day trial, refund not mentioned | 1 | macOS 14 |
A few prices come with a catch. OneNotch’s $6.99 is a launch price with the code LAUNCH30 until 19 November 2026, and its feature page shows $9.99 for Pro, so the price differs between pages. Notch Buddy lists $5.99 for the first 100 customers, 89 of which were sold when the page was read, and then $19.99. OmniNotch showed a $5 flash sale and then $19.99. Check the live price before you pay. MediaMate is in euros, so convert it at your bank’s rate.
Free apps, in short
- Boring Notch is free and open source under GPL 3.0, with music, a calendar and a file shelf with AirDrop. It needs macOS 14.
- NotchPop is free under an MIT license, with a clipboard, a shelf, music, calendar, timers and system stats. It needs macOS 14.
- Atoll is open source under GPL 3.0 and states no price. It lists live activities and lock screen widgets.
- MewNotch is free under GPL 3.0 with a shelf, now playing and a camera mirror. Its README says it is unsigned.
For the full list, read the free notch apps page. Free costs nothing in money and can cost something in setup: some of these apps are unsigned, which the safety comparison covers.
How to choose
- Clipboard, shelf, timers and a teleprompter for the lowest price: NotchStar at $4.
- Live activities, window snapping and extensions: Droppy at $9.99, if two Macs and macOS 14 suit you.
- A deeper clipboard and nothing else: Notchet at $9.99.
- Music only: Tuneful at $4.99, on macOS 15 or later.
- A free tier first, with a small purchase later: NotchThings or OneNotch, on macOS 15 or later.
NotchStar has limits you should weigh. It is closed source, it needs macOS 14, its calendar is read only, its teleprompter scrolls at a fixed speed, and it shows nothing in the collapsed notch. The earlier under $5 page covers the cheaper end, and the one time purchase guide covers the apps you pay for once.
How this was checked
Every price, trial and requirement here was read from each app’s own website, Mac App Store listing or GitHub page on 4 November 2026. “Not stated” means the page says nothing about it. Apps whose price could not be read are left out.
Sources
- NotchStar pricing
- Droppy and its license guide
- Notchet
- Gojo
- NotchThings
- OneNotch and its features page
- NotchBox on the Mac App Store
- Tuneful
- MediaMate and its Gumroad page
- Notch Buddy and OmniNotch
- Boring Notch, NotchPop, Atoll and MewNotch
