Best Mac notch apps with a file shelf and AirDrop
At a glance
| App | Price | Requirements | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | $4 once, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel | A shelf and an AirDrop zone. Dragging a file toward the notch opens the shelf by itself. |
| NotchDrop | Free if you build it; a Mac App Store listing exists, price not read. MIT | macOS version not stated | A single purpose shelf and AirDrop opener. Files are kept 1 day by default. |
| Boring Notch | Free, GPL 3.0 | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel | A rebuilt shelf in version 2.7 with multi item selection, plus AirDrop. |
| MewNotch | Free, GPL 3.0 | macOS 14.0 or later | A drag and drop shelf with AirDrop sharing, in a free open source app. |
| Droppy | $9.99 once, 2 Macs, 3 day trial | macOS 14 or later | A File Tray that zips, converts, trims and combines files on the Mac. |
| NotchNook | Pro $19 lifetime or $3 a month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2 a month; 2 Macs | macOS 14.6 or later, Pro needs Apple silicon | The Tray: drop files on the notch to keep them or send them with AirDrop. |
| DropNotch | Free; Pro $15 once | macOS 13.0 or later, background removal needs macOS 14.0 | A notch shelf with one click actions, text recognition and background removal that run locally. |
| NotchNest | Free; Premium $2.99 a month or $14.99 once | macOS 14 or later | A File Tray with drag to AirDrop. Links can be dropped too. The free tier keeps 2 files. |
| MacNotch | From $4.99 a month via Setapp | macOS 14 or later | Dropped files can be AirDropped, zipped, converted, moved or copied, or opened with a chosen app. |
| Crest | $14.99 once, 2 Macs, 7 day trial | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | A Shelf widget, plus Drop, which sends files to other people's notches, encrypted. |
Prices and availability were checked on 4 November 2026. Verify the linked product page before buying.
Boring Notch, MewNotch and NotchDrop give you a free file shelf with AirDrop, and Droppy, NotchNook and MacNotch add actions on dropped files. NotchStar’s shelf parks files and AirDrops them for $4 once. Checked 4 November 2026.
How we checked
Each app’s official page, repository or App Store listing was read on 4 November 2026. The features compared are how files are kept, whether AirDrop is built in and what you can do with a dropped file. No speed or reliability was measured, and nothing is ranked. Each “best for” label rests on the app’s own feature wording. Prices as of 4 November 2026.
The entries
NotchStar: best for a simple shelf that opens when you drag a file
Drag a file toward the notch and the shelf opens by itself. Drop on the AirDrop zone and the macOS AirDrop picker opens with the files attached. The limits: the shelf holds references, not copies, so moving or deleting the original breaks the entry; it empties when NotchStar quits; and drag to open reacts to files only, not to text or images dragged from a web page. It is $4 once for up to 3 Macs, macOS 14 or later.
NotchDrop: best for only a shelf and AirDrop, free
MIT licensed, about 5.1 MB. Files dragged to the notch are kept for 1 day by default, and it opens AirDrop from the notch. GitHub Releases is empty, so you build it or use the Mac App Store listing, whose price was not read.
Boring Notch: best for a free shelf inside a wider app
Version 2.7 rebuilt the shelf with a context menu, multi item selection, double click to open, and opening when files are dragged near the notch. The app is free under GPL 3.0 but unsigned, so first launch needs extra steps.
MewNotch: best for a free shelf with volume overlays
Free and open source under GPL 3.0, with AirDrop sharing from the shelf, now playing and a mirror view. It is unsigned and its roadmap has unfinished items.
Droppy: best for working on files in place
Its File Tray lets you zip, convert, trim or combine files on the Mac, never in the cloud. $9.99 once covers 2 Macs. Droppy Cloud links expire after 3 days and are capped at 200 MB per file.
NotchNook: best for a long running notch app with a tray
The Tray keeps dropped files or sends them with AirDrop. Pro needs Apple silicon and macOS 14.6, and the trial is 48 hours.
DropNotch: best for files that need text recognition or background removal
Its shelf has one click actions, and text recognition and background removal run locally. Pro is $15 once, and clipboard history is Pro only. No account is needed. The page read does not state AirDrop.
NotchNest: best for trying a tray before paying
The free tier keeps 2 files and Premium is $2.99 a month or $14.99 once. It runs on macOS 14 or later.
MacNotch: best for actions on dropped files
A file dropped on the notch can be AirDropped, zipped, converted (images), moved or copied to a folder, or opened with an app. It is a subscription from $4.99 a month through Setapp.
Crest: best for sending files to someone else’s notch
Drop sends files from one notch to a friend’s, encrypted on your Mac first, up to 2 GB each with Crest Pro, with a browser link for people without Crest. It is $14.99 once.
The details side by side
| App | AirDrop | How long files stay | What you can do with them |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | Yes, an AirDrop zone | Until NotchStar quits | Reveal in Finder, AirDrop, remove |
| NotchDrop | Yes | 1 day by default | Not stated |
| Boring Notch | Yes | Not stated | Multi item selection, context menu, double click to open |
| MewNotch | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| Droppy | Not stated on the pages read | Not stated | Zip, convert, trim, combine |
| NotchNook | Yes | Not stated | Keep or send |
| DropNotch | Not stated on the page read | Not stated | One click actions |
| NotchNest | Yes | Free tier keeps 2 files | Links can be dropped too |
| MacNotch | Yes | Not stated | Zip, convert images, move, copy, open with |
| Crest | Not stated | Not stated | Encrypted send to other notches |
“Not stated” means the pages read on 4 November 2026 did not say, not that the app lacks it.
Questions to ask before you rely on a shelf
A shelf is a waiting room, so the first question is what happens to a file when you quit the app, restart or move the original. NotchStar keeps references only, so a moved original breaks the entry. NotchDrop deletes files after a day unless you change the setting. Check the same two points on any other app, and check whether dropping a file moves it, copies it or points to it. Then check the size limits on any cloud link feature: Droppy Cloud links are capped at 200 MB per file and 1 GB in total, and expire after 3 days.
How to choose
- You only want a shelf and nothing else: NotchDrop, or NotchStar if you also want the other nine tools.
- You want files changed while they sit there: Droppy or MacNotch.
- You want free: Boring Notch, MewNotch or NotchDrop.
- You send files to other people often: Crest.
Read the NotchStar File Shelf feature page for the exact behavior, the AirDrop shelf guide for the idea itself, and NotchStar compared with Droppy if the in place actions matter to you.
Sources
All read on 4 November 2026.
