# Free or paid Mac notch app: is $4 worth it?

> Boring Notch, Atoll and NotchPop are free. NotchStar is $4 once. What the $4 adds, what free does better, and who should pick free. Checked 4 November 2026.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/best/free-vs-4-dollar-mac-notch-app/
Last updated: 2026-11-05

Published 2026-11-05.

Pick a free notch app if you want to pay nothing, want to read the source code, or only need a few things such as music, a shelf and a calendar. Pick NotchStar at $4 once if you want a teleprompter, a camera mirror, disk tools or a Screenshot Tray, or if you want a signed app that opens with a normal double click and comes with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund. Prices as of 4 November 2026.

The gap is $4, one time, for up to 3 Macs. That is small enough that features, trust and support matter more than money. This page compares NotchStar with the three free apps most often named, using only what their own pages state.

## The four apps side by side

| | Boring Notch | Atoll | NotchPop | NotchStar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | No price stated, free download | Free, no login | $4 once, up to 3 Macs |
| License | GPL 3.0, open source | GPL 3.0, open source | MIT, open source | Closed source |
| Needs | macOS 14, Apple silicon or Intel | macOS 14, optimized for macOS 15 and up; Intel not stated | macOS 14, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 14, Apple silicon and Intel |
| Account | Not stated | Not stated; its site shows a Sign In link | Not required | None |
| Signed by Apple | No, per its README | Not stated | Not stated | Signed and notarized |
| Trial and refund | Not applicable | Not stated | Not stated | 7 day trial, 7 day refund |

"Not stated" means the pages read do not say. It does not mean the answer is bad.

## Tools each one states

| Tool | Boring Notch | Atoll | NotchPop | NotchStar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music controls | Yes, with a visualizer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File shelf | Yes, with AirDrop | Yes, AirDrop not stated | Yes, AirDrop not stated | Yes, with an AirDrop zone |
| Clipboard history | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes, 50 items |
| Calendar | Yes, with reminders | Yes | Yes | Yes, today and tomorrow, read only |
| Timers | Not stated | Yes | Yes, with Pomodoro | Yes, with Pomodoro |
| System stats | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera mirror | Yes | Camera listed, mirror not named | Not stated | Yes |
| Teleprompter | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Disk tools | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Screenshot Tray | Not stated | Not stated | A Quick Actions shortcut | Yes |

The free apps cover a lot. NotchPop alone lists a clipboard, a shelf, music, a calendar, timers and system stats. What the $4 adds is the bottom of the table: a teleprompter, disk tools and a Screenshot Tray, plus a camera mirror and quick notes where NotchPop does not list them.

## What free does better

- **The price and the source.** Nothing to pay, and you can read, build and change the code.
- **Live activities.** Boring Notch lists a playback live activity and a charging indicator in the closed notch. Atoll lists live activities for media, Focus, screen recording, privacy indicators, downloads (in beta), battery and charging. NotchPop shows a pill beside the notch during music or Pomodoro. NotchStar has none.
- **Lock screen widgets and gestures.** Atoll lists both. NotchStar has neither.
- **Volume and brightness overlays.** Boring Notch replaces the system HUDs. NotchStar does not.
- **Size.** NotchPop's website gives about 1.9 MB for its DMG. NotchStar's is 3.6 MB.

## What the $4 buys

- **Tools the free apps do not state:** a teleprompter, disk tools (free space, big folders, duplicates, app leftovers, with everything going to the Trash), a Screenshot Tray, and quick notes.
- **A build macOS trusts.** NotchStar is Developer ID signed and notarized. Boring Notch says its team has no Apple Developer account yet, so its first launch needs a Terminal command, an Open Anyway approval in System Settings, or Homebrew.
- **Terms in writing.** 7 day trial, 7 day refund, up to 3 Macs, no account, and no analytics unless you opt in to anonymous version info.
- **One developer you can name.** NotchPop's page does not name its maker and links no privacy policy page.

## Update and support signals

These are the dates shown on each project's release pages as of 4 November 2026.

| App | Latest release shown | What that suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Boring Notch | 2.7.3 on 24 November 2025; three v2.8 release candidates marked prerelease between 23 September and 10 October 2026 | Active, but the newest stable build is nearly a year old. Support is through GitHub issues and a Discord server, with no support email in the README. |
| Atoll | 2.3.3 on 24 July 2026; the last push was 4 November 2026 | Very active, with 29 releases between 6 September 2025 and 7 September 2026. Most new work lands in alpha and beta builds, and the stable 2.3.3 only fixed packaging. |
| NotchPop | v1.5.49 on 13 May 2026 | About five months old. Its website still shows v1.5.44. |
| NotchStar | 1.0.5 on 12 October 2026 | One developer. A newer product, so a short history. |

None of this says one is safer or better kept. Open source apps can be forked if the maker stops, which a closed source app cannot. NotchStar's risk is the opposite: one person maintains it, and the code is not public.

## Who should pick free

Choose a free app if any of these is true:

1. **You want to pay nothing.** Free is a fair answer to a $4 price.
2. **You want to read or change the code.** Only the free ones allow it. Atoll and Boring Notch are GPL 3.0, NotchPop is MIT.
3. **You want live activities, lock screen widgets or gestures.** Atoll is the one to try.
4. **You mostly want music, a shelf and a calendar.** Boring Notch covers all three and replaces the volume and brightness HUDs.
5. **You are comfortable approving an unsigned app and granting permissions.** Atoll asks for Accessibility, Camera, Calendar, Screen Recording and Music access.

## Who should pay the $4

Choose NotchStar if you need a teleprompter or a camera mirror for calls, disk tools for clearing space, or a Screenshot Tray, or if you want one signed app with a trial and a refund. NotchStar's limits are real: it needs macOS 14, it is closed source, the teleprompter scrolls at a set speed, the clipboard history sits in memory and clears when the app quits, and there are no live activities or window management.

You can also try both. NotchStar's trial lasts 7 days and the refund window is 7 days, so the cost of testing it is small. Run one notch app at a time: both draw at the top of the screen.

## Related reading

See the full list of [free Mac notch apps](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-free-mac-notch-apps/), the [price ladder under $5](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-app-under-5-dollars/), and the one to one comparisons with [Boring Notch](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/boring-notch/), [Atoll](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/atoll/) and [NotchPop](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/notchpop/).

## How this was checked

Every figure here comes from each app's own GitHub README, release page or website, read on 4 November 2026. "Not stated" means the page does not say, and apps are never marked down for it. Prices and release dates change, so confirm them on each page.

## Sources

- [NotchStar pricing](https://www.notchstar.com/pricing/) for the $4 price, the trial, the refund and the 3 Mac license.
- [Boring Notch](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch), its [license](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch/blob/main/LICENSE) and its [releases](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch/releases).
- [Atoll](https://github.com/Ebullioscopic/Atoll), its [releases](https://github.com/Ebullioscopic/Atoll/releases) and [getatoll.app](https://getatoll.app/).
- [NotchPop](https://notchpop.pages.dev) and its [GitHub repository](https://github.com/bendawg2010/NotchPop).

## Quick answers.

### Is a free Mac notch app good enough?

For many people, yes. Boring Notch, Atoll and NotchPop are free and open source and cover music, a shelf, a calendar or a clipboard. Pay $4 for NotchStar if you want a teleprompter, camera mirror, disk tools, a signed app, a trial and a refund.

### What do you get for $4 that free apps do not state?

A teleprompter, a camera mirror, quick notes, disk tools and a Screenshot Tray, none of which the three free apps state. You also get a signed and notarized build, no account, a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund.

### Is a free notch app safe to use?

Their source is public, which lets anyone inspect it. Boring Notch says it is not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so its first launch needs extra steps. Read the app's privacy and permission details before you grant access.

## Keep reading.

- [The best free Mac notch apps, and what free really means](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-free-mac-notch-apps/): Ten free Mac notch apps, from fully free open source to free tiers with paid upgrades, with macOS versions and limits from official pages, 4 November 2026.
- [The best Mac notch app for $5 or less](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-app-under-5-dollars/): Which Mac notch apps cost $5 or less? One time prices, free apps and small monthly plans, from each app's own page, checked 4 November 2026.
- [NotchStar vs Boring Notch](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/boring-notch/): An evidence based comparison of NotchStar and Boring Notch, the free GPL 3.0 notch app: price, signing, HUDs, release history, features and who each one suits.
- [NotchStar vs Atoll](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/atoll/): NotchStar compared with Atoll, the open source Dynamic Island style notch app: GPL 3.0 source, live activities, lock screen widgets and release history.
- [NotchStar vs NotchPop](https://www.notchstar.com/vs/notchpop/): NotchPop is a free, MIT licensed Mac notch app with clipboard, shelf, music, calendar, timers and stats. Compare it with NotchStar on price and tools.

## More in Price.

- [The best Mac notch app for $5 or less](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-app-under-5-dollars/): Which Mac notch apps cost $5 or less? One time prices, free apps and small monthly plans, from each app's own page, checked 4 November 2026.
- [Mac notch apps for $10 or less, and what the extra $5 buys](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-apps-under-10-dollars/): Which Mac notch apps cost $10 or less? What Droppy, Notchet and Gojo add over a $4 app, with trials, Mac counts and requirements, checked 4 November 2026.
- [The cheapest Mac notch app with a file shelf](https://www.notchstar.com/best/cheapest-mac-notch-app-with-a-file-shelf/): Mac notch apps with a file shelf, ranked by price: free apps first, then NotchStar at $4 once, then the rest. Checked on each app's own page, 4 November 2026.
- [What a Mac notch app really costs over 1, 3 and 5 years](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-app-cost-over-1-3-5-years/): Total cost of 24 one time and 10 subscription Mac notch app plans over 1, 3 and 5 years, sorted by 3 year cost, from each app's own page, 4 November 2026.
- [Mac notch apps for $15 or less, compared by price per Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/best/best-mac-notch-apps-under-15-dollars/): Mac notch apps at $15 or less: NotchNook Classic, Crest Pro, Alcove, DynamicLake and more, with price per Mac, trials and what each adds. 4 November 2026.
- [Notch app lifetime or monthly: when the one time price wins](https://www.notchstar.com/best/mac-notch-app-lifetime-vs-monthly-break-even/): Lifetime or monthly Mac notch app? The month a one time price becomes cheaper: NotchNook month 7 or 8, NotchNest month 6, Gojo month 4 or 5. Checked 4 Nov 2026.