NotchStar vs Brow

Brow is a broad Mac toolkit with a launcher and window management, free with a Pro tier at $4.99 a month for AI features; NotchStar is a smaller notch app at $4 once.

Checked 4 November 2026

Buy NotchStar for $4 Try it in the browser

Feature comparison between NotchStar and Brow
	NotchStar	Brow
Price	$4 once, with a 7 day trial, up to 3 Macs	Free forever with 40 or more tools; Pro is $4.99 a month or $49 a year and adds the AI features
Minimum macOS	macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel	macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later; Intel support is not stated
App launcher	Not listed	Included Opens with Option + Space; the page says it launches apps in under 100 ms
Window management	Not listed	Included Listed as a free feature, with multi monitor support
Clipboard history	Included 50 items, kept in memory only	Included Full history with search, pinning, previews and snippets
File shelf	Included With an AirDrop zone	Included A file drop zone in the notch
Screenshots	Included A screenshot tray	Included With OCR, plus area, window, scrolling and GIF capture, and a screen recorder
System stats	Included	Included CPU, memory, battery, disk, network and fan, with fan control
Timers	Included Timers and Pomodoro	Included A focus timer that blocks apps and sites, and several timers at once
Teleprompter	Included Fixed speed scroll	Included Listed in its 1.0.77 release notes, which mention following your voice
Camera mirror	Included	Not listed Not stated on its website
Disk tools	Included Duplicates, app leftovers, ports, compression	Included Smart Scan cleanup, an app uninstaller and a Space Radar treemap
Live activities in the closed notch	Not listed	Included Timers, dictation, screen recording and meeting join, per its notch page
AI features	Not listed	Included In the paid Pro tier

Sources: Brow website (checked 4 November 2026), Brow notch page (checked 4 November 2026), Brow release feed (checked 4 November 2026), Brow support (checked 4 November 2026), Brow privacy policy (checked 4 November 2026), Brow terms (checked 4 November 2026). “Not listed” means the source does not mention it, which is not proof the feature is missing. Prices and features change, so check before you buy.

Brow at a glance.

Made by: Brow; the website gives no individual maker name
Who it suits: 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.
Price: Free tier and paid plans. Brow Free is '$0 forever' with 40+ tools. Brow Pro is '$4.99/month or $49/year (save 18%)', 'Cancel anytime', and adds AI Grammar Fix, AI Dictation, AI Translation (19 languages), AI Agent, AI Workflows, a local AI model and premium support. Its terms say purchases go through the Mac App Store under Apple's refund policy. No trial is stated.
Needs: macOS 14 or later. Not stated.
License: Not stated
Release history: 67 releases listed between 9 February and 26 October 2026, from 1.0.0 beta to 1.0.77 beta, 13 in February and 4 in October; every listed version carries a beta label. Latest listed: 1.0.77 beta, 26 October 2026. Source

Brow is one of the 62 apps counted in our pricing statistics and requirements statistics.

Strengths

A free tier of 40 or more tools, with no account and no credit card, and a 20 MB download.
A launcher on Option + Space that also searches files, the browser, clipboard, tasks and a translator.
Window management, fan control and screen recording are included free, where other apps sell them separately.
Notes and tasks sync across your Macs through CloudKit (1.0.63 beta, 26 August 2026), and deleted notes are held for 30 days.
Frequent updates: 67 release notes in about nine months, and a privacy policy that lists no analytics, crash reporting or telemetry.

Limits

Every listed release is labelled beta, up to 1.0.77 beta.
AI features need Brow Pro at $4.99 a month or $49 a year, a subscription.
Intel support is not stated, and no trial or refund is described beyond Apple's refund policy.
Its privacy policy is dated January 2025 and its support pages describe Mac App Store distribution, while the home page offers a direct download and Homebrew tap, so which build you get is unclear.
The website does not state a license, and its screenshot of a GitHub repository does not resolve to a public page.

Choose Brow if…

You want a launcher and window management in the same app as the notch tools.
You want a free tier and broad extras such as screenshot OCR, a screen recorder, an app uninstaller and a PDF editor.
You want AI features such as grammar fix, translation or dictation, and accept a Pro subscription.

Choose NotchStar if…

You want a small set of notch tools for a one time $4, up to 3 Macs, with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund.
You want a camera mirror, an AirDrop zone on the file shelf and a screenshot tray that holds the last 12.
You already use a launcher and window manager and do not want another one.

The verdict.

Brow is a Mac toolkit that happens to live in the notch; NotchStar is a notch app with ten tools. Choose Brow if you want a launcher, window management, live activities and a long list of free utilities, NotchStar if you want a focused set and a single small payment.

What Brow is

Brow describes itself as ‘the everything app for Mac’: a launcher, clipboard manager, window manager, screenshot tool and system cleaner in one native Swift app, with a notch panel that shows stats, a file drop zone, a focus timer and calendar. It started as a launcher; the notch is one of its surfaces, not the whole product. The website names no individual maker, only ‘Brow’ and a support address.

It is sold as free with a paid tier. Brow Free costs $0 ‘forever’ and covers more than 40 tools. Brow Pro is $4.99 a month or $49 a year and adds AI features: grammar fix on a double tap of Shift, dictation, translation into 19 languages, an agent that carries out requests in plain English, and an option to install a local model. The site also says free users get ‘every non AI update forever’.

The release feed the site publishes lists 67 releases between 9 February 2026 (1.0.0 beta) and 26 October 2026 (1.0.77 beta): 13 in February, 15 in March, 10 in June and 4 in October. Every version name carries the beta label. That is a lot of motion, and it also means Brow itself does not call any build finished.

Distribution is a little unclear. The home page offers a direct download (a 20 MB disk image) and a Homebrew tap, but the privacy policy, terms and support pages say Brow is distributed through the Mac App Store and that Pro activates there.

Who it suits

Brow suits someone who is paying for, or maintaining, several small utilities. The page prices a launcher, clipboard manager, window manager, screenshot tool, cleaner, system monitor and website blocker separately and says Brow replaces them. If you already run a launcher with Option + Space, that is a conflict, and the 1.0.77 notes say onboarding now detects another notch app or a launcher on Command + Space and asks what to do.

It suits people who write a lot. The AI grammar fix works in any app, and dictation and translation use the same shortcut model. If you do not need those, the free tier carries most of the product.

It also suits people who want a screen recorder and cleanup tools without extra apps. The 1.0.67 notes describe a recorder with a timeline editor, and 1.0.66 describes Space Radar as a treemap of disk use.

What Brow does that NotchStar does not

A launcher is the biggest gap. ‘Press Option + Space and just start typing’ opens apps, files, browser bookmarks, clipboard, GIFs, tasks and unit and currency conversion. NotchStar has nothing like it; it lives only in the notch.

Window management comes next. Brow lists it as free and says it snaps to any display. NotchStar does not manage windows.

Brow shows live activities: the notch page says a timer counting down, dictation in progress, a screen recording and a meeting with a one click Join button appear in the notch. NotchStar shows no live activity in the closed notch.

Capture is broader. Brow lists area, window, fullscreen, scrolling and GIF capture, OCR on any text, a colour picker and a screen ruler, and a screen recorder with a camera bubble. NotchStar’s Screenshot Tray collects macOS screenshots; it does not capture.

Brow also lists fan control, Mac Care (Smart Scan, uninstaller, startup items), a focus mode that blocks sites and apps during a timer, several timers at once, synced lyrics in Now Playing, and notes and tasks that sync through CloudKit. NotchStar’s notes are a single local plain text note.

What NotchStar does that Brow does not list

Brow’s pages do not mention a camera mirror. NotchStar’s Mirror tab starts the camera when it opens and stops it when you leave, so the green light matches what you are doing.

NotchStar’s file shelf has an AirDrop zone: drop files on it and the macOS AirDrop picker opens with them attached. Brow describes a file drop zone that stages files, but its pages do not mention AirDrop on it.

NotchStar’s disk tools compare duplicates byte for byte, list the ports your Mac is listening on with the project folder behind each, and recompress photos over 2 MB and videos over 50 MB, sending originals to the Trash. Brow has overlapping cleanup, but its pages do not describe duplicate finding or a ports view in these terms.

Price and shape matter too. NotchStar is $4 once with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund, signed and notarized, with no analytics unless you opt in to anonymous version info. Brow is free and has a subscription you may never need, but its privacy page lists Accessibility, Screen Recording, Microphone and Automation permissions, which is a longer list than a notch app with no window management or recording needs.

Switching from Brow to NotchStar

On day one you will notice what is missing: no Option + Space, no window snapping, no screen recorder. NotchStar opens when you point at the notch, and everything you do there is a tab. Clipboard history starts empty and keeps 50 items in memory until you quit NotchStar.

You give up the launcher, window management, OCR, recording and the AI features. You gain a lower recurring cost if you were on Pro ($49 a year against $4 once), a teleprompter that scrolls at a fixed speed, a camera mirror, and an app that needs no window management or recording permissions.

Brow’s pages describe no export tool. Its support page says its data lives in two places under your Library folder, so copy what you need out of Brow before deleting it. Calendar and reminders stay in macOS and appear in NotchStar after you grant access. Consider keeping Brow’s launcher and window manager and turning off its notch, since the two notches would compete for the same space.

What we could not verify

We have not tested Brow ourselves. Everything here comes from Brow’s website, its published release feed, and its support, privacy and terms pages, read on 4 November 2026.

We could not confirm the maker, Intel support, a license, or whether a Mac App Store build and the direct download are the same app. The 1.0.77 notes mention a teleprompter and the 1.0.75 notes mention a camera bubble, but we could not check how either behaves. The home page shows 4.7 out of 5 from 3 reviews, which is too few to read anything into. The privacy policy is dated January 2025, so it may be older than the app. The comparison savings on its home page (a figure of ‘$324+/yr’) are Brow’s own arithmetic. Prices were checked on the same date and can change.

Questions.

Is Brow free?

Its website shows Brow Free at $0 forever with 40 or more tools, and Brow Pro at $4.99 a month or $49 a year, which adds AI features such as grammar fix, dictation, translation and an AI agent.

Link to this answer

Does Brow need an account?

Its website says no account is needed and its privacy policy says it has no analytics, crash reporting, usage telemetry or advertising identifiers. Its support page says Pro activates through the Mac App Store, so a Pro purchase uses your Apple ID.

Link to this answer

Does Brow run on Intel Macs?

Its website does not say. It lists macOS 14 or later as the requirement.

Link to this answer

Is Brow open source?

Its website does not say. A picture on its home page shows a GitHub repository, but we could not open a public repository at that address, so this page leaves the license as not stated.

Link to this answer

More comparisons.

NotchStar vs AgentNotch: AgentNotch is an MIT licensed app that shows Claude Code and Codex tool calls, tokens and cost in the notch; NotchStar has no agent monitoring. Read it
NotchStar vs Alcove: Alcove is a $12.99 one time purchase for macOS 15 or later built around live activities, lock screen widgets and HUDs; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten utilities with none of those three. Read it
NotchStar vs Alfred: Alfred is a launcher whose clipboard history needs the Powerpack at 34 GBP and keeps up to 3 months; NotchStar is a $4 once app where clipboard history is one of ten notch tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Atoll: Atoll is an open source GPL 3.0 notch app with live activities, lock screen widgets and a very wide feature list; NotchStar is a $4 signed toolbox with neither, and with tools Atoll does not list. Read it
NotchStar vs Avocado: Avocado is a teleprompter with a free tier and a Pro tier for voice scrolling, AI access and a Recording Studio; NotchStar's teleprompter scrolls at a set speed inside a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs Bartender: Bartender is a dedicated menu bar manager that handles items the notch hides; NotchStar does not organize menu bar icons and instead puts ten tools in the notch for $4 once. Read it
NotchStar vs Be Focused: Be Focused pairs a Pomodoro timer with tasks, reports, sync and blocking behind a Pro tier; NotchStar has simpler Pomodoro timers in a $4 once toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs Boring Notch: Boring Notch is free, open source and replaces the volume and brightness HUDs; NotchStar is a $4 signed and notarized app with more utility tools, such as clipboard history, timers, a teleprompter and disk tools. Read it
NotchStar vs ChocolateBar: ChocolateBar is a $15 menu bar manager that hides crowded icons or shows them in a second row under the bar, on macOS 12 to 15. NotchStar is a $4 notch toolbox that does not manage menu bar icons. Read it
NotchStar vs CleanShot X: CleanShot X captures, annotates and records, from $35 with a year of updates; NotchStar does not capture, and its $4 Screenshot Tray only holds screenshots macOS already took. Read it
NotchStar vs Crest: Crest is a larger notch control room at $14.99 once, with Claude Code and Codex approvals, passwords, a 2FA authenticator and encrypted file sending; NotchStar is $4 once and sticks to everyday utilities. Read it
NotchStar vs CueNotch: CueNotch is a feature rich notch teleprompter with voice following and Ghost Mode, free with a $29.99 lifetime or $7.99 weekly Pro; NotchStar's teleprompter scrolls at a set speed inside a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs DaisyDisk: DaisyDisk is the dedicated visual disk analyzer at $9.99 once with a 30 day money back guarantee; NotchStar's Disk tool finds large files, duplicates and leftovers inside a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs DropNotch: DropNotch is a free notch file shelf with live status displays and a $15 one time Pro upgrade for clipboard history; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Dropover: Dropover is a dedicated drag and drop shelf that opens on a shake, with cloud uploads and actions, free with a $7.99 Pro; NotchStar is a $4 app whose shelf is one of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Droppy: Droppy is a larger modular suite with 41 free extensions, live activities, window snapping and a teleprompter at $9.99 once; NotchStar is a smaller $4 toolbox of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Dropzone: Dropzone 5 is a $35 action launcher with grids, scripting and a Drop Bar; NotchStar is a $4 app whose file shelf overlaps only with that Drop Bar. Read it
NotchStar vs Dynamic Notch: Dynamic Notch is a free GPL 3.0 app that brings iPhone style live activities to the Mac notch, with a release on 3 November 2026; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools with no live activities. Read it
NotchStar vs DynamicHorizon: DynamicHorizon sells 20 or more notch modules with lock screen media and lyrics for $11.99 lifetime; NotchStar is $4 once with ten tools and a clear Mac count. Read it
NotchStar vs DynamicLake: DynamicLake adds a Dynamic Island style layer with message and call notifications, plugins, weather and file conversion for $13.99, with 89 changelog entries since June 2024; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten utilities that stays quiet until you open it. Read it
NotchStar vs Gojo: Gojo sells clipboard, shelf, window snapping, camera mirror and on device dictation from $9.99 lifetime for one Mac, or $19.99 for up to three; NotchStar is $4 once for up to three Macs. Read it
NotchStar vs Hidden Bar: Hidden Bar is a free, open source app that tucks menu bar icons behind an arrow; NotchStar does not organize menu bar icons and offers ten notch tools for $4 once. Read it
NotchStar vs Ice: Ice is a free, open source menu bar manager with an Ice Bar, profiles and hotkeys; NotchStar does not organize menu bar icons and is a $4 toolbox of ten notch tools. Read it
NotchStar vs iStat Menus: iStat Menus is the deeper dedicated monitor, with sensors, fan control, clocks and weather; NotchStar shows five basic readouts as one of ten tools for $4 once. Read it
NotchStar vs Korinotch: Korinotch lists $11.50 lifetime, a 14 day trial and a required account; NotchStar is $4 once with no account, a 7 day trial and ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Maccy: Maccy is a free MIT clipboard manager you search by typing; NotchStar's clipboard history is one of ten notch tools for $4 and keeps 50 items in memory only. Read it
NotchStar vs MacNotch: MacNotch, sold through Setapp, does more: a widget grid, device batteries, file actions and live activities in the closed notch. NotchStar is smaller and costs $4 once, where MacNotch is a subscription from $4.99 a month. Read it
NotchStar vs MediaMate: MediaMate replaces the volume, brightness and keyboard backlight HUDs and adds a now playing view for 6.99 euros on 5 devices; NotchStar adds ten utilities in the notch for $4 on 3 Macs. Read it
NotchStar vs MewNotch: MewNotch is a free GPL 3.0 app that replaces volume and brightness HUDs and adds a shelf with AirDrop, now playing and a mirror; NotchStar is $4 once, signed and notarized, with ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Notch Buddy: Notch Buddy adds live revenue and visitor numbers to a notch toolbox at $5.99 for the first 100 customers, then $19.99; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchBar: NotchBar is a pre release AGPL 3.0 widget bar with media playback, system monitor and active app widgets; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchBox: NotchBox is free with a $4.99 Pro purchase, runs on macOS 13 and has shipped 25 listed updates since October 2025; NotchStar is $4 once with a 7 day trial and needs macOS 14, with a similar set of notch tools. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchDrop: NotchDrop does one job, a temporary file shelf with AirDrop in the notch, and is open source under the MIT license; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools that includes a shelf with an AirDrop zone. Read it
NotchStar vs Notchet: Notchet is a notch clipboard manager with search, text inside images and a shelf for $9.99 once; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox where clipboard history is one of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Notchi: Notchi is a free GPL 3.0 app that shows Claude Code and Codex sessions, usage and cost in the notch; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox with no agent monitoring. Read it
NotchStar vs Notchie: Notchie is a teleprompter in the notch for $29.99 once that hides during screen sharing in supported apps and pauses when you hover; NotchStar's teleprompter is one tool in a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs Notchmeister: Notchmeister is a free Mac App Store app from The Iconfactory that adds decorative effects around the notch; NotchStar adds ten working tools instead. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchNest: NotchNest is a free Mac App Store download with capped free use, $2.99 a month or $14.99 once, and on device AI helpers; NotchStar is a $4 one time toolbox of ten tools with no caps. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchNook: NotchNook Pro (28 October 2026) adds live activities, AI agent approvals, clipboard and a teleprompter for $19 lifetime or $3 a month on Apple silicon; NotchStar is a $4 one time toolbox with none of the live features. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchPop: NotchPop is a free, open source notch app covering clipboard, shelf, music, calendar, timers and system stats; NotchStar costs $4 once and adds a teleprompter, camera mirror, quick notes, disk tools and a screenshot tray. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchPrompter: NotchPrompter is a single purpose open source teleprompter that follows your voice and hides from screen sharing; NotchStar's teleprompter scrolls at a set speed inside a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchSpace: NotchSpace is a free notch shelf, app launch bar and menu bar manager on the Mac App Store, and it says it is not a clipboard tool; NotchStar does not manage menu bar icons but adds ten tools for $4. Read it
NotchStar vs NotchThings: NotchThings has more modules, live indicators in the notch and AI usage tracking, and needs macOS 15.6 and a $6.99 unlock; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools for macOS 14. Read it
NotchStar vs OmniNotch: OmniNotch ships twenty tools, including on device AI chat, AI usage meters and live sales totals, and has a timer countdown in the closed notch. NotchStar is narrower, with ten tools, and costs $4 once against OmniNotch's $5 flash sale and $19.99 regular price. Read it
NotchStar vs OneNotch: OneNotch is a free to start notch app with deep clipboard boards, capture tools and window snapping for Apple silicon on macOS 15; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox that runs on macOS 14 and Intel. Read it
NotchStar vs Paste: Paste is a subscription clipboard manager with unlimited history, pinboards and iCloud sync; NotchStar's clipboard keeps 50 items in memory for a $4 one time price. Read it
NotchStar vs PastePal: PastePal is a dedicated clipboard manager with iCloud sync and 75+ text transforms, free with a $14.99 Pro; NotchStar is a $4 app where clipboard history is one of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs PromptSmart: PromptSmart Pro is a full window teleprompter that follows your voice and imports many file types for $29.99; NotchStar's Teleprompter is a fixed speed scroll in the notch within a $4 toolbox. Read it
NotchStar vs QuackScreen: QuackScreen is a capture app for the notch with screen recording, screenshots and an annotation editor, for EUR 20 on macOS 26; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox that catches screenshots but does not capture. Read it
NotchStar vs Raycast: Raycast is a launcher whose clipboard history keeps 3 months on the free plan and is unlimited on Pro at $10 a month; NotchStar is a $4 once app where clipboard history is one of ten notch tools. Read it
NotchStar vs Sapphire: Sapphire is a free, AGPL licensed notch app with Face ID, window snapping, a lock screen and a big free feature set, plus monthly AI and live data plans from $15.99; NotchStar is a $4 one time toolbox with none of those. Read it
NotchStar vs Seam: Seam is a Dynamic Island style surface with live activities, a lock screen display, coding agent progress and on device voice dictation for $19.90 on Apple silicon; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools you open on purpose. Read it
NotchStar vs Session: Session is the dedicated focus timer, with website and app blocking, calendar sync and AppleScript, on a $4.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly plan; NotchStar has simpler Pomodoro timers for $4 once. Read it
NotchStar vs Shottr: Shottr captures and annotates screenshots with OCR and scrolling capture at a pay what you want price; NotchStar does not capture, and its $4 Screenshot Tray only holds macOS screenshots. Read it
NotchStar vs Stats: Stats is a free, open source menu bar monitor with sensors, GPU, Bluetooth and a clock; NotchStar is a $4 closed source toolbox where system stats is one of ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs SuperIsland: SuperIsland is a free app with live activities, a JavaScript extension SDK and store, and meeting join links, but it needs a physical notch and has had no release since June 2026; NotchStar is $4 once with ten tools. Read it
NotchStar vs TopNotch: TopNotch, a free app from the CleanShot team, makes the camera housing blend into a black menu bar; its last release was June 2023. NotchStar keeps the notch visible and puts ten tools around it. Read it
NotchStar vs Tuneful: Tuneful is a focused $4.99 music controller for Spotify and Apple Music that needs macOS 15; NotchStar is a $4 toolbox of ten tools with Now Playing as one of them. Read it
NotchStar vs Vibe Notch: Vibe Notch, formerly Claude Island, is an Apache 2.0 open source app for monitoring Claude Code and approving permissions from the notch; NotchStar has no agent monitoring. Read it
NotchStar vs Xnapper: Xnapper beautifies and redacts screenshots from $29.99 with a year of updates; NotchStar does not capture, and its $4 Screenshot Tray only holds screenshots macOS already took. Read it
NotchStar vs Yoink: Yoink is a long established drag shelf with clipboard history and an iOS companion at $8.99 once with a 28 day trial; NotchStar is a $4 app whose shelf is one of ten tools. Read it
Brow alternatives: Every option next to Brow, with price and macOS support. See the alternatives
Best Mac notch apps: A neutral roundup of the options. Read the guide

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.

Buy NotchStar for $4 Try it in the browser