# 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. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/vs/crest/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Checked 4 November 2026. | | NotchStar | Crest | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $4 once, with a 7 day trial, up to 3 Macs | $14.99 once for Crest Pro, on 2 Macs, with updates through Crest 7. Crest Cloud storage is a separate subscription from $4.99 a month | | Minimum macOS | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | | Free trial | 7 days | 7 days of everything, no card and no account. After that Crest pauses until you buy | | Now playing | Included | Included. Synced lyrics, a queue pane and an Apple Music favorite heart | | Calendar | Included. Today and tomorrow, read only | Included. Includes a Join button for meetings | | Notes and reminders | Included. One plain text note | Included. Notes in categories, to dos, and syncing with Crest for iPhone | | Timers | Included. Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro | Included. A Focus timer widget | | Clipboard history | Included. 50 items, kept in memory only | Included. A clipboard history widget, introduced in Crest 6 | | File shelf | Included. With an AirDrop zone | Included. A Shelf widget | | Window snapping | Not listed | Included. Hold a window at the notch to snap it into one of 12 layouts | | Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI approvals in the notch | Not listed | Included. Allow, deny or answer questions from the notch | | Passwords and a 2FA authenticator | Not listed | Included. Fills Safari sign in forms with Touch ID and types 2FA codes | | Send files to other people's notches | Not listed | Included. Encrypted, with a link for people without Crest | | Teleprompter | Included | Not listed. Crest says it retired its Prompter module in 2026 | | Camera mirror | Included | Not listed. A camera pre check was added in 4.5.0 in July; the current feature list does not mention it | | Disk tools | Included | Not listed. Not stated on its website | Sources: [Crest website](https://crestnotch.app/) (checked 4 November 2026), [Crest changelog](https://crestnotch.app/changelog) (checked 4 November 2026), [Crest facts page](https://crestnotch.app/facts) (checked 4 November 2026), [Crest pricing](https://crestnotch.app/pricing) (checked 4 November 2026), [Crest privacy, terms and refunds](https://crestnotch.app/legal) (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. ## Crest at a glance. - **Made by:** Crest, made by two independent developers (the site names the founder as Zack); Paddle is the reseller and merchant of record - **Who it suits:** A developer on a notched MacBook who runs Claude Code or Codex all day and wants approvals, 2FA codes, passwords and file sending in one notch app. - **Price:** One time purchase. Crest Pro is $14.99 once: 'Pay once and use it on 2 Macs, with updates through Crest 7.' 7 day trial of everything, no card and no account; after that Crest pauses until you buy. 7 day refund 'if something is wrong'. Prices include tax except in the US and Canada. Crest Cloud and Drop is a separate add on subscription: 50 GB at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, 200 GB at $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year. Take and Minutes are $9.99 once each. A friend's invite link gives 20% off Crest Pro. - **Needs:** macOS 14 or later. Apple silicon and Intel. - **License:** Not stated - **Release history:** 106 releases listed on its changelog between 25 June and 3 November 2026, from 3.3.0 to 6.6.10, with 6.0.0 on 30 September and 6.6.0 on 22 October. Latest listed: 6.6.10, 3 November 2026. [Source](https://crestnotch.app/changelog) Crest is one of the 62 apps counted in our [pricing statistics](https://www.notchstar.com/research/mac-notch-app-pricing/) and [requirements statistics](https://www.notchstar.com/research/mac-notch-app-requirements/). ### Strengths - Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI permission prompts open in the notch, and answers go straight to the agent even with the terminal behind (changelog 6.6.7, 29 October 2026). - Passwords and an authenticator in the same app: Safari fill with Touch ID, 2FA codes typed in, and imports from Apple Passwords, 1Password and Bitwarden. - Drop sends files from one notch to a friend's notch, encrypted on your Mac first, up to 2 GB each with Crest Pro, with a browser link for people without Crest. - Window snapping into 12 layouts and 22 kinds of widget, and a Homebrew cask for installing. - A fast release record: 106 changelog entries in about four months, and a post trial state that keeps music, shelf, clipboard and saved passwords working. ### Limits - $14.99 is 3.75 times NotchStar's $4, and one licence covers 2 Macs where NotchStar covers 3. - Updates are included only through Crest 7; the pricing page does not say what happens after that. - After the 7 day trial, Pro features pause until you buy, and cards such as weather, calendar and battery show a Paused face. - Crest Cloud and larger Drop limits need a separate subscription from $4.99 a month, and checkout needs a Crest account (the 6.6.6 notes say you sign in only at checkout). - Its own page says the Prompter module was retired, so there is no teleprompter. ## Choose Crest if… - You use Claude Code, Codex or Copilot CLI and want permission prompts and questions to appear in the notch. - You want passwords, a 2FA authenticator and encrypted file sending in the same app, and accept paying $14.99. - You want window snapping, 22 kinds of widget, an iPhone companion in public beta and a changelog that moves several times a week. ## Choose NotchStar if… - You want a teleprompter, a camera mirror, disk tools, a screenshot tray and AirDrop on the file shelf. - You want the lower price: $4 once, up to 3 Macs, with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund. - You want an app that holds no passwords or cloud files and does not ask you to sign in to buy. ## The verdict. Crest does more, and says so: coding agent approvals, passwords, an authenticator, encrypted file transfer, window snapping and 22 widgets on top of the usual notch tools. NotchStar is smaller and costs about a quarter as much. Choose Crest if those extras matter to you, NotchStar if you want everyday utilities and a teleprompter, camera mirror and disk tools. ## What Crest is Crest is a notch app for the Mac made by two independent developers, who also sell two other apps: Take, a screen recorder, and Minutes, a call notetaker. It is not on the Mac App Store. You download it from crestnotch.app or with Homebrew (`brew install --cask crest`), and its page says it is signed and notarized by Apple. Its changelog shows how fast it moves. The oldest entry is 3.3.0 on 25 June 2026 and the newest is 6.6.10 on 3 November 2026: 106 releases in about 18 weeks. Version 4.0.0 on 10 July 2026 was described as a new app, version 6.0.0 on 30 September redesigned the notch around pages and widgets, and 6.6.0 on 22 October added Drop, Passwords and Crest Cloud. That pace is a strength if you like new features and a cost if you want an app that stays the same. Pricing has moved too. The changelog records Crest Pro at $10 in a launch sale in July, $15 flat on 11 July, $19.99 on 25 July, and $14.99 from 22 October. It is now a one time $14.99 licence for 2 Macs with updates through Crest 7. Earlier versions also sold a subscription; the 6.6.8 notes say new subscriptions have ended. Crest Cloud, the storage add on, is still a subscription: $4.99 a month for 50 GB. ## Who it suits Crest suits developers who run coding agents. Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI questions arrive as a card on the notch, and you can allow a command or pick an answer without switching windows. The Agents widget lists every running session and warns you before a Claude or Codex limit runs out. It also suits people who want one app to replace a password manager, an authenticator and a file transfer tool. Passwords fill in Safari with Touch ID, 2FA codes are typed for you, and Drop sends encrypted files to a friend's notch. If you already live in the Apple Passwords or 1Password world, that is a large switch, so it suits people willing to consolidate rather than people who want a single narrow tool. Finally, it suits people who like to arrange things. There are four pages (Now, Home, Work and Code), 22 kinds of widget, and window snapping into 12 layouts. One verified buyer review on its site even says it works well on monitors with no notch, where it sits in a small pill. ## What Crest does that NotchStar does not Crest's headline is agents: 'Answer Claude Code and Codex without leaving what you're doing.' NotchStar has nothing like it. It matters because a coding agent that waits for permission stalls silently, and an approval on the notch removes that wait. Passwords and codes are the second gap. Crest says it 'fills your username and password in Safari with one touch of Touch ID' and 'works as a two factor authenticator too'. NotchStar holds no secrets on purpose; its clipboard history even skips anything a password manager marks as concealed. Drop is the third. Per Crest, files are encrypted on your Mac before they leave, a free account can always receive, and Crest Pro sends up to 2 GB each and 20 GB a month, with files waiting 7 days. NotchStar sends files with AirDrop only, which needs the other device nearby. Smaller gaps: window snapping, synced lyrics, a queue pane in Now Playing, a Join button on meetings, a Hosts list for SSH connections, Weather, and an iPhone companion in public beta on TestFlight. ## What NotchStar does that Crest does not list Crest's current feature list does not mention a teleprompter, and its own page says it retired its Prompter module in 2026. NotchStar's teleprompter scrolls at a speed you set, fades at the top and bottom, and sits beside the camera on a notched MacBook. It does not follow your voice. It is plain text, one script at a time. NotchStar has a camera mirror that runs only while the Mirror tab is open, so the camera light matches what you are doing. Crest added a camera pre check in 4.5.0 in July, but its current feature list does not mention it, so we cannot say whether it is still there. NotchStar also has disk tools: free space for every drive, folders ranked by size, duplicates compared byte for byte, app leftovers and a ports list, with everything sent to the Trash and never deleted outright. Crest's pages do not mention disk cleaning. The file shelf has an AirDrop zone: drop a file on it and the macOS AirDrop picker opens with the file attached. The Screenshot Tray keeps the latest 12 screenshots for five minutes so you can drag them into a chat. Crest does list a Shelf, but its pages do not describe an AirDrop zone or a screenshot tray. On trust, NotchStar needs no account to buy or run, and the app sends no analytics unless you opt in to anonymous version info. Crest's legal page says its apps measure nothing beyond counts it describes, and the website uses Microsoft Clarity and Cloudflare Web Analytics. Crest says no account is needed to start its trial, and asks you to sign in at checkout. ## Switching from Crest to NotchStar On day one you will have a quieter notch. Music, clipboard history, a file shelf, calendar and reminders, timers, notes and system stats are all there, but you will see them as ten tabs and not as pages of widgets you rearrange. Clipboard history keeps 50 items in memory and clears when NotchStar quits, where Crest's history survives crashes. What you give up is the long list above: agent approvals, passwords, codes, Drop, Cloud, window snapping and synced lyrics. Before you uninstall Crest, export your passwords (Crest offers an encrypted backup or a file for Apple Passwords) and save any notes you want as Markdown. Your calendar and reminders live in macOS, so NotchStar reads them again after you grant access. If you use Claude Code from the notch, keep Crest, or accept that prompts return to the terminal. The two apps can run side by side, but two notch apps compete for the same space, so pick one to be the notch. ## What we could not verify We have not tested Crest ourselves. Everything here comes from Crest's own website, changelog, facts and pricing pages, read on 4 November 2026. We could not confirm Crest's license; the site does not say whether it is open source, and we found no repository. We did not verify its Intel support beyond its own FAQ, which says it runs on Apple silicon and Intel. We could not tell whether the camera pre check from 4.5.0 survives in Crest 6, what happens to your licence after Crest 7, or how much memory Crest uses. The review figure of 4.6 out of 5 from 20 reviews is Crest's own page, not an independent count. Prices were checked on the same date and can change. ## Questions. ### How much does Crest cost? Its website shows Crest Pro at $14.99, paid once, for use on 2 Macs with updates through Crest 7. Crest Cloud is a separate storage subscription: 50 GB is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and 200 GB is $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year. Take and Minutes are separate apps at $9.99 once each. ### Does Crest have a free trial? Yes. Its website describes 7 days of everything with no card and no account, starting the first time you open it. After that Crest pauses until you buy. Your saved passwords, codes and notes stay readable, and receiving files with Drop still works. ### Does Crest have window snapping? Yes. Its Crest 6 notes say you can hold a window at the notch to snap it into one of 12 layouts. NotchStar does not snap windows. ### Does NotchStar approve Claude Code prompts in the notch? No. NotchStar does not do that. Crest lists Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI approvals as a feature. ## Related - [NotchStar vs AgentNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Alcove](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Alfred](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Atoll](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Avocado](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Bartender](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Be Focused](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Boring Notch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Brow](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs ChocolateBar](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs CleanShot X](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs CueNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs DaisyDisk](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs DropNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Dropover](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Droppy](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Dropzone](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Dynamic Notch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs DynamicHorizon](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs DynamicLake](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Gojo](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Hidden Bar](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Ice](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs iStat Menus](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Korinotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Maccy](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs MacNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs MediaMate](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs MewNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Notch Buddy](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchBar](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchBox](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchDrop](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Notchet](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Notchi](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Notchie](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Notchmeister](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchNest](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchNook](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchPop](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchPrompter](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchSpace](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs NotchThings](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs OmniNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs OneNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Paste](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs PastePal](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs PromptSmart](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs QuackScreen](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Raycast](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Sapphire](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Seam](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Session](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Shottr](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Stats](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs SuperIsland](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs TopNotch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Tuneful](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Vibe Notch](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Xnapper](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [NotchStar vs Yoink](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [Crest alternatives](https://www.notchstar.com/alternatives/crest/): Every option next to Crest, with price and macOS support. - [Best Mac notch apps](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-mac-notch-apps/): A neutral roundup of the options.