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.
| NotchStar | MediaMate | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4 once, with a 7 day trial | 6.99 euros, per its Gumroad page: 1 license covers 5 devices, with a demo mode |
| Minimum macOS | macOS 14 or later | macOS 13 or later |
| Replaces the volume and brightness HUDs | Not listed | Included |
| Keyboard backlight HUD and shortcuts | Not listed | Included |
| Hides HUDs during a Focus mode | Not listed | Included Through Focus Filters |
| Now playing in the notch | Included | Included Inside the notch or in a separate bubble, with play, pause and scrubbing |
| Choice of HUD themes | Not listed | Included iOS, circular, notch and classic themes |
| External display volume and brightness | Not listed | Partly Only with Lunar or BetterDisplay, per its Gumroad page |
| Clipboard history | Included | Not listed Not stated on its website |
| File shelf with AirDrop | Included | Not listed Not stated on its website |
| Calendar, timers and teleprompter | Included | Not listed Not stated on its website |
| No usage data collected | Included Nothing sent unless you opt in to anonymous version info | Not listed Its privacy policy lists app version, license state, theme and macOS version |
Sources: MediaMate website (checked 4 November 2026), MediaMate FAQ (checked 4 November 2026), MediaMate privacy policy (checked 4 November 2026), MediaMate on Gumroad (checked 4 November 2026), MediaMate releases on GitHub (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.
MediaMate at a glance.
- Made by
- Wouter Hennen (copyright line on the website; the Gumroad seller is Wouter)
- Who it suits
- A Mac user who dislikes the large system volume and brightness overlays and wants compact, themed ones plus a now playing view, and does not need a toolbox in the notch.
- Price
- One time purchase. Gumroad lists 6.99 euros (699 cents in euro) for 1 License, 5 Devices, with a 14 day money back guarantee. The FAQ says to download the app and activate Tryout Mode, and the Gumroad page says to use the demo mode. No regional pricing or discount is stated.
- Needs
- macOS 13 or later. Apple silicon and Intel.
- License
- Not stated
- Release history
- 69 releases on GitHub between 1 Aug 2022 and 13 Aug 2026: 22 in 2022, 17 in 2023, 21 in 2024, 8 in 2025 and 1 in 2026. The gap between 3.8.3 on 29 Sep 2025 and 3.8.4 on 13 Aug 2026 is about 10 and a half months.. Latest listed: 3.8.4, 13 August 2026. Source
MediaMate is one of the 62 apps counted in our pricing statistics and requirements statistics.
Strengths
- Replaces the volume, display brightness and keyboard backlight HUDs without tampering with System Integrity Protection, per its FAQ.
- Four HUD themes (iOS, circular, notch and classic) and audio output icons, so the volume HUD shows which device is playing.
- Focus Filters hide the HUDs when a Focus mode is on.
- Now playing can sit inside the notch or in a separate bubble, with play, pause and scrubbing, and works with Apple Music, Spotify and browsers.
- 6.99 euros covers 5 devices, with a tryout mode and a 14 day money back guarantee.
Limits
- External display brightness and volume work only with Lunar or BetterDisplay, per its Gumroad page; its FAQ says other tools do not work.
- Touch Bar Macs need a separate mode that its website says may be less reliable.
- It collects app version, license state, theme and macOS version, through iCloud, per its privacy policy.
- Only 1 release in 2026 so far, 3.8.4 on 13 Aug 2026, after 8 in 2025.
- Its FAQ says apps such as Firefox might fail to show album art, a limitation it says it cannot circumvent.
Choose MediaMate if…
- You want the system volume and brightness indicators replaced with compact ones.
- You mainly want a now playing view in the notch, and a license that covers 5 devices instead of 3.
- You are on macOS 13 and cannot run macOS 14.
Choose NotchStar if…
- You want tools in the notch: clipboard history, a file shelf with AirDrop, timers, a teleprompter and system stats.
- You do not need the system HUDs replaced.
- You want an app signed and notarized, with no account and no analytics unless you opt in.
The verdict.
MediaMate is a focused app for HUDs and now playing, it lists a higher price than NotchStar, 6.99 euros against $4, but one license covers 5 devices. NotchStar is a broader toolbox that leaves the system HUDs alone. They overlap only on now playing, and some people will run both.
What MediaMate is
MediaMate is a Mac app by Wouter Hennen, listed on Gumroad under the seller name Wouter. Its website describes it as new visuals for the volume and brightness HUDs plus a now playing view that can sit in the notch. It is sold as a single license on Gumroad for 6.99 euros: 1 license covers 5 devices, there is a 14 day money back guarantee, and a tryout mode lets you use it before paying. The website is a small one page site with a FAQ and a privacy policy.
The release history is public. The app’s binaries are published in a GitHub repository called MediaMate Releases, which holds a README and 69 releases and no license file, and was created on 31 July 2022. The first release is dated 1 August 2022 and the latest, 3.8.4, is dated 13 August 2026. By year that is 22 releases in 2022, 17 in 2023, 21 in 2024, 8 in 2025 and 1 in 2026. The shape matters. This was a busy app for two years and has slowed. 3.8.3 shipped on 29 September 2025, then nothing until 3.8.4 on 13 August 2026, whose only note is added support for macOS 27. The notes show updates tied to macOS changes: 3.7.0 on 6 April 2025 fixed the now playing feature after macOS 15.4 restricted an API it relied on, and 3.7.1 on 12 April 2025 restored the earlier behaviour as an option.
Who it suits
It suits someone who likes the Mac but finds the big centre screen volume and brightness boxes intrusive, and wants a small, consistent replacement. The four themes (iOS, circular, notch and classic) let you choose how much it looks like iOS. It suits people who want a HUD and shortcuts for the keyboard backlight, which the website lists as a feature. It suits people who use Focus modes, because Focus Filters hide the HUDs when one is on. It suits a household with several Macs, since one license covers 5 devices. And it suits people who only want a now playing card in the notch and nothing else, because the app does not try to be a toolbox.
What MediaMate does that NotchStar does not
Everything about the HUDs. MediaMate’s website says “The default, old style macOS HUDs are replaced with new, compact ones,” and its FAQ says this does not require disabling System Integrity Protection. NotchStar does not touch the system indicators, so if the large volume square is what bothers you, NotchStar does not fix it.
The keyboard brightness HUD and its shortcuts, the audio output icons that show the playing device in the volume HUD, and the Focus Filters are also absent from NotchStar. So are the themes. The Now Playing HUD adds a second view, a separate bubble instead of the notch, and offers play, pause and scrubbing from it.
It also has a device and refund advantage. At 6.99 euros against our $4 it lists the higher price, and we have not converted the currencies, but its license covers 5 devices against our 3, and its Gumroad page offers a 14 day money back guarantee against our 7 day refund.
External displays are mixed: its Gumroad page says external brightness and volume work with Lunar or BetterDisplay, and its FAQ says other tools do not work. That is a limit for desk setups, and still more than NotchStar attempts.
What NotchStar does that MediaMate does not list
MediaMate lists three jobs: the HUDs, the keyboard backlight and now playing. Its website and Gumroad page do not list a clipboard history, a file shelf, calendar, timers, a teleprompter, a camera mirror, system stats, notes or disk tools. NotchStar has all of those. The clipboard keeps the 50 most recent items and skips anything a password manager marks as concealed. The shelf takes a file you drag toward the notch and hands it to the AirDrop picker. Timers cover a timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with five finish sounds. The teleprompter sits by the camera on a notched MacBook. A screenshot tray holds the latest 12 screenshots for five minutes.
There is also a privacy difference. MediaMate’s privacy policy says it collects the app version and build number, whether a license is activated, the chosen theme and the macOS version, stored through iCloud and used to get insight into app usage. That is small, and the policy says it is not shared, and you can switch it off in System Settings. NotchStar sends nothing, and has no account, unless you opt in to anonymous version info. If that distinction matters to you, it is a real difference, even though the amount of data is small.
Switching from MediaMate to NotchStar
Most people will not switch, they will add. The two do different jobs and overlap on now playing, so running both is reasonable. If you do replace MediaMate, expect the following on day one. The standard macOS volume and brightness indicators return when MediaMate quits. NotchStar opens when you hover over the notch and starts on a Home tab with the current track and your next events. On a Mac without a notch NotchStar shows a small floating pill.
You give up the compact HUDs, the keyboard backlight HUD, Focus Filters and the themes. You lose the 5 device license, because NotchStar covers up to 3 Macs. Its pages describe no export of settings, so nothing carries over. If you pay, you pay $4 once, with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund.
One practical point: MediaMate’s FAQ warns that it can interfere with other tools that use the media keys and suggests its External App Support setting. We have not tested the two together, so we cannot say whether they conflict.
What we could not verify
We have not tested MediaMate ourselves. Everything here comes from its website, FAQ, privacy policy, Gumroad page and GitHub releases, read on 4 November 2026.
- Whether it is open source. The releases repository has no license and the pages say nothing, so we mark it unknown.
- Whether MediaMate is signed and notarized. The pages do not say.
- Why releases slowed in 2025 and 2026. The notes give no roadmap, and we will not guess.
- Its memory and battery use, and whether the 5 device limit is enforced in any particular way.
- Whether it runs on Apple silicon and Intel alike. The website says all Macs are supported, and we have not checked a specific model.
- The Gumroad rating of 4.9 from 327 ratings is the only outside signal we saw, and we did not read the reviews.
Questions.
Does MediaMate replace the volume and brightness HUD?
Yes. Its website says the default macOS HUDs are replaced with compact ones, and its FAQ says it does not require disabling System Integrity Protection.
Can I try MediaMate before buying?
Yes. Its FAQ says to download the app and activate Tryout Mode, and its Gumroad page calls this demo mode. Gumroad also lists a 14 day money back guarantee.
How many devices does one MediaMate license cover?
Its Gumroad page lists 1 license for 5 devices. NotchStar covers up to 3 Macs.
Does MediaMate collect data?
Its privacy policy says it collects the app version and build number, whether a license is activated, the chosen theme and the macOS version, stored through iCloud, which you can switch off in System Settings. NotchStar sends nothing unless you opt in to anonymous version info.
Does NotchStar replace the volume and brightness HUDs?
No. NotchStar leaves the system indicators as they are and adds tools in the notch.
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
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- 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
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- NotchStar vs Bartender
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- NotchStar vs Be Focused
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- 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 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. 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- NotchStar vs Droppy
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- NotchStar vs Dropzone
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- NotchStar vs Dynamic Notch
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- NotchStar vs DynamicHorizon
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- NotchStar vs DynamicLake
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- NotchStar vs Gojo
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- NotchStar vs Hidden Bar
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- NotchStar vs Ice
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- NotchStar vs iStat Menus
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- NotchStar vs Korinotch
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- NotchStar vs Maccy
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- NotchStar vs MacNotch
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- NotchStar vs MewNotch
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- NotchStar vs Notch Buddy
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- NotchStar vs NotchBar
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- NotchStar vs NotchBox
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- NotchStar vs NotchDrop
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- NotchStar vs Notchi
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- NotchStar vs Notchmeister
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- NotchStar vs NotchNest
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- 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
- MediaMate alternatives
- Every option next to MediaMate, 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.
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