# 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. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/vs/notchnook/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Checked 4 November 2026. | | NotchStar | NotchNook | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $4 once, with a 7 day trial, up to 3 Macs and a 7 day refund | Pro $19 lifetime or $3 a month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2 a month; one license covers 2 Macs; 7 day refund on direct purchases | | Minimum macOS and chip | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 14.6 or later; Pro needs Apple silicon, Classic runs on Apple silicon and Intel | | Free trial | 7 days | Every feature free for 48 hours, no card required; one trial period per Mac | | Live activities around the notch | Not listed | Included. Pro: music, timers, meetings, downloads, battery and agents show around the notch | | Lock screen display | Not listed | Included. Pro: its 2.0.3 and 2.0.5 release notes describe a lock screen display | | AI agent approvals | Not listed | Included. Pro: follow Claude Code and Codex sessions, approve commands and answer questions from the notch | | Volume and brightness pop up | Not listed | Included. Pro: a replacement for the system pop up | | Now playing | Included | Included. Spotify, Apple Music and any app macOS lists as Now Playing | | Calendar | Included | Included. Join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex; a countdown before each meeting in Pro | | File shelf with AirDrop | Included | Included. The Tray: drop files on the notch to keep them or send them with AirDrop | | Timers and Pomodoro | Included | Included | | Camera mirror | Included | Included | | Quick notes | Included | Included | | Clipboard history | Included | Included. Pro: search, filter and categories; passwords are never saved | | Teleprompter | Included | Included. Pro: scrolls at your pace or follows your voice | | System stats and disk tools | Included | Not listed. Not listed on its website | | Screenshot tray | Included | Not listed. Not listed on its website | | No account, no analytics unless opted in | Included | Not listed. Not stated; licenses and the trial are activated from the app | Sources: [NotchNook on lo.cafe](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) (checked 4 November 2026), [NotchNook Pro website](https://getnotchnook.com/) (checked 4 November 2026), [NotchNook FAQ and refund terms](https://getnotchnook.com/faq) (checked 4 November 2026), [NotchNook Pro changelog](https://getnotchnook.com/changelog) (checked 4 November 2026), [NotchNook release feed (JSON, used by the changelog page)](https://getnotchnook.com/api/releases/pro) (checked 4 November 2026), [lo.cafe journal: finding your NotchNook version](https://lo.cafe/journal/notchnook-version-and-updates/) (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. ## NotchNook at a glance. - **Made by:** lo.cafe - **Who it suits:** A developer on an Apple silicon MacBook who runs Claude Code or Codex all day and wants agent approvals, live status around the notch, clipboard, music and calendar in one app. - **Price:** One time purchase. NotchNook Pro: $19 lifetime or $3 a month. NotchNook Classic: $15 lifetime or $2 a month. One license covers 2 Macs; Pro and Classic use separate licenses. Every feature is free for 48 hours with no card required. A full refund within 7 days applies to new purchases made directly through Stripe; Paddle purchases follow Paddle's policy. - **Needs:** macOS 14.6 or later. Apple silicon and Intel. - **License:** Not stated - **Release history:** 7 NotchNook Pro releases (2.0 to 2.0.6) between 28 October and 2 November 2026; NotchNook Classic's latest listed version is 1.6.20. Latest listed: 2.0.6, 2 November 2026. [Source](https://getnotchnook.com/api/releases/pro) NotchNook 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 - Pro puts live activities around the notch for music, timers, meetings, downloads, battery and agents, which NotchStar does not do. - Pro lets you approve Claude Code and Codex commands and answer their questions from the notch, and shows how much of your Claude and Codex limits you have used. - The calendar has join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex, and a countdown before each meeting in Pro. - Pro lists 37 features, including a teleprompter that follows your voice, a clipboard with search and categories, Pocket for holding dragged files, and a volume and brightness replacement. - Fast fix cadence: seven Pro releases in the first six days after 2.0 on 28 October 2026. ### Limits - NotchNook Pro requires Apple silicon and macOS 14.6 or later; Intel Macs are limited to Classic. - Pro is priced at $19 lifetime or $3 a month, and one license covers 2 Macs; Pro and Classic licenses are separate. - The trial is 48 hours, limited to one period per Mac, and the app activates licenses and trials itself. - Pro 2.0 was first released on 28 October 2026, so its public release history was 7 days long when we checked. - Its website does not state whether the app is open source. ## Choose NotchNook if… - You want live activities, a lock screen display and a volume and brightness replacement, and you are on Apple silicon. - You run Claude Code or Codex and want to approve commands and watch usage limits from the notch. - You want a teleprompter that follows your voice, calendar join buttons, to dos, weather and Shortcuts in the notch. - You want a lifetime license of $19 for Pro or $15 for Classic, or a monthly plan you can stop. ## Choose NotchStar if… - You want to pay $4 once for up to 3 Macs and have no monthly option to think about. - You are on an Intel Mac and want more than NotchNook Classic's media, calendar and tray set. - You want system stats, disk tools (duplicates, large folders, listening ports) and a screenshot tray. - You want no account and no analytics unless you opt in, in a 3.6 MB signed and notarized download. ## The verdict. NotchNook Pro does much more than NotchStar: live activities, agent approvals, a lock screen display and a bigger widget set, for $19 once or $3 a month on Apple silicon. NotchStar is smaller and costs $4 once. If you want the notch to show live status, choose NotchNook. If you want a quiet set of tools you open on purpose, with disk tools and system stats, choose NotchStar. ## What NotchNook is NotchNook is made by lo.cafe (the legal entity is named lo fi cafe, LLC on one page and lo.cafe Ltda, Brazil, on another). Its site describes it as "the original notch app", and it now comes in two products that need separate licenses. NotchNook Classic is the original app: its page lists "music, calendar, notes and files", the version shown is 1.6.20, and a lo.cafe support article dated 17 October 2026 describes build 90 and says automatic updates arrived in 1.6.5. NotchNook Pro is a rebuild. Its changelog calls 2.0 "the first release of NotchNook Pro", and the release feed that powers that page dates it 28 October 2026. The Pro feed lists seven releases from 2.0 to 2.0.6. The last, 2.0.6, is dated 2 November 2026. That is seven releases in six days, mostly fixes: 2.0.1 limits the free trial to one 48 hour period per Mac, 2.0.3 fixes the notch not appearing after unlock, and 2.0.5 fixes Messages replies on macOS 26. Pro had about a week of public history when we looked. Prices on lo.cafe: Pro is $19 lifetime or $3 a month, Classic is $15 lifetime or $2 a month. One license covers 2 Macs. Every feature is free for 48 hours with no card. The FAQ promises a full refund within 7 days for new purchases made directly through Stripe. Its home page counts 37 features in Pro. ## Who it suits Pro suits a developer on an Apple silicon MacBook. Its AI agents feature follows Claude Code and Codex sessions step by step and lets you approve commands and answer questions from the notch, and an AI Usage card shows how much of your Claude and Codex limits you have used and when they reset. If you leave agents running in another space, that saves a trip to the terminal. It also suits someone who wants the notch to be a status display. Pro lists Live Activities for music, timers, meetings, downloads, battery and agents, AirPods with their battery level, and a replacement for the system volume and brightness pop up. If you take many video calls, the calendar has a countdown before each meeting and join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex. Classic suits a person on an Intel Mac, because Pro requires Apple silicon and Classic is the only edition that runs on Intel, and a person who wants only music, calendar, widgets and the file Tray for $15 once. ## What NotchNook does that NotchStar does not The gap is mostly live behavior. NotchStar shows no live status while the notch is closed. NotchNook Pro shows activities around it, so a timer or a download is visible without hovering. That matters if you want information to find you rather than going to look for it. NotchNook Pro lists these items that NotchStar 1.0.5 has no counterpart for: - Claude Code and Codex approvals, plus the AI Usage card. - A lock screen display (named in its 2.0.3 and 2.0.5 release notes). - Volume and brightness shown in the notch, and AirPods with battery. - Pocket: "shake the pointer while dragging files and a Pocket appears to hold them." - Weather, to dos with a full window and month calendar, Shortcuts, and a terminal. - "Video downloads": copy a video link and download it into the Tray, trimmed if you like. The Drop Area can also convert files to another format. - Workspaces you edit by right clicking the notch and dragging widgets, and a Glass or Classic look. Where the two overlap, NotchNook Pro is often deeper. Its teleprompter "scrolls at your pace or follows your voice"; NotchStar's scrolls at a speed you set and does not listen. Its clipboard can be sorted into categories; NotchStar keeps the latest 50 items in memory. Its notes open a bigger editor; NotchStar keeps one plain text note. ## What NotchStar does that NotchNook does not list NotchNook's pages do not list system stats, disk tools or a screenshot tray. NotchStar has all three. System stats shows CPU, memory, disk, battery and network speed as gauges, sampled once a second and only while that tab is on screen. Disk tools is the larger piece: free space and one click eject for each drive, a scan of caches, logs, Xcode build data and downloads untouched for 90 days, a duplicate finder that compares bytes and keeps the oldest copy, app leftovers, and a Ports view that lists every local port that is listening with the project folder and command behind it. Everything it removes goes to the Trash. A developer who has wondered what holds port 3000 will use that more than a weather card. The screenshot tray holds the latest 12 screenshots under the notch for five minutes, so you can drag several into a chat at once. The other differences are terms. NotchStar is $4 once for up to 3 Macs, one more Mac than NotchNook's license covers, and there is no monthly plan to compare. It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Intel and Apple silicon, so the floor is lower than NotchNook's 14.6 and Intel Macs get the whole app. It is signed and notarized, needs no account, and sends no analytics unless you opt in to anonymous version info. NotchNook's pages say your notes, files and camera content stay on your Mac, but they do not say whether the app needs an account, so we leave that open. ## Switching from NotchNook to NotchStar On day one you will see less. NotchStar shows no live status while closed, so the live activities, the lock screen display and the volume pop up are gone. You hover to open it, then pick a tab: Home, clipboard, shelf, now playing, calendar, timers, teleprompter, mirror, stats, notes or disk. The calendar reads through macOS Calendar and Reminders, as NotchNook does, so Google, iCloud and Exchange accounts you already added still show. It shows events through the end of tomorrow and cannot create them. What you give up, in order of how many people notice: live status, agent approvals, the voice following teleprompter, categorized clipboard, to dos and weather. What carries over: nothing automatically. NotchNook's pages describe no export. Its FAQ says notes, files and camera content stay on your Mac, so copy any text out of its notes first. NotchStar holds one note, a shelf that empties when it quits, a clipboard history kept in memory, and timers that reset on quit. If you use any of those across restarts, check that you can live with it before you cancel a lifetime license. ## What we could not verify We have not tested NotchNook ourselves. Everything above comes from its own pages and release feed, read on 4 November 2026. - The Classic release history. The page loads it from a feed we could not read, so we know only that Classic is at 1.6.20 and that a support article dated 17 October 2026 describes that version. - Whether the lock screen display is a documented feature. Two Pro release notes mention it, but the Pro feature list we read does not describe it. - The prices shown inside the checkout. The Pro site renders prices with scripts, so we used the figures printed on lo.cafe. - Whether NotchNook is open source, or whether it needs an account. Its pages do not say. - How much memory or battery it uses, and whether features such as agent approvals work as described with current versions of Claude Code and Codex. ## Questions. ### How much does NotchNook cost? Its website lists NotchNook Pro at $19 lifetime or $3 a month, and NotchNook Classic at $15 lifetime or $2 a month. One license covers 2 Macs, and Pro and Classic use separate licenses. Check its site for current prices. ### Which macOS does NotchNook need? Its website says macOS 14.6 or later. Pro requires Apple silicon. Classic also supports Intel Macs. ### What is the difference between NotchNook Pro and Classic? Per its FAQ, Pro is a rebuild with the Liquid Glass notch, AI agents, a teleprompter, a terminal and Live Activities. Classic has media controls, Calendar, the Nook widgets and the file Tray. Both keep getting updates. ### Does NotchNook have a refund? Its FAQ says purchases made directly through Stripe can be refunded in full within 7 days by email. Paddle purchases follow Paddle's policy. ### Does NotchStar have live activities? No. NotchStar does not show live status in the collapsed notch and has no lock screen widgets. ### Is NotchNook open source? Its website does not say either way, so this comparison does not claim it is or is not. ## 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 Crest](https://www.notchstar.com/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. - [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 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. - [NotchNook alternatives](https://www.notchstar.com/alternatives/notchnook/): Every option next to NotchNook, with price and macOS support. - [Best Mac notch apps](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-mac-notch-apps/): A neutral roundup of the options.