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.
| NotchStar | Sapphire | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4 once, with a 7 day trial, up to 3 Macs and a 7 day refund | Free tier at $0 for 1 Mac; paid plans Basic $15.99, Pro $25.99 and Ultra $30.99 a month, plus $11.00, $13.99 or $15.99 a month per additional device |
| Minimum macOS and chip | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later, Intel or Apple silicon |
| Open source | Closed source | AGPL 3.0 on GitHub; the paid features are stubs in the public tree |
| Live activities in the collapsed notch | Not listed | Included Shows current activities around the notch; the sports live activity needs Pro and the finance one needs Ultra |
| Lock screen widgets | Not listed | Included Weather, music and calendar events; included free |
| AI agent and live voice help | Not listed | Included Blip Live from Basic, Blip Agent from Pro, both paid |
| Window snapping | Not listed | Included Snap Zones, included free |
| Face ID on Mac | Not listed | Included Camera based unlock, included free |
| Menu bar customization | Not listed | Included Listed under its extra utilities |
| Now playing | Included | Included Music widget with waveforms, lyrics and scrubbing |
| File shelf with AirDrop | Included | Included File Shelf and Drop Bucket, included free |
| Calendar | Included | Included Interactive calendar grid |
| Clipboard history | Included | Included Listed as Infinite Clipboard History |
| Camera mirror | Included | Included Listed as Quick Mirror Camera |
| Quick notes | Included | Included Listed as Quick Notch Notes |
| Timers and Pomodoro | Included | Not listed Only 20 20 20 eye break reminders are listed |
| Teleprompter, system stats and disk tools | Included | Not listed Not listed on its website |
| No account, no analytics unless opted in | Included | Not listed Anonymous analytics through Google are optional and asked about during onboarding; paid plans use an account |
Sources: Sapphire website (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire FAQ (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire plans (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire privacy policy (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire on GitHub (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire releases on GitHub (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire license file (checked 4 November 2026), Sapphire subscription stub in the repository (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.
Sapphire at a glance.
- Made by
- Shariq Charolia (GitHub: cshariq)
- Who it suits
- A tinkerer on a notched MacBook who wants Face ID, window snapping, a per app audio mixer and lock screen widgets without paying, and who is comfortable granting Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions.
- Price
- Free tier and paid plans. Free tier at $0 / forever, 1 Mac included. Basic $15.99 a month (+$11.00 a month per additional device), Pro $25.99 a month (+$13.99), Ultra $30.99 a month (+$15.99). No yearly or one time price is listed. No trial or refund wording on the plans page.
- Needs
- macOS 14.6 or later. Apple silicon and Intel.
- License
- Open source, AGPL 3.0
- Release history
- 22 GitHub releases between 14 June and 15 October 2026, 3 of them marked pre release; 14 in August 2026 alone. Latest listed: v3.5, 15 October 2026. Source
Sapphire is one of the 62 apps counted in our pricing statistics and requirements statistics.
Strengths
- The free tier includes Face ID on Mac, a 60% XDR brightness boost, a per app audio mixer with a 10 band EQ, Snap Zones window tiling, a file shelf, Android Nearby Share, Caffeinate and lock screen widgets, per its plans page.
- The source is public under AGPL 3.0: 402 stars and 75 forks on GitHub, with the last push on 29 October 2026.
- Runs on Intel and Apple silicon with macOS 14.6 or later, and supports Macs without a notch.
- Lists clipboard history, a camera mirror, quick notes, calendar, weather, Shortcuts and 20 20 20 eye break reminders alongside its notch features.
- 22 GitHub releases between 14 June and 15 October 2026, with 203,432 downloads across the release assets, per the GitHub API.
Limits
- Paid AI and live data features are subscriptions only: $15.99, $25.99 or $30.99 a month, with extra devices billed monthly on top.
- macOS 14.6 or later; Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions are requested at install, per its FAQ.
- Anonymous usage analytics go to Google Analytics, optional and asked about during onboarding, and paid plans use an account and Stripe.
- Its README marks the advanced audio features as Beta, and 3 of its 22 GitHub releases are marked pre release.
- The public repository ships stub files in place of the paid features, so the source does not show how Blip, sports or finance work.
Choose Sapphire if…
- You want a free app and the source code, and the free tier is enough.
- You want Face ID on Mac, window snapping, lock screen widgets, a per app audio mixer or battery charge limits, all free.
- You want an AI agent or live sports and finance in the notch and are willing to pay a monthly plan.
- You want to read, build or fork the code under AGPL 3.0.
Choose NotchStar if…
- You want to pay once, $4, instead of a monthly plan for the extras.
- You want timers and Pomodoro, a teleprompter, system stats and disk tools.
- You want an app that needs no account and sends no analytics unless you opt in.
The verdict.
Sapphire is free and open source with a very wide feature set, and it sells monthly plans for AI and live data on top. NotchStar is a small paid toolbox. If you want the broadest free feature set and the source, choose Sapphire. If you want a few quiet tools for a one time $4 and no account, choose NotchStar.
What Sapphire is
Sapphire is made by Shariq Charolia, whose copyright line sits on every page of its website. The tagline is “The notch, reimagined”, and the FAQ calls it a macOS utility that turns the hardware notch into an interactive component. It is a large app: the home page lists a long run of features, from Face ID on Mac to Android Nearby Share.
The business model has two parts, and both are true at once. The app is free to download, and the source is public on GitHub under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. The repository was created on 17 November 2025 and had 402 stars and 75 forks when we looked, with its last push on 29 October 2026. On top of that, the site sells three monthly plans: Basic at $15.99, Pro at $25.99 and Ultra at $30.99, plus $11.00, $13.99 or $15.99 a month for each extra device. The free tier covers one Mac.
How can an AGPL project have paid features? In the repository, those features are not there. Files such as BlipHubView.swift and SubscriptionCore.swift sit in a Sapphire/Stubs/ folder behind a build flag named SAPPHIRE_FULL_BUILD, and the Blip stub shows the text “Blip unavailable in this build”. The subscription file defines the four tiers and a long list of gated features. So the public source builds the free app, and the paid build is a different thing. The license covers the code that is published; we cannot say how the paid build is produced.
Releases come fast. GitHub lists 22 releases between 2.0 on 14 June 2026 and v3.5 on 15 October 2026, three of them marked pre release. Fourteen landed in August 2026. The assets have been downloaded 203,432 times in total, 77,455 of them for v3.5, by the GitHub API’s count.
Who it suits
Sapphire suits a tinkerer on a notched MacBook who wants a lot for nothing. The free tier includes Face ID on Mac, window snapping with customizable layouts, a per app audio mixer with a 10 band EQ, a battery charge limit at 80%, lock screen widgets, a file shelf with AirDrop and Android Nearby Share. The last one matters if your phone is an Android phone and you want to send photos and clips without cables.
It suits someone who values reading the code and filing issues. The repository has an issue tracker and the site links a Discord. It also suits people who want an AI assistant: Blip Live (voice conversation about what is on your screen) starts at Basic, and Blip Agent, which “can do anything you ask on your Mac”, starts at Pro.
What Sapphire does that NotchStar does not
The list is long, so here are the items with the biggest practical effect.
- Window snapping. Snap Zones tiles windows from a hotkey with custom grids. NotchStar manages no windows.
- Face ID on Mac. Its FAQ says it uses the built in camera with an on device anti spoof model and stores embeddings in the Keychain.
- Live activities and lock screen widgets. Sapphire “neatly displays current activities around the notch”, and its lock screen shows weather, music and calendar events. NotchStar shows nothing while collapsed.
- Menu bar customization, audio routing with per app EQ, a battery charge limit, a 60% XDR brightness boost and Caffeinate.
- Paid tiers: Circle to Search, a sports live activity, a sports widget and a finance widget with live market data.
Several overlaps are deeper in Sapphire too. Its calendar is an interactive grid; NotchStar’s shows events through the end of tomorrow and cannot create them. Its music widget has waveforms, lyrics and scrubbing; NotchStar shows artwork, controls and a progress bar when the player gives a duration.
What NotchStar does that Sapphire does not list
Sapphire’s website does not list timers or Pomodoro (it lists 20 20 20 eye break reminders), a teleprompter, system stats, disk tools or a screenshot tray. NotchStar has all of them. The timers keep real clock time while the notch is closed and finish with a sound. The teleprompter sits beside the camera, with speed and size sliders. Disk tools cover duplicates, app leftovers and listening ports, and everything removed goes to the Trash.
The terms differ. NotchStar costs $4 once for up to 3 Macs, with a 7 day trial and a 7 day refund, and has no tier above it. It is closed source, which is the one clear place Sapphire wins on trust: you can read Sapphire’s code and not ours. On the other side, NotchStar is signed and notarized, needs no account and sends no analytics unless you opt in to anonymous version info. Sapphire’s privacy policy says anonymous usage data goes to Google Analytics, that it is optional and asked about at onboarding, and that its website also uses Google Analytics. Its FAQ asks you to grant Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions.
Switching from Sapphire to NotchStar
Day one is a reduction. You lose window snapping, Face ID, the lock screen widgets, the audio mixer and live activities, and the notch stops showing anything until you hover. What stays: music, calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop, clipboard history, quick notes and a camera mirror all have counterparts. NotchStar keeps the latest 50 clipboard items in memory only, one plain text note, and a shelf that holds references and empties when the app quits. Sapphire calls its clipboard “infinite”, so this is a real step down, and you should decide whether that matters before moving.
If you pay for Blip or sports, those have no counterpart at all. Sapphire’s FAQ says you manage devices in its account portal, where you can revoke old devices or rotate your license key. Do that and cancel the plan there. Its pages describe no settings export, so nothing carries over automatically. Reopen Calendar and Reminders access in NotchStar and set up timers again.
Nothing forces an either or. Sapphire is free, so you can keep it for window snapping and install NotchStar for the tools it does not list. Two apps drawing at the notch will compete, so turn off Sapphire’s notch features you do not use.
What we could not verify
We have not tested Sapphire ourselves. This page is built from its website, FAQ, plans page, privacy policy and public GitHub data, read on 4 November 2026.
- How the paid build is made and distributed. The repository contains stubs, and we read only the ones named above.
- Whether the free build matches its feature list, including Face ID. Its FAQ says it matches “Android’s Class 2 biometric security standards”, which we cannot check.
- Whether a trial or refund exists for the paid plans. The plans page states neither.
- Whether the Sapphire installer is signed and notarized, and whether the free tier needs an account.
- Timers, a teleprompter, system stats and disk tools are marked as not listed, not as missing.
- The site’s own star and download counters showed 0 in our copy, so we used GitHub’s numbers. The GitHub download count covers release assets only.
Questions.
Is Sapphire free?
Its FAQ says it is free to download, and its plans page shows a free tier at $0 for 1 Mac. Paid plans are $15.99, $25.99 and $30.99 a month for Basic, Pro and Ultra, plus $11.00, $13.99 or $15.99 a month for each additional device.
Is Sapphire open source, and does it also have paid plans?
Yes to both. Its GitHub repository carries the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. The paid features (Blip, Circle to Search, sports and finance) appear in the public repository as stub files that show a message such as Blip unavailable in this build, so the published source is the free app.
Which macOS does Sapphire need?
Its FAQ says macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later, on Intel or Apple silicon. It also supports Macs without a notch.
Does NotchStar have live activities?
No. NotchStar does not show live status in the collapsed notch and has no lock screen widgets.
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 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
- 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 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
- Sapphire alternatives
- Every option next to Sapphire, 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.