Canopy alternative: no build step, no notch required
Canopy is a genuinely nice open-source island — and getting it means compiling it yourself, on a Mac with a notch, running macOS 14. Notchy is free too, installs from a signed DMG or one Homebrew command, and runs back to macOS 13.
| Canopy | Notchy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — open source | Free — optional donations |
| How you install it | Build from source (Xcode toolchain) | Signed DMG or brew install --cask notchy |
| macOS | 14 or later | 13 Ventura or later |
| Macs with no notch | Wraps a physical notch | Yes — floating island, external displays too |
| Synced lyrics | Yes — via LRCLIB | Yes |
| Clipboard, OCR, timers | — | Included |
| Languages | English | 133, natively localised |
From Canopy’s own GitHub repository and README, checked against Notchy’s shipping build.
Canopy is free — whatever the comparison sites say
You will find Canopy listed at $15 on one rival's comparison page and $25 on another's. Both are wrong. It is an open-source project and it costs nothing. Worth knowing before you decide, and worth treating those tables with suspicion generally.
Source-only is a real cost
Free-as-in-price still means installing Xcode, running a build script, and repeating that every time you want an update. If that is a fun afternoon, Canopy is a good read. If you just want the island, Notchy is a download that updates itself.
Lyrics, on both sides
Canopy's time-synced lyrics with album-art colouring are one of its best touches. Notchy does synced lyrics in the notch as well, advancing line by line with playback — so this is not the thing to choose on.
Where the scope diverges
Canopy is a media app that lives in the notch. Notchy is a toolkit that lives there: clipboard history, OCR, timers, system stats, window snapping and AI usage tracking.
How Notchy stacks up
Honest, feature-by-feature comparison of every major macOS notch app — no affiliates.
| Feature | Notchy | Alcove | NotchNook | Boring Notch | DynamicLake | MediaMate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 100% Free | $17 one-time | $25 (or $3/mo) | Free (Open Source) | Paid | Paid |
| Minimum macOS | macOS 13 Ventura+ | macOS 14 Sonoma+ | macOS 14 Sonoma+ | macOS 14 Sonoma+ | macOS 14 Sonoma+ | macOS 14 Sonoma+ |
| Architecture | Pure SwiftUI (Native) | Swift (Native) | Swift (Native) | Swift (Open Source) | Swift (Native) | Swift (Native) |
| Now Playing Controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Usage Tracker (Claude / Codex / Cursor) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Command Palette (⌃⌥K) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Localized (134 languages) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Clipboard History | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pomodoro Focus Timer | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| File Stash / Drop Shelf | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| System HUDs (Volume/Brightness) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AirPods Connected Reveal | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Lock Screen Widgets | Yes | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Quick Notes | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Calendar Widget | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Caffeine Toggle | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Synced Lyrics | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Image Converter (HEIC/JPG/PDF) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Apple Reminders Capture | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Audio Output Switcher | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Device Battery (Mouse/Keyboard) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Download Finished Alerts | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Run Apple Shortcuts | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Camera Mirror / Webcam Preview | Yes | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Zip & Unzip Files | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hide the Notch | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Window Snapping (drag to notch) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| App Launcher Tab | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| OCR + Searchable Clipboard | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Text Snippets / Expander | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Menu-Bar Icon Hiding | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| System-Wide Mic Mute | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Live System Stats (CPU/RAM) | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| iPhone-Style Call Island | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Built-In Terminal | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Camera/Mic Privacy Indicator | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
Everything Notchy does, for free
- Fluid Dynamic Island animations on the Mac notch
- Command palette (⌃⌥K) — every action one keystroke away
- Knock — double-tap a modifier key to open the notch
- AI usage tracker (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot)
- Detach any tab into a menu-bar popover
- Now Playing music controls (Apple Music & Spotify)
- Time-synced karaoke lyrics under the notch
- Mac clipboard history shelf (password-manager safe)
- Searchable clipboard — filter by text, file name, or OCR'd words
- On-device OCR — copy a screenshot, get its text (Apple Vision)
- Window snapping — drag a window to the notch to tile it
- App Launcher — pin apps to the notch, open with one tap
- Text snippets — TextExpander-style pastes from the ⌘K palette
- One-tap screen capture to clipboard + shelf
- Color eyedropper — sample any pixel, hex auto-copied
- System-wide mic mute for every meeting app at once
- Keystroke HUD for demos & screencasts (secure-input safe)
- Keyboard cleaning lock with countdown island (⌘⎋ unlocks)
- Menu-bar icon hiding — Bartender-style separator & chevron
- Live CPU / memory / network stats flyout
- Open GitHub PR count in the notch (Keychain-stored token)
- iPhone-style call island — Answer/Decline FaceTime on the notch
- Notch Terminal — real VT100/xterm shell in a PTY, its own tab
- Privacy Indicator — pill when any app's camera or mic goes live
- Caps Lock HUD — brief island on every toggle
- Full Charge island with adjustable threshold + low-battery sound
- Alt HUD styles — edge-pinned bar or circular gauge off the notch
- Audio-reactive Now Playing visualizer (real FFT of system audio)
- Custom closed-notch idle animation — drop in your own Lottie JSON
- Drag-and-drop file drop shelf — persists across relaunches
- Zip & unzip files right from the shelf
- Image converter (HEIC, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF) + video → GIF
- Run Apple Shortcuts with one tap
- Screenshots auto-staged on the shelf, ready to drag
- Download finished alerts with Reveal in Finder
- USB drive mount island with one-tap Eject
- Apple Reminders quick capture & due list
- macOS Pomodoro notch timer & stopwatch — streaks + 7-day chart
- Resizable expanded panel (width & height, live preview)
- System HUDs (volume, brightness, battery)
- Audio output switcher (speakers, AirPods, monitor)
- AirPods connection manager & battery
- Magic Mouse, Keyboard & Trackpad battery + low-battery alerts
- Quick notes & Calendar widgets
- Camera Mirror (check your appearance)
- Keep Awake (caffeine toggle)
- Teleprompter (Cuely) for Zoom calls
- Focus-aware alerts & native haptic feedback
- Lock screen widgets & hide-the-notch mode
- 133 languages, fully localized
- Native SwiftUI, tuned for Apple Silicon
Notchy vs Canopy — FAQ
How much does Canopy cost?
Nothing. Canopy is a free, open-source project on GitHub. Several comparison sites list it at $15 or $25 — those are wrong; check the repository. Notchy is free as well, funded by optional donations.
Is there a Canopy download, or do I have to build it?
Canopy ships source, not an installer — you build it yourself with its build script and a Swift toolchain, which means Xcode and a command line. Notchy ships a signed, notarised DMG and a Homebrew cask (brew install --cask notchy) that updates itself in place.
Why isn’t Canopy on the Mac App Store?
Canopy’s own README explains it relies on Apple’s private MediaRemote framework, which App Store review does not allow. That is a normal trade-off for notch media apps and not a safety problem in itself — but it does mean you install it outside the store.
Does Canopy work on a Mac without a notch?
Canopy is designed to wrap a physical notch. Notchy also draws a floating island on Macs with no cutout — a Mac mini or Mac Studio on an external display, an older MacBook Air, or any second monitor.
Do both have synced lyrics?
Yes. Canopy pulls time-synced lyrics from LRCLIB with colours sampled from the album art. Notchy also shows synced lyrics in the notch, advancing each line with the playback position.
What does Notchy add over Canopy?
Canopy focuses on media, lyrics, a lockscreen widget, notification mirroring and a file shelf. Notchy covers those and adds clipboard history, OCR, timers, system stats, device battery, window snapping, an app launcher, AI usage tracking, Claude Code approvals and a terminal in the island.
Compare Notchy vs 146 Mac Apps
See how Notchy replaces dozens of single-purpose paid Mac utilities for free.