Free Dato Alternative for Mac
Dato is a well-made menu bar clock and calendar from Sindre Sorhus — $18 once, never a subscription, and unusually configurable. It also requires macOS 26 now, and it takes a menu bar slot on a notched Mac where slots are scarce. Notchy puts your next event, a month view and a countdown in the notch itself, free, on macOS 13 Ventura and later.
- Dato price
- $18 one-time
- Dato requires
- macOS 26
- Notchy price
- Free — donations optional
Why use Notchy instead of Dato?
- No menu bar slot to give up
On a 14-inch MacBook Pro the notch already eats the middle of the menu bar. Dato's date and time strings need room there; Notchy's calendar lives inside the notch, so it costs you nothing on the bar itself.
- Runs back to macOS 13 Ventura
Dato's current release asks for macOS 26. Notchy supports macOS 13 and later on both Apple Silicon and Intel, so an older MacBook still gets the calendar, the countdown and everything else.
- The calendar is one tool of fifty
Your next meeting sits beside media controls, clipboard history, a file shelf, timers, system stats and AI usage — one app, one island, no extra $18 for each capability.
- Where Dato still wins
Multiple named world clocks, deep menu bar format customisation, event search across accounts, fullscreen meeting alerts and one-click joining for 50+ video services. If you live in three time zones or join calls all day, Dato is the better tool.
How Notchy stacks up
Honest, feature-by-feature comparison of every major macOS notch app — no affiliates.
Swipe the table sideways to see every app.
| 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
The honest verdict on Dato
Dato is worth $18 if you want world clocks, calendar search and one-click joining, and it's the rare Mac app that promises never to go subscription. If what you actually need is "what's my next meeting, and how long have I got", Notchy answers that in the notch for nothing — and on Macs Dato no longer supports.
Dato alternative — FAQ
How much does Dato cost?
Dato is $18 USD as a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, with free upgrades and no subscription — the developer states it will never be subscription-based. A free trial is available from the website.
What macOS does Dato need?
The current Dato release requires macOS 26 or later. Notchy runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later.
Does Notchy show my calendar?
Yes. Notchy reads your calendars through the system EventKit permission and shows your next event with a countdown on the notch, plus a month view and Apple Reminders when you expand it.
Can Notchy join a Zoom or Meet call for me?
It opens the event, but it does not detect and launch meeting links across 50+ services the way Dato does. If one-click joining is the feature you want, Dato or MeetingBar is the better fit.
Does Notchy do world clocks?
No. Notchy shows local time and date on the notch and lock screen; multiple named time zones are a Dato feature, and a fair reason to buy it.
Is there a free Dato alternative that isn't Notchy?
Itsycal is free and open source for a menu bar calendar, and MeetingBar is free and Apache-licensed if joining meetings is the point. Both take a menu bar slot; Notchy doesn't.