A Launchie Alternative without the grid
Launchie is “the visual launcher macOS 26 removed”: a full-screen grid you arrange yourself, unlimited folders, smart search, Spaces for different workflows, backup and restore, and ⌘K to open it. It has a free tier and requires macOS 26 Tahoe. Notchy's launcher wheel, new in 1.0.178, is smaller on purpose — a ring of your favourite apps under the notch.
Looking for Launchie itself? It lives at launchie.app.
- Launchie price
- Free tier; paid upgrade
- Launchie requires
- macOS 26 Tahoe or later
- Notchy price
- $24.99 one-time, 7-day free trial
Why use Notchy instead of Launchie?
- Built for muscle memory
Slots keep their place, and number keys pick them — ⌃⌥L then 3 opens the same app every time.
- Nothing to organise
Pin apps once in Notchy's Launcher tab and the wheel uses them. Or switch it to show the apps already running.
- Runs on older macOS
Notchy supports macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Where Launchie is better
It's a full launcher: every app, folders, Spaces, recents and a saved layout. Notchy's wheel only shows the shortlist.
Everything Notchy does, in one app
- 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
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- 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
- Custom islands through the local developer API (off by default)
- iPhone-style call island — Answer/Decline FaceTime on the notch
- Notch Terminal — real VT100/xterm shell in a PTY, its own tab
- Camera Guard — alert (or block) when any app opens your camera
- 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
- 134 languages, fully localized
- Native SwiftUI, tuned for Apple silicon
The honest verdict on Launchie
Launchie is a thoughtful Launchpad for people who liked browsing a grid. Notchy's wheel is for people who already know which app they want.
Launchie alternative — FAQ
Is Launchie free?
Launchie's site describes a free tier with a paid upgrade; check launchie.app for current pricing.
What's the Launchie shortcut?
⌘K by default, or your own. Notchy uses ⌃⌥K for its command palette and ⌃⌥L for the wheel, both changeable.
Does Notchy have folders?
No. Its Launcher tab is a grid of pinned favourites; the wheel shows those favourites in a ring.
Is Notchy free?
No. Notchy is a one-time $24.99 purchase for one Mac, with a 7-day free trial and updates included — no subscription or in-app purchase.
What Mac do I need?
Any Mac on macOS 13 Ventura or later. Launchie needs macOS 26.