A LaunchOS Alternative for Mac
LaunchOS restores a native-feeling Launchpad on macOS 26 and 27 — Liquid Glass, 120 Hz, import of your old layout — with Pro extras like hot corners, the F4 key, a vertical scroll view, app uninstalling, renaming and hiding apps. It's $11.99 for one Mac at its launch-offer price, with a seven-day Pro trial. Notchy's launcher wheel, new in 1.0.178, is quicker for the apps you use most, and it runs from macOS 13.
Looking for LaunchOS itself? It lives at launchosapp.com.
- LaunchOS price
- $11.99 one-time (1 Mac)
- LaunchOS requires
- macOS 26 or later
- Notchy price
- $24.99 one-time, 7-day free trial
Why use Notchy instead of LaunchOS?
- One shortcut, your apps
⌃⌥L opens a ring of pinned favourites — or running apps — right under the notch, and it disappears after you choose.
- Works across Spaces and full screen
The wheel appears on whichever Space you're in, including over full-screen apps.
- Uninstall included
LaunchOS puts uninstalling behind Pro. Notchy 1.0.178 has an Uninstall tab that removes an app and its leftovers to the Trash.
- Where LaunchOS is better
It's a complete Launchpad: all your apps, your old layout, folders, custom grids and batch operations. Notchy's wheel is a shortlist, not a library.
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 LaunchOS
If you want Launchpad back exactly as it was, LaunchOS is a polished paid way to get it. If you want a faster way to open your usual apps, Notchy's wheel does it from macOS 13.
LaunchOS alternative — FAQ
How much is LaunchOS?
The site lists $11.99 for one Mac, $18.99 for two and $35.99 for five, with lifetime updates and a seven-day Pro trial.
What does LaunchOS need?
macOS 26 or later. Notchy runs from macOS 13 Ventura.
Does Notchy show all my apps?
No. The wheel shows your pinned favourites or open apps, and the ⌘K command palette finds those pinned apps by name. For browsing every installed app, a full launcher like LaunchOS is the tool.
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.
Since when does Notchy have a launcher wheel?
Since version 1.0.178; the app updates itself.