MediaMate Alternative: Stable SwiftUI HUDs vs Glitchy Paid Overlays
MediaMate charges money just to customize your brightness and volume HUDs, and suffers from lag when macOS updates. Notchy delivers native iOS-style system overlays, full media controls, and widgets inside the Dynamic Island for exactly $0.
Why choose Notchy over MediaMate?
- Free vs paid
MediaMate is a paid app. Notchy is 100% free — no trial, no license key, no subscription. Just download and go, supported only by optional donations.
- Far more than just media controls
MediaMate focuses on volume, brightness, and Now Playing. Notchy delivers all of that plus a Mac clipboard history shelf, Pomodoro focus timer, file drop shelf, AirPods battery, quick notes, calendar, weather, and lock-screen widgets.
- A true Dynamic Island — not just HUDs
Notchy wraps your MacBook notch in a full Dynamic Island with fluid spring animations, expanding and collapsing states, and swipe gestures — the closest you'll get to the iPhone experience on a Mac.
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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Zip & Unzip Files | Yes | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hide the Notch | 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)
- 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
MediaMate alternative — FAQ
Is there a free MediaMate alternative for Mac?
Yes — Notchy. It delivers beautiful, iOS-style volume and brightness HUDs plus a full notch toolkit for $0, versus MediaMate's paid overlays.
Does Notchy replace the macOS volume and brightness HUD?
Yes. Notchy replaces the default macOS volume and brightness overlays with rock-solid, native iOS-style HUDs that render on and around the notch.
Is Notchy more stable than MediaMate?
Notchy's HUDs are built natively in SwiftUI for stability. If MediaMate is glitching or flickering on your Mac, Notchy is a free, reliable replacement.
What else does Notchy do besides HUDs?
Beyond volume and brightness HUDs, Notchy adds Now Playing controls, a clipboard shelf, file drop, Pomodoro timer, AirPods battery and AI usage tracking — all from the notch.