The free Mission Control Plus Alternative for naming and switching Spaces
Mission Control Plus fixes a real omission: inside Mission Control you can see every window but not close one. It adds a close button and the shortcuts you expect — ⌘W to close, ⌘M to minimise, ↵ to open, ⌘Q to quit — needs Accessibility access, runs on macOS 10.13 and up, and is paid after a 10-day trial with five computers per licence. Notchy solves a different half of the same annoyance: you don't need to open Mission Control at all to see which desktop you're on or move to another.
- Mission Control Plus price
- Paid, with a 10-day trial and up to 5 computers per licence (Fadel does not display the figure on its product page)
- Mission Control Plus requires
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later
- Notchy price
- Free — donations optional
Why use Notchy instead of Mission Control Plus?
- Desktops with real names
macOS only ever says Desktop 1, Desktop 2. Notchy lets each Space carry a name you chose — Writing, Mail, Client work — stored against the Space's UUID so it survives a reboot.
- Switch without the full-screen detour
The Home card lists the desktops on the display you're using and marks the current one. Click one, swipe the notch or press a hotkey; underneath it posts macOS's own Mission Control shortcuts.
- Free, and not only this
No trial clock and no licence. The same download also does clipboard history, Face Unlock, a charge limit, per-app volume and a Dynamic Island.
- Where Mission Control Plus does more
It works inside Mission Control itself, closing, minimising and quitting from the bird's-eye view. Notchy does none of that — it never modifies Mission Control, and it can't close a window for you.
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 | 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 Guard (camera-access alerts) | 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
- 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 Mission Control Plus
If your complaint is that Mission Control shows you windows you can't act on, Mission Control Plus is the direct fix and Notchy is not a substitute. If your complaint is that macOS won't tell you which desktop you're on or let you name it, that's the half Notchy does — free.
Mission Control Plus alternative — FAQ
Can Notchy close windows from Mission Control?
No. That is exactly what Mission Control Plus is for, and Notchy doesn't touch Mission Control's interface at all.
Can I name my Spaces?
Yes, in Notchy — full names rather than Desktop 1 and Desktop 2, kept against each Space's WindowServer UUID so they survive restarts.
How do I switch Spaces without a trackpad swipe?
Click the Space on Notchy's Home card or use its hotkey. It drives macOS's own Mission Control shortcuts, so those must be enabled in System Settings › Keyboard › Shortcuts.
How much does Mission Control Plus cost?
Fadel sells it as a paid app with a 10-day trial and up to 5 computers per licence, but does not print the price on its product page, so none is quoted here.
What macOS do they need?
Mission Control Plus supports macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later — a much wider range than Notchy, which starts at macOS 13 Ventura.
Can I run both?
Yes. They don't overlap: one works inside Mission Control, the other keeps you out of it.