The free NotchBay Alternative for Mac
NotchBay is a well-built notch hub — live activities, a clipboard tray with OCR search, on-device dictation, Zoom and Meet call controls, app skins — sold at $19 one-time, listed as reduced from $39, with a free tier for people who post clips about it. Notchy covers the same ground with no price and no promotional condition attached, and adds the parts NotchBay does not have: AI provider spend, system and drive stats, stocks, and a terminal.
- NotchBay price
- $19 one-time (listed as reduced from $39)
- NotchBay requires
- Not stated by the vendor
- Notchy price
- Free — donations optional
Why use Notchy instead of NotchBay?
- Every feature, no tier
Clipboard history with OCR search, on-device dictation into any app, call detection with a timer, live activities for music, calendar and AirPods — all present in Notchy, all free. There is no paid tier to compare against because there is no paid tier.
- The free tier has no conditions
NotchBay's free option is offered in exchange for sharing clips on social media. Notchy is simply free, funded by optional donations, with no licence key and no trial clock.
- It goes further on the developer and finance side
AI usage and spend across 60+ providers, Claude Code approvals from the notch, GitHub PR and CI status, listening ports, a real terminal, a stocks watchlist with price alerts. NotchBay is a productivity hub; Notchy is that plus a dashboard.
- Both work without a notch
Credit where due: NotchBay draws a floating island on Macs with no cutout, and so does Notchy. Neither of you needs a 2021-or-later MacBook Pro for this to be worth installing.
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 NotchBay
NotchBay is a genuine competitor rather than a knock-off, and its clipboard and dictation work well. But $19 buys a subset of what Notchy gives away, and the free tier asks you to market it. If the price is not the point for you, judge them on features — that is the comparison Notchy would rather have.
NotchBay alternative — FAQ
How much is NotchBay?
$19 as a one-time purchase with lifetime updates, listed on its site as a limited-time reduction from $39. There is also a free option offered in return for sharing clips on social media.
What does Notchy have that NotchBay doesn't?
AI provider usage and spend tracking, Claude Code permission approvals, GitHub PR and CI status, a VT100 terminal, listening-port management, a stocks watchlist with alerts, drive capacity and SMC temperatures.
Does Notchy have dictation and clipboard OCR?
Yes to both — offline dictation that types into any app, and clipboard history you can search by the text inside copied images.
Does Notchy do Zoom and Meet call controls?
It detects the call and shows a live island with a timer and mic level, and mic mute is a one-key toggle. In-call camera and leave buttons for specific conferencing apps are a NotchBay feature Notchy does not match.
What macOS does each need?
Notchy requires macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Intel or Apple Silicon. NotchBay does not state a minimum version on its site.
Is Notchy really free?
Yes — no trial, licence key or subscription. Development is funded by optional donations, and supporters are credited on the Hall of Fame page.