NotchFlow alternative: the timer, and everything else
NotchFlow does one thing deliberately well — a Pomodoro timer and focus music in the notch — for $20, on Apple Silicon and macOS 14. Notchy ships that timer for nothing, runs on Intel Macs and macOS 13 Ventura, and brings 50+ other tools to the same island.
| NotchFlow | Notchy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20 once, or $3/month — after a 3-day trial | Free — optional donations |
| macOS | 14 or later | 13 Ventura or later |
| Intel Macs | Not supported — Apple Silicon only | Supported |
| Macs with no notch | Yes — simulates the notch | Yes — floating island, external displays too |
| Scope | Pomodoro, focus music, media controls | 50+ tools in one island |
| Install | Direct purchase (Lemon Squeezy) | Signed DMG or brew install --cask notchy |
From NotchFlow's own website, checked against Notchy's shipping build.
A focused app, priced like a full one
NotchFlow's restraint is a real design choice — a timer, music, and nothing to distract you. The question is whether that's worth $20 when the same Pomodoro timer in the notch is free elsewhere, with the rest of the toolkit attached.
Intel Macs are the hard cutoff
NotchFlow says plainly that Intel Macs are not supported. If you're on a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro or a 2018 mini, that ends the conversation. Notchy runs on Intel and Apple Silicon alike, from macOS 13 Ventura up.
Focus is one mode, not the whole app
Notchy runs the same session structure, then gets out of the way and does the other jobs your notch could be doing: clipboard history, a file drop shelf, device battery, system stats and AI usage tracking.
Both handle Macs without a notch
NotchFlow simulates a notch on Macs that don't have one, and Notchy draws a floating island on external displays that follows you between screens. On this point, they agree.
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 | — | 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
Notchy vs NotchFlow — FAQ
Is NotchFlow free?
No. NotchFlow gives you a 3-day trial, then asks $20 once for lifetime access or $3 a month. Notchy is free outright — no trial clock, no licence key, no subscription, funded by optional donations.
Does NotchFlow work on Intel Macs?
No. NotchFlow states it needs Apple Silicon — M1, M2, M3 or newer — and that Intel Macs are not supported. Notchy runs on Intel Macs as well as Apple Silicon, back to macOS 13 Ventura.
What macOS does NotchFlow need?
NotchFlow requires macOS 14 or later. Notchy runs from macOS 13 Ventura onwards, which covers Macs Apple has stopped issuing major updates for.
Does either one work on a Mac without a notch?
Both do. NotchFlow simulates the notch on Macs that lack one. Notchy draws a floating island on notch-less Macs and on external monitors, and follows you as you move between displays.
What does Notchy do that NotchFlow doesn’t?
NotchFlow is deliberately narrow: a Pomodoro timer, focus music and music controls. Notchy includes a Pomodoro timer and media controls too, then adds clipboard history, a file drop shelf, AirPods and device battery, system stats, OCR, window snapping, an app launcher, AI usage tracking, a terminal in the island and GitHub PR status.
I only want a Pomodoro timer in my notch — which one?
If the focus-music curation is what you want, NotchFlow is built around it. If you want the timer without paying for it, Notchy’s Pomodoro timer runs in the notch for free and the other 50+ tools come with it.
Can I run NotchFlow and Notchy together?
You can install both, but don’t run them at once — two apps drawing on the same notch and grabbing the same media keys will fight over it. Pick one and quit the other from its menu bar item.
Compare Notchy vs 146 Mac Apps
See how Notchy replaces dozens of single-purpose paid Mac utilities for free.