Perch alternative: nothing to unlock
Perch — listed as Dynamic Notch Island — is free to download and then asks $3.99 a month, or up to $49.99 for a lifetime unlock. Notchy has no pro tier, no prompts, and the same macOS 13 floor.
| Perch | Notchy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free download — $3.99/mo, $14.99/yr, or $24.99–$49.99 lifetime | Free — no tiers, optional donations |
| Upgrade prompts | Reported by App Store reviewers | None — there is nothing to upgrade to |
| macOS | 13.0 or later | 13 Ventura or later |
| Macs with no notch | Yes | Yes — floating island, external displays too |
| Languages | 11 | 133, natively localised |
| For developers | — | AI usage, Claude Code approvals, terminal, GitHub PRs |
From Perch’s own Mac App Store listing, checked against Notchy’s shipping build.
“Free” with a price list attached
Four paid tiers on a free download is a lot of pricing for a notch. Reviewers on the App Store listing mention being pushed toward the pro version. Notchy has one tier and it is free, which removes the question entirely.
Same OS floor, so compare on features
Both start at macOS 13, and both run with or without a notch — this is one of the few comparisons where compatibility isn't the deciding factor. What is left is scope and cost.
Weather, calendar, clipboard — and then more
Perch's set is solid. Notchy matches it and keeps going into OCR, window snapping, an app launcher and the developer tools.
133 languages against 11
If your Mac is not in English, this is the largest practical gap between the two. See the full language list.
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 Perch — FAQ
Is Perch free?
Perch is free to download, but the useful parts sit behind a subscription: $3.99 a month, $14.99 a year, or a lifetime unlock at $24.99 or $49.99. App Store reviewers mention persistent prompts to upgrade. Notchy is free with no pro tier, so there is nothing to unlock and nothing to nag you.
How much is Perch lifetime?
Its App Store listing shows two lifetime in-app purchases, $24.99 and $49.99, alongside the monthly and annual plans. Notchy costs nothing at any tier.
What macOS does Perch need?
Perch requires macOS 13.0 or later, the same floor as Notchy. On OS support these two are level.
Does Perch work on a MacBook without a notch?
Yes — Perch works on notched and non-notched MacBooks. Notchy also runs on Macs with no notch at all, including a Mac mini or Mac Studio driving an external display, and follows you between monitors.
What does Notchy add over Perch?
Perch covers media, weather, calendar, timers, clipboard and files. Notchy covers those and adds OCR, window snapping, an app launcher, text snippets, a knock gesture, AI usage and spend tracking, Claude Code approvals, GitHub PR status and a terminal in the island.
How many languages does each speak?
Perch lists 11 languages. Notchy is localised into 133, so the island reads correctly whatever your Mac is set to.
Compare Notchy vs 146 Mac Apps
See how Notchy replaces dozens of single-purpose paid Mac utilities for free.