Scrobbles for Last.fm vs Notchy

Scrobbles for Last.fm does exactly what the name says: it scrobbles Apple Music to Last.fm, with listening statistics, a Year in Review, exclusions by artist, genre or playlist, ListenBrainz sync, widgets and a menu bar player. The free tier covers scrobbling and stats; Pro is $2.99. It needs macOS 15.6 on Apple silicon. Notchy does not scrobble at all — so this is less a replacement than a question of which job you need done.

Scrobbles for Last.fm price
Free; Scrobbles Pro $2.99 in-app
Scrobbles for Last.fm requires
macOS 15.6 or later on Apple silicon
Notchy price
Free — donations optional

Why use Notchy instead of Scrobbles for Last.fm?

  • Notchy is the player, not the log

    Album art, playback controls, a scrubber and synced lyrics in the notch, for Apple Music, Spotify and browser players.

  • A private history instead of an upload

    Notchy 1.0.201 adds Local Listening History — your 500 most recent tracks, kept only on your Mac — and Local Music Bookmarks.

  • Runs on Intel and older macOS

    Notchy supports macOS 13 Ventura and later on both Apple silicon and Intel.

  • Where Scrobbles is better

    Everything Last.fm: scrobbling, loved-track sync, stats, Year in Review and ListenBrainz. If your history needs to live on Last.fm, use Scrobbles.

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.

FeatureNotchyAlcoveNotchNookBoring NotchDynamicLakeMediaMate
Price100% Free$17 one-time$25 (or $3/mo)Free (Open Source)PaidPaid
Minimum macOSmacOS 13 Ventura+macOS 14 Sonoma+macOS 14 Sonoma+macOS 14 Sonoma+macOS 14 Sonoma+macOS 14 Sonoma+
ArchitecturePure SwiftUI (Native)Swift (Native)Swift (Native)Swift (Open Source)Swift (Native)Swift (Native)
Now Playing ControlsYesYesYesYesYesYes
AI Usage Tracker (Claude / Codex / Cursor)Yes—————
Command Palette (⌃⌥K)Yes—————
Localized (134 languages)Yes—————
Clipboard HistoryYes—————
Pomodoro Focus TimerYes—————
File Stash / Drop ShelfYes—YesYes——
System HUDs (Volume/Brightness)YesYesYesYesYesYes
AirPods Connected RevealYesYesYes———
Lock Screen WidgetsYesYes————
Quick NotesYes—————
Calendar WidgetYes—YesYesYes—
Caffeine ToggleYes—————
Synced LyricsYes—————
Image Converter (HEIC/JPG/PDF)Yes—————
Apple Reminders CaptureYes—————
Audio Output SwitcherYes—————
Device Battery (Mouse/Keyboard)Yes—————
Download Finished AlertsYes—————
Run Apple ShortcutsYes—Yes———
Camera Mirror / Webcam PreviewYes—Yes———
Zip & Unzip FilesYes—————
Hide the NotchYes—————
Window Snapping (drag to notch)Yes—————
App Launcher TabYes—————
OCR + Searchable ClipboardYes—————
Text Snippets / ExpanderYes—————
Menu-Bar Icon HidingYes—————
System-Wide Mic MuteYes—————
Live System Stats (CPU/RAM)Yes—————
iPhone-Style Call IslandYes—————
Built-In TerminalYes—————
Camera Guard (camera-access alerts)Yes—————
At a glance

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 Scrobbles for Last.fm

If you want Last.fm stats, Scrobbles for Last.fm is the right app and Notchy isn't a substitute. Run both: Scrobbles keeps the record, Notchy keeps the music in reach.

Scrobbles for Last.fm alternative — FAQ

Does Notchy scrobble to Last.fm?

No. Notchy has no Last.fm integration. Use a scrobbler alongside it — they don't conflict.

Is Scrobbles for Last.fm free?

Scrobbling, statistics, favourites and widgets are free; Scrobbles Pro is a $2.99 in-app purchase.

Does Scrobbles work with Spotify?

Its App Store listing describes scrobbling Apple Music. Spotify can scrobble to Last.fm itself from its own settings.

What is Notchy's listening history?

From 1.0.201, an opt-in list of your 500 most recent recordings, stored on your Mac and never uploaded. You can clear it in Now Playing settings.

Can I use both?

Yes. Scrobbles logs to Last.fm in the background; Notchy shows and controls the music in the notch.