Tuneful Alternative: Music in the Notch, Not the Menu Bar
Tuneful is a nice mini player — but it's only a mini player. Notchy collapses Spotify and Apple Music onto your MacBook notch with album art, scrubbing, an output switcher, and time-synced karaoke lyrics — then adds a clipboard manager, file shelf, timers, and 30+ other tools. All free.
Why use Notchy instead of Tuneful?
- Now Playing where your eyes already are
Album art, scrubbing, shuffle/repeat, app volume, and one-tap Favorite live on the notch itself — no menu-bar icon to hunt for, no popover to position.
- Synced lyrics built in
Time-synced karaoke lyrics scroll under the notch as your song plays — Apple Music, Spotify, anything with Now Playing. Free via LRCLIB, no account or API key.
- A whole utility suite, not just music
Tuneful stops at playback. Notchy adds clipboard history, a drop shelf with zip/unzip, Pomodoro focus timers, AirPods battery, system HUDs, and an AI usage tracker — for the same $0.
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)
- 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
Tuneful alternative — FAQ
Is there a free Tuneful alternative for Mac?
Yes — Notchy. Tuneful puts a mini player in your menu bar; Notchy puts Now Playing controls and time-synced lyrics right in your MacBook notch, plus 30+ other tools, all free.
What does Notchy do that Tuneful doesn't?
Beyond music, Notchy adds synced lyrics, a clipboard history shelf, drag-and-drop file stash, Pomodoro timer, AI usage tracking and system HUDs — all from the notch.
Does Notchy show Now Playing in the notch instead of the menu bar?
Yes. Notchy surfaces album art, controls and scrubbing on and around the notch itself, so playback lives where the notch is rather than in a separate menu-bar popover.
Is Notchy free?
Yes — 100% free, funded only by optional donations. No trial or subscription.