Boring Notch Alternatives: 5 Mac Notch Apps Compared (2026)
Outgrown Boring Notch? Five alternatives compared on features, price, and macOS support — including the only free one with clipboard history and Pomodoro built in.
By Vishva Variya · Published July 17, 2026
Boring Notch deserves credit: it proved a free, open-source notch app could be good. But its scope is deliberately narrow — music first, everything else thin — and it needs macOS 14. If you've hit those walls, here are the five alternatives worth considering in 2026, ranked by what you get for what you pay.
1. Notchy — free, more of everything
Notchy is the natural upgrade because the price stays $0 while the feature surface roughly triples: clipboard history, Pomodoro with streaks, a file shelf with AirDrop, synced lyrics, replacement system HUDs, and live activitiesfor calls, downloads, and calendar. It's native SwiftUI like Boring Notch, and it reaches back to macOS 13 Ventura. Not open-source — that's the one trade.
2. Alcove — paid polish
Alcove($14.99–$17) has the smoothest animations in the category and a beautiful music HUD. Feature-wise it's closer to Boring Notch than you'd expect — no clipboard, no timer, no shelf — so you're paying for execution, not scope.
3. NotchNook — paid design + file tray
NotchNook ($25 one-time or $3/month) adds a proper file tray and a widget system with the Lo.cafe design touch. The most expensive option; see how it stacks against the others in our three-way comparison.
4. DynamicLake — the Reddit favorite
DynamicLake(paid) has a strong stability reputation and calendar/weather widgets. Still no clipboard history or Pomodoro, and there's no free tier.
5. MediaMate — HUDs only
MediaMate (paid) is a different animal: gorgeous iOS-style volume/brightness/media HUDs, no island, no notch expansion. Pair-able with a notch app, but not a replacement for one.
The switch, in practice
- Quit Boring Notch (and remove it from Login Items if you added it).
- Download Notchy — or your pick above — and launch it.
- If you're removing Boring Notch entirely, the clean uninstall guide lists every leftover file.
Boring Notch alternative FAQs
What's the best free Boring Notch alternative?
Notchy. It's equally free (donation-funded rather than open-source), adds clipboard history, a Pomodoro timer, a file shelf, and synced lyrics that Boring Notch lacks, and supports macOS 13 Ventura.
Why switch away from Boring Notch?
The usual reasons: wanting more than music controls (clipboard, timers, file shelf), smoother animations, or support for a Mac running macOS 13 Ventura, which Boring Notch doesn't support.
Is Boring Notch still worth using?
Yes, if open source is a hard requirement — it's the best open-source notch app. If you just want maximum features at $0, Notchy ships more.
How do I uninstall Boring Notch cleanly?
Quit the app, delete it from Applications, and remove its leftovers from ~/Library. Our step-by-step uninstall guide at notchy.dev/uninstall-boring-notch walks through every file.