October 2026 · Tested & Ranked

Best Notch Apps for Mac in 2026

MacBook Air and Pro models have carried a notch since 2021, and macOS still treats it as dead space. Four apps that turn it into something useful, or make it disappear, with prices and versions checked in October 2026.

By Gowtham V · Founder & Lead Developer, 1dot.ai

5 apps compared·Checked October 2026·9 min read

Quick picks: Boring Notch is the best default: free, fully open source, and shipping updates every few weeks (v2.7.3 stable, a 2.8 release candidate out September 25, 2026). NotchNook is the more polished paid option at $25 one-time for up to five Macs. DynamicLake Pro has the deepest feature list and is the only one of the three built to also work on Macs without a physical notch. TopNotch is for the opposite crowd, people who want the notch to disappear, not do more. If your actual problem is losing track of a file or screenshot from five minutes ago, that is not a notch problem, and we say exactly where Recento fits and does not fit below.

Disclosure: Recento is made by 1dot.ai, the publisher of this article, so we have a commercial interest in it. It is not a notch app and we never present it as a substitute for one. Prices on independently published apps change and get discounted often, especially on Gumroad, so check each vendor's own page before buying.

The notch has been part of the MacBook lineup since the M1 Pro and Max 14-inch and 16-inch models shipped in late 2021, and it reached the MacBook Air with the M2 in 2022. Five years in, macOS still does nothing with the black strip around the camera beyond hiding the menu bar behind it. Every interactive use of that space, from a file drop zone to a Dynamic-Island-style media widget, comes from a third-party app.

We split this roundup by the actual job each app does, since “notch app” covers two unrelated ideas: apps that put something useful in the notch, and apps that get rid of it entirely. Pick the category that matches what bothers you.

One thing worth flagging before the list: a lot of the “best notch apps” roundups currently ranking in search are published by the notch-app vendors themselves, each one naming its own product the winner. We have no notch app in this fight (Recento lives in the menu bar, not the notch), so the three ranked apps below are judged against each other, not against something we sell.

Apps in This Roundup

1. Boring Notch: Best Free, Open Source
2. NotchNook: Best Paid, Most Polished
3. DynamicLake Pro: Best for Non-Notched Macs
4. TopNotch: Best If You Want It Gone
5. Recento: A Different Job, Honestly Labeled
Full Comparison Table
Which One Should You Install?
FAQ

How We Picked

It is still maintained. macOS 27 Golden Gate shipped September 14, 2026, and an app that has not shipped a compatible update since is a liability, not a utility.
Real feature coverage, not a screenshot gallery. We checked each app's own changelog or release notes rather than taking a vendor's marketing page at face value.
Honest pricing. One-time versus subscription, how many Macs one license covers, and whether a free tier is a real option or a timed trial.
Permissions and source. Whether the code is open for anyone to audit, since these apps typically need Accessibility access to work.

Apps that use the notch

1. Boring Notch: Best Free, Open Source

Boring Notch

Free, open source, and shipping constantly

Boring Notch, built by a group calling themselves The Bored Team, turns the notch into an expandable shelf: hover or click and it opens into a media player with a live audio visualizer and synced lyrics, a calendar and Reminders view, a drag-and-drop file shelf with AirDrop support, a camera mirror for a quick appearance check, and HUD replacements for volume, brightness, and keyboard backlight that appear in the notch instead of the center of your screen.

The project is free and released under the GPL-3.0 license, with the source on GitHub at TheBoredTeam/boring.notch. As of late September 2026 it had passed 10,895 GitHub stars, the stable release was version 2.7.3, and a 2.8 release candidate had just shipped on September 25, with commits to the main branch as recent as September 21. That is a genuinely active pace for a project with no price tag.

The tradeoff of community-built software is a rougher edge here and there: settings are mostly flat rather than organized into a polished preferences window, and new features sometimes land in a release candidate before the stable channel catches up. For a free, auditable tool that does more than either paid option out of the box, it is the easy first install.

Free, GPL-3.0 open source10,895+ GitHub stars (Sep 2026)Shipping updates every few weeksSettings less polished than paid rivals

Strengths

Completely free, nothing to unlock
File shelf, media, calendar, camera, and HUDs in one
Open source, auditable before granting Accessibility access
Very active release cadence

Limitations

Needs a real hardware notch; weaker fit on non-notched Macs
Settings UI is functional, not polished
No official paid support channel
Mac only

2. NotchNook: Best Paid, Most Polished

NotchNook

The one that made the category mainstream

NotchNook, by developer Lo.cafe, is the app most people mean when they describe a “Dynamic Island for Mac.” Hover near the notch and it expands into two zones: the Nook, with media controls for Apple Music and Spotify, a Shortcuts widget, and an optional calendar, and the Tray, for AirDrop and holding files temporarily while you drag them between apps or windows.

Pricing, confirmed via MacUpdate's current listing and Macworld's review, is a $25 one-time lifetime license covering up to five Macs, or a $3-per-month subscription for two devices, with a 48-hour free trial either way. The current version as of this writing is 1.6.2 (updated June 26, 2026), and it requires macOS 14.6 or later on either Apple silicon or Intel.

Macworld's own review flagged real limitations worth knowing before buying: NotchNook does not support Podcasts or QuickTime Player, has no volume control built into the Nook, and the Tray moves files one at a time rather than in a batch. If those specific gaps matter to your workflow, Boring Notch or DynamicLake Pro may cover them better; if not, NotchNook's animation quality is the best-looking of the three.

$25 one-time, 5 Macs, 48-hour trialv1.6.2, macOS 14.6+Best animation and visual polishNo Podcasts/QuickTime, no volume control, one file at a time

Strengths

Most refined animations of the three
One-time purchase option available
Covers up to 5 Macs on one license
Short trial lets you check fit before buying

Limitations

Closed source
No Podcasts, QuickTime, or volume control
File tray handles one item at a time
Mac only, needs a physical notch

3. DynamicLake Pro: Best for Non-Notched Macs

DynamicLake Pro

The broadest feature list, and the only one that works without a notch

DynamicLake Pro packs in the most of any app here: a file shelf with drag-and-drop and share links, AirDrop, an Up Next media queue, notifications surfaced in the notch, a built-in file converter, an app switcher, weather, Bluetooth device alerts, and incoming call notices. It requires macOS 12 Monterey or later and runs on Intel and Apple silicon alike.

What sets it apart structurally is that it does not need a real notch to work. On a Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio, or an external display with no camera cutout at all, DynamicLake Pro draws its own notch-shaped bar at the top of the screen and runs the same interface there. That is a genuine gap the other two apps do not close, since Boring Notch and NotchNook are both built around the physical cutout.

Pricing is sold directly through Gumroad and moves around with frequent promotional discounts. Checked live on October 3, 2026 against the developer's own Gumroad listing and a hands-on review testing version 1.9.3: the current price is $13.99, with a 14-day money-back guarantee per DynamicLake's own terms of use. Check the current figure on Gumroad before buying, since it is the one app on this list without a stable published list price.

Works without a physical notchBroadest feature list of the threemacOS 12+, Intel and Apple silicon$13.99 as of Oct 3, 2026, moves with promotions

Strengths

Only option that simulates a notch on non-notched Macs
Deepest feature set: converter, calls, weather, Bluetooth
Runs on older macOS versions than NotchNook
14-day money-back guarantee

Limitations

Closed source
Price varies by promotion, no fixed figure
Feature density can feel busier than Boring Notch or NotchNook
Mac only

Apps that hide the notch

4. TopNotch: Best If You Want It Gone

TopNotch

For people who dislike the notch, not people who want to use it

TopNotch takes the opposite approach from the three apps above. Instead of adding a drop zone or widgets, it paints the entire top menu bar solid black, so the notch blends in and stops reading as a cutout at all. It sits above every window as a transparent, click-through overlay, so it never interferes with anything running underneath.

It is free, distributed from its own site at topnotch.app, and requires macOS 11 or later per the developer's current system-requirements note (checked October 3, 2026). An earlier open-source GitHub repository under the same name no longer resolves, so we are not citing it as a current source. Features are deliberately minimal: a menu bar toggle, launch-at-login support, an optional rounded-corners effect, support for multiple displays, and automatic adjustment when your wallpaper changes.

This is not a worse version of Boring Notch or NotchNook, it is built for a different reader entirely. If the notch itself bothers you visually and you would rather it disappear than do more, TopNotch is the right tool and the other three are not what you want.

FreemacOS 11+, minimal footprintDoes exactly one jobNo interactive features by design

Strengths

Free
Makes the notch visually disappear
Launch at login, multi-display support
Nothing to configure beyond on/off

Limitations

No file shelf, media, or widget functionality
Solves the opposite problem from the other three apps
Only cosmetic, does not add capability
Mac only

5. Recento: A Different Job, Honestly Labeled

Recento

Not a notch app, built for an adjacent problem

Recento, which we build at 1dot.ai, does not live in the notch at all, it sits in the menu bar and opens from a global hotkey. We are including it here because the file-shelf feature that Boring Notch, NotchNook, and DynamicLake Pro all offer solves a narrower version of a problem Recento targets directly: getting back to something you just had, without digging through Finder, Downloads, or a stack of open windows.

A notch file shelf holds whatever you drag into it right now, mid-drag, between two apps. Recento instead remembers what you already touched, your recent files, recent screenshots, and clipboard history, and surfaces all three in one panel the moment you press the hotkey, with nothing to drag in first. They overlap at the edges and solve different moments.

Recento has a free tier plus a $19.99 lifetime option, a 15-day trial with no card required, and runs on macOS 11 Big Sur and later, including Macs with no notch at all. If your actual complaint is “where did that file go,” this is the more direct fix. If you specifically want the notch itself to do something, it is not the tool for that and one of the four above is.

Recent files, screenshots, clipboard, one hotkeyFree tier + $19.99 lifetimeWorks on any Mac, notch or noneMade by 1dot.ai

Strengths

Solves recency, not mid-drag file holding
No notch or hardware requirement
Free tier is genuinely usable
No account or cloud required

Limitations

Does not add any notch functionality
Not a drag-and-drop file shelf
Mac only
Overlaps only partly with what a notch app does

Full Comparison Table

App	Job It Does	Open Source	Needs a Real Notch	Price
Boring Notch	Media, file shelf, HUDs, calendar	Yes (GPL-3.0)	Yes	Free
NotchNook	Media, shortcuts, calendar, file tray	No	Yes	$25 one-time (5 Macs) or $3/mo
DynamicLake Pro	File shelf, calls, weather, converter	No	No (simulates one)	$13.99, varies with promotions
TopNotch	Hides the notch entirely	No	Yes (to hide)	Free
Recento	Recent files, screenshots, clipboard	No	No, menu bar based	Free tier · $19.99 lifetime

Which One Should You Install?

Want the notch to do something, for free? Boring Notch. It covers media, files, calendar, and camera, and updates often.
Want the smoothest-looking widget tray and do not mind paying once? NotchNook, but check its Podcasts and volume-control gaps against your own habits first.
Running a Mac mini, iMac, or older MacBook with no physical notch? DynamicLake Pro is the only one of the three built to simulate one for you.
Just want the notch to visually disappear? TopNotch does exactly that and nothing else.
Losing track of files, screenshots, or copied text, not bothered by the notch itself? That is not a notch problem. Recento is built for that specifically.

Our honest take

Start with Boring Notch if you have never used a notch app before. It costs nothing, its source is public, and it covers most of what NotchNook and DynamicLake Pro charge for. Upgrade to one of the paid options only once you hit a specific gap, Podcasts support, a simulated notch on a non-notched Mac, or a feature neither free option covers.

None of these apps change what the notch physically is, a camera cutout Apple has not resized since 2021. What they change is whether that space sits empty all day or does something with the dozens of times you glance at the top of your screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best notch app for Mac in 2026?

Boring Notch is the best default pick for most people: it is free, fully open source, and has shipped steadily all year (version 2.7.3 stable, with a 2.8 release candidate out September 25, 2026). NotchNook is the better choice if you want a more polished, animated interface and do not mind paying $25 once. DynamicLake Pro has the broadest feature list and is the only one of the three built to also work on Macs that do not have a physical notch at all.

Which Macs actually have a notch?

The MacBook Air (M2, M3, and M4 models, 2022 onward) and the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch (M1 Pro, M1 Max, and every generation since, late 2021 onward) all have a physical notch cut into the display to hold the camera. Older Intel MacBooks, the MacBook Pro 13-inch, the Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro have no notch, which is why DynamicLake Pro and some others simulate a virtual one at the top of the screen instead.

Does macOS have any built-in notch features?

No. As of macOS 27 Golden Gate (released September 14, 2026) and macOS Tahoe 26.7, Apple still treats the notch purely as a display cutout with no interactive behavior of its own. Every drag-and-drop shelf, media control, or calendar widget you see built into the notch comes from a third-party app, not the operating system.

Is it safe to give a notch app Accessibility or screen-recording permissions?

Most of these apps ask for Accessibility access so they can detect window state and respond to cursor position near the notch. Boring Notch is open source, so you or anyone else can read exactly what the permission is used for. NotchNook, DynamicLake Pro, and TopNotch are closed source, which is a reasonable tradeoff for most people given their narrow, visible feature sets, but it is a real difference if you specifically want to audit the code before granting access.

Can I use a notch app if my Mac does not have a physical notch?

Yes, with the right app. DynamicLake Pro explicitly supports this by drawing its own notch-shaped bar at the top of the screen on any Mac, including external monitors connected to a Mac mini or iMac. Boring Notch and NotchNook are built around the real hardware cutout and are a weaker fit on a Mac without one, since there is no existing dead space for the interface to sit in.

What is the difference between a notch app and TopNotch?

Boring Notch, NotchNook, and DynamicLake Pro all do the same basic job from different angles: they turn the notch into an interactive drop zone for files, media controls, and widgets. TopNotch does the opposite. It paints the entire menu bar black so the notch blends in and effectively disappears. If you like the idea of the notch doing something, pick one of the first three. If you just want it gone, TopNotch is built for exactly that and nothing else.

Are notch apps the same as menu bar organizers like Bartender or Thaw?

No, and the two solve different problems. A menu bar organizer hides and groups the icons sitting to the right of the notch. A notch app adds new functionality to the dead space around and below the notch itself, things like a file shelf, media controls, or a calendar. They do not conflict with each other, and it is common to run one of each. See our separate roundup of menu bar apps for the organizer side.

Why does Recento show up in this roundup if it is not a notch app?

It does not live in the notch, and we are not pretending it does. We included it because people who install a notch app for its file shelf are often chasing the same underlying itch Recento solves differently: getting back to a file, screenshot, or something copied a few minutes ago, without digging through Finder or Downloads. If what you actually want is that, not a widget tray, Recento is the more direct tool. If you want the notch itself to do something, it is the wrong pick and one of the three apps above is the right one.

External References

Also curious about the rest of your menu bar setup? Read our best menu bar apps roundup, or if a file shelf's drag-and-drop habit is really what you are chasing, see our best recent files apps for Mac.

The Notch Isn't the Only Dead Space Worth Fixing

Recento lives in your menu bar and pulls up your recent files, screenshots, and clipboard in one keystroke, on any Mac, notch or not. Free to start, 15-day trial on the rest.

Try Recento See Files Magic AI