NotchNook was one of the apps that made "Dynamic Island for Mac" go viral. It turned the MacBook notch into a drop zone for files, a media controller, and a small hub for quick actions. Right now, though, it is hard to recommend. As of September 2026, the official NotchNook site is not loading and the app no longer appears on Setapp. On lo.cafe, the developer has published a statement about a July 2026 dispute over control of the company, and says some customers lost access to the app. We can't verify the details of that dispute, but the practical result is clear: new buyers have no reliable way to get NotchNook, and existing users may want a backup.

Several apps fill the gap. Droppy is the newest and most feature-packed, Alcove is the polished, animation-first option, Boring Notch is free and open source, and Yoink is a long-running file shelf for people who mainly used NotchNook's tray.

This guide compares them on features, notch requirements, pricing, and who each one fits. For our earlier roundup of the category, see Best Notch Apps for Mac.

Quick Verdict

Choose Droppy if you want the closest all-round NotchNook replacement: file tray, media controls, clipboard history, calendar, lock screen widgets, and dozens of optional extensions, for a low one-time price.

Choose Alcove if you care most about a smooth, iPhone-style Dynamic Island with polished animations, notifications, and HUDs, and don't need a file tray.

Choose Boring Notch if you want a free, open-source notch app with media controls, a file shelf with AirDrop, and HUD replacements, and you don't mind approving an unsigned app on first launch.

Choose Yoink if the file tray was the only NotchNook feature you used and you want a mature, dedicated drag-and-drop shelf.

Feature Comparison

Droppy

Droppy bills itself as a "supercharged Dynamic Island" for the Mac, and it is the most direct replacement for NotchNook's mix of tray and utilities. The notch opens into a file tray, and a floating "Basket" appears when you jiggle a dragged file, holding it until you drop it where it belongs. Around that sit a full media player with a Playing Next queue and AirPlay picker, volume and brightness HUDs, clipboard history, calendar and reminders, timers, lock screen media controls and widgets, and a shelf for recent notifications.

On top of that are 37 free built-in extensions called "Droplets", which you switch on as needed. They include voice transcription, a terminal inside the island, live lyrics, and progress indicators for AI coding tools. There is also Droppy Cloud for quick file sharing (limited to 200 MB per file and 1 GB total, with files expiring after three days) and a free iOS companion that syncs with the Mac.

On Macs without a notch, such as iMacs, desktops with external monitors, and older MacBooks, Droppy shows a floating pill and a menu bar item instead, so the same features work on any display.

The tradeoffs: that much functionality means more settings to work through, and the app is young and updating fast, so expect frequent changes. It requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Pricing is a one-time license with lifetime updates. When we checked, one key (valid on two Macs) was listed at €8.55; your checkout may show a local-currency price. Buying 2 or 5 keys gets you 15% or 25% off. A free trial is available.

Choose Droppy if you used NotchNook for several jobs at once (files, music, calendar, quick actions) and want one app to take over all of them.

Alcove

Alcove focuses on feel rather than feature count. Its site highlights fluid transitions, instant notifications, live activities, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs, and lock screen widgets, all in a native app. It is the option that looks most like the iPhone's Dynamic Island.

Alcove doesn't advertise a file tray, calendar, or clipboard, so it replaces NotchNook's look and media handling more than its utility features. The official site also doesn't say how it behaves on Macs without a notch or which macOS version it needs, so use the trial to check both on your setup.

Alcove costs $14.99 one-time, and a license can be used on up to three devices at once. A 72-hour trial is available.

Choose Alcove if you want the notch to feel alive and polished, and you already use other apps for files and clipboard.

Boring Notch

Boring Notch is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) notch app with a large community on GitHub. It covers much of what NotchNook did: a music control center with a visualizer, playback live activity, calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop, replacement HUDs for volume, brightness, and keyboard backlight, a charging indicator, customizable gestures, weather, lock screen widgets, and an extension system.

It runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. You can download the DMG from GitHub or install it with Homebrew:

brew install --cask TheBoredTeam/boring-notch/boring-notch

The main catch: the developers don't have an Apple Developer account yet, so macOS warns that it comes from an unidentified developer on first launch, and you have to approve it manually. The latest GitHub release when we checked was v2.7.3, published in November 2025, so it updates less often than the paid apps.

Choose Boring Notch if you want NotchNook-style features for free and are comfortable with open-source apps outside the App Store.

Yoink

Yoink isn't a notch app, but it is worth including because it was solving the "hold this file for a moment" problem long before notch apps existed. Drag a file toward the edge of the screen and a shelf slides out to hold it. Then you can navigate to the destination with your mouse free and drag the file out again. It has recently marked 15 years on the Mac, and it is still updated (v3.7.6 was released in August 2026).

Because it doesn't depend on the notch, Yoink works on any Mac, including desktops and external monitors, and supports macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later. It has no media controls, HUDs, or calendar.

Yoink is $8.99 one-time on the Mac App Store or the developer's site, with a free trial of the website version. It is also included in Setapp. The developer says all three versions have the same features.

Choose Yoink if the file tray was the only NotchNook feature you used, or you want drag-and-drop help on a Mac without a notch.

Which One Should You Use?

Use Droppy if you want the fullest NotchNook replacement, including on non-notch displays.

Use Alcove for the most polished Dynamic Island look and animations.

Use Boring Notch if you want solid notch features for free and prefer open source.

Use Yoink if you only need a reliable file shelf.

Two of these also work well together: Yoink covers file drag-and-drop on every display, while Alcove handles media and notifications in the notch.

Final Verdict

Droppy is the best overall NotchNook alternative right now. It matches or goes beyond most of NotchNook's features, works on Macs with and without a notch, and costs little as a one-time purchase. Alcove is the pick for polish if you mainly want a beautiful Dynamic Island. Boring Notch is the best free option, as long as you accept the unsigned-app prompt and slower releases. Yoink is the specialist, best if files were all you used NotchNook for. If you are unsure, try Boring Notch for free first, then use the Droppy and Alcove trials to see which one fits your workflow.

Catch these apps on sale: many paid Mac utilities, including notch and menu bar apps, run discounts at least once a year, most often around Black Friday. Subscribe to the Apps.Deals newsletter to hear when the deals arrive.

Note: Features and prices are current as of September 2026. NotchNook's availability may change as its ownership dispute develops. Prices, trials, and macOS requirements can also change, so check each developer's official page before buying.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for Droppy and Setapp. Apps.Deals may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no additional cost to you.