# Mac Productivity Apps With No Subscription in 2026 > Mac productivity apps you pay for once, as of November 2026: NotchOwl $9 for 3 Macs, Things 3 $49.99, NotchNook $19 lifetime, Alcove $12.99, Boring Notch free. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/mac-productivity-apps-no-subscription Plenty of good Mac apps still let you pay once and keep the app. The catch is that "lifetime" means different things to different developers: some licenses cover every future version, some only the current major version, and the number of Macs ranges from 2 to every Mac on your Apple Account. This list includes only apps whose official site or App Store listing shows a one-time or lifetime price, with what each license covers where the developer says. I make NotchOwl, so it's on this list; I've tried to be fair about where other apps are the better pick. Prices were checked on each app's website, App Store listing or GitHub page in November 2026. ## Quick picks - **Best for planning your day in the notch:** NotchOwl, $9 - **Best full task manager for Apple devices:** Things 3, $49.99 for Mac - **Best for power users and GTD:** OmniFocus 4, from $74.99 - **Best all-in-one notch app:** NotchNook, $19 lifetime - **Best for AI task capture in the notch:** Notchable, $9.99 or $19.99 - **Best Dynamic Island look:** Alcove, $12.99 - **Best for files and media in the notch:** Droppy, $9.99 - **Best Pomodoro timer with a one-time Pro price:** Be Focused, $39.99 - **Best free notch app:** Boring Notch ## What "lifetime" actually covers Check three things before you buy a one-time license: 1. **How many Macs.** NotchOwl and Alcove cover 3, NotchNook and Droppy cover 2. Mac App Store purchases can be installed on the Macs signed in to your Apple Account. 2. **Which updates.** OmniFocus 4's perpetual license covers version 4 only, with discounted upgrades to later major versions. NotchOwl, Alcove, Notchable and Droppy say updates are included with no version limit stated. 3. **Other devices.** OmniFocus 4 and Be Focused include iPhone and iPad in one purchase. Things 3 sells each platform separately. ## The best one-time-purchase Mac productivity apps ### NotchOwl NotchOwl is a Mac planner in the notch, with today's tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad, reminders and a read-only view of today's calendar. NotchOwl also has a Week view, Clips for recent screenshots and copied items, optional two-way Apple Reminders sync, and a local MCP server for Claude. > NotchOwl costs $9 once (shown as an early-bird price, normally $29) for up to 3 Macs, with lifetime updates, a 14-day money-back guarantee and no subscription. - **What the license covers:** every feature, lifetime updates and up to 3 Macs. You can move the license by deactivating a Mac in Settings. The installer is free, but there is no free tier or trial. See [what NotchOwl's license includes](/#pricing). - **Platforms:** Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. No iPhone app; tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch through Reminders sync. - **Best for:** people who want today's tasks and a focus timer always one hover away. - **Drawbacks:** no media controls, file shelf (Clips is the closest), team lists or calendar editing. No Intel version, and no trial beyond the refund window. - **Get it:** [download NotchOwl](/download) ### Things 3 Things 3, by Cultured Code, is a polished personal task manager with Today and Upcoming views, projects, areas, Markdown notes and sync through Things Cloud. - **Price:** $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad on the US App Store, as of November 2026. Each is a separate purchase, and there is no subscription. - **What the license covers:** Things is still on version 3; Mac version 3.24.2 came out on November 5, 2026, and no Things 4 is mentioned on the official site. Cultured Code's site doesn't describe pricing for a future major version. - **Platforms:** Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. No Windows, Android or web app. - **Best for:** a full task manager across Apple devices without a monthly bill. - **Drawbacks:** Apple only; no shared lists; no menu bar app; no official MCP server, though community ones exist. - **Get it:** [culturedcode.com/things](https://culturedcode.com/things/) ### OmniFocus 4 OmniFocus 4, by The Omni Group, is a deep task manager built around projects, tags, custom perspectives and a weekly review. OmniFocus 4 is one of the few big task apps that still sells a perpetual license alongside its subscription. - **Price:** Standard $74.99 or Pro $149.99 once, or a $99.99 yearly subscription, as of November 2026. 14-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee. - **What the license covers:** permanent rights to version 4 and all 4.x updates, on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro in one purchase. Future major upgrades are discounted, not free. The subscription includes major upgrades and web access. - **Platforms:** Mac (macOS 15.2 or later), iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, plus web access with the subscription or a paid add-on. - **Best for:** GTD users who want perspectives, review and a lot of control. - **Drawbacks:** the highest price here, and more complex than many people need. - **Get it:** [omnigroup.com/omnifocus](https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/) ### NotchNook NotchNook, by lo.cafe, turns the notch into a tray for files and AirDrop, with calendar, clipboard history (Pro), notes and timers. NotchNook Pro 2.0, released October 28, 2026, added Pomodoro, to-dos and approving Claude Code and Codex commands from the notch. - **Price:** Pro $19 lifetime or $3 a month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2 a month, as of November 2026. 48-hour free trial with no card, and refunds within 7 days. - **What the license covers:** 2 Macs per license, with "updates included". lo.cafe's page doesn't say whether future major versions are included. - **Platforms:** Mac only, macOS 14.6 or later. Pro needs Apple silicon; Classic also runs on Intel. - **Best for:** one notch app for files, calendar, clipboard and coding agents. - **Drawbacks:** Pro is Apple silicon only, and the Pro and Classic split can confuse. - **Get it:** [lo.cafe/notchnook](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) ### Notchable Notchable is an ADHD task manager in the notch: you hover, type or speak, and AI sorts each capture into a date, priority, category and effort estimate. Notchable also has a focus dial in the notch, Insights and two-way Apple Reminders sync. - **Price:** Standard $19.99 once, which uses cloud AI through Notchable's server; Lite $9.99 once, which runs an on-device model on Apple silicon (16 GB of memory recommended). 3-day free trial. - **What the license covers:** Notchable's site says it is a one-time purchase with every update included. It doesn't say how many Macs one license covers. - **Platforms:** Mac only, macOS 14 or later. Standard runs on Intel and Apple silicon. - **Best for:** turning brain dumps into sorted tasks with AI. - **Drawbacks:** Standard sends capture text to Notchable's server for processing. Compare it in detail in [NotchOwl vs Notchable](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable). - **Get it:** [notchable.com](https://notchable.com) ### Alcove Alcove brings a Dynamic Island look to the notch, with Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, custom HUDs and lock screen widgets. - **Price:** $12.99 once, as of November 2026. 72-hour trial and a full refund within 14 days. - **What the license covers:** Alcove's FAQ says the purchase includes all future updates, on up to 3 devices at once. - **Platforms:** Mac only, macOS 15 or later. - **Best for:** people who want the notch to feel like an iPhone's Dynamic Island. - **Drawbacks:** no tasks, calendar or clipboard are mentioned. Alcove's FAQ says it relies on private APIs and is sold "as is". - **Get it:** [tryalcove.com](https://tryalcove.com) ### Droppy Droppy is a notch app for files and media: a file tray that can zip and convert, clipboard history, a floating player with lyrics, plus calendar, notes, Pomodoro and tracking for coding agents such as Claude, Codex and Cursor. - **Price:** $9.99 once, with lower prices in 126 countries. 3-day free trial and a 14-day refund window. - **What the license covers:** 2 Macs per license, with free updates. - **Platforms:** Mac, macOS 14 or later. A free iPhone beta on TestFlight syncs clipboard, files and notes. - **Best for:** a wide set of notch features for under $10. - **Drawbacks:** no to-do list is listed among its features. - **Get it:** [getdroppy.app](https://getdroppy.app) ### Be Focused Be Focused is a Pomodoro timer with tasks, long breaks, daily goals and a menu bar icon you can start and pause from. Be Focused is free, and Pro adds sync, app and website blocking and CSV export. - **Price:** Pro costs $39.99 once, or $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year, as of November 2026. A separate paid app, Be Focused Pro – Focus Timer, costs $19.99. - **What the license covers:** one Pro purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. - **Platforms:** Mac (macOS 12 or later), iPhone and iPad. - **Best for:** classic Pomodoro cycles without a subscription. Flow also sells Pro for $39.99 once, but Flow 5.0 needs macOS 26. More timers are in [the best Pomodoro timer apps for Mac](/blog/best-pomodoro-timer-apps-mac). - **Drawbacks:** two separate apps with different prices are confusing. - **Get it:** [Be Focused on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/be-focused-pomodoro-timer/id973134470?mt=12) ### Boring Notch Boring Notch is a free, open-source notch app with music controls, a calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop, volume and brightness HUDs and a camera mirror. - **Price:** free, GPL-3.0. Donations are optional. - **Platforms:** Mac only, macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. - **Best for:** a free notch app for media and file drops. - **Drawbacks:** the app isn't signed with an Apple Developer account, so you have to get past Gatekeeper on first launch. The last stable release, v2.7.3, came out on November 24, 2025; only release candidates have shipped since. No tasks. - **Get it:** [Boring Notch on GitHub](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch) ### Other free and low-cost picks - **TomatoBar:** a free, open-source (MIT) Pomodoro timer in the menu bar. [GitHub](https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar) - **Reminders MenuBar:** free and open source (GPL-3.0). View, add and complete Apple Reminders from the menu bar, on macOS 12 or later. [GitHub](https://github.com/DamascenoRafael/reminders-menubar) - **One Thing:** free, by Sindre Sorhus. Shows a single task or goal in the menu bar. [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-thing/id1604176982) - **ToDoBar:** $2.99 on the Mac App Store. A menu bar to-do list with on-device data; last updated February 2025. [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6470928617) - **DynamicLake Pro:** $13.99 once on Gumroad, for music, calendar, file drops and message notifications in the notch. Buy it only through [dynamiclake.com](https://www.dynamiclake.com): in July 2026 a fake DynamicLake ad on X spread Mac malware. ## Comparison table Table: One-time-purchase Mac productivity apps compared by price, Macs covered, updates, trial and other platforms (as of November 2026) | App | One-time price | Macs per license | Updates covered | Trial or refund | Other platforms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NotchOwl | $9 (normally $29) | 3 | Lifetime updates | 14-day money-back, no trial | None (iPhone and Watch via Reminders sync) | | Things 3 | $49.99 Mac | Apple Account | Not stated | Free trial on website | iPhone and Watch $9.99, iPad $19.99 | | OmniFocus 4 | $74.99 Standard, $149.99 Pro | Not stated | All 4.x; major upgrades discounted | 14-day trial, 30-day refund | iPhone, iPad, Watch, Vision Pro included | | NotchNook Pro | $19 | 2 | "Updates included" | 48-hour trial, 7-day refund | None | | NotchNook Classic | $15 | 2 | "Updates included" | 48-hour trial, 7-day refund | None | | Notchable | $9.99 Lite, $19.99 Standard | Not stated | Every update | 3-day trial | None | | Alcove | $12.99 | 3 devices | All future updates | 72-hour trial, 14-day refund | None | | Droppy | $9.99 | 2 | Free updates | 3-day trial, 14-day refund | iPhone beta (free) | | Be Focused Pro | $39.99 | Apple Account | Not stated | Free version | iPhone, iPad included | | Boring Notch | Free | Any | Open source | Free | None | ## Apps left out, and why Many well-known apps only sell their paid tier as a subscription, so they aren't on this list: Todoist, TickTick, Sunsama, Akiflow and Session, and MacNotch, which is sold through Setapp. Structured and Tiimo were left out because their exact current prices couldn't be confirmed. MediaMate appears to no longer be sold. For a wider look at notch apps, including subscription ones, see [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac). ## Why some developers prefer subscriptions Subscriptions often pay for real, ongoing costs. An app that runs cloud sync, a web app or AI on its own servers pays for that every month, and a one-time price has to cover those costs forever. Notchable's Standard edition is an exception worth noting: it runs AI on its own server and still charges once. Each new macOS release also means work, and a subscription pays for it steadily instead of depending on new buyers. A subscription can also be the better deal for you. If you need Windows, Android, a web app or shared team lists, apps like Todoist and Sunsama sell their paid plans as subscriptions. If you only need an app for one project, a month of NotchNook at $3 costs less than $19 for life. The Omni Group, lo.cafe and the makers of Be Focused offer both and let you choose. One-time pricing fits apps that keep your data on your Mac and run few servers. That is NotchOwl's model: tasks stay local, and sync to iPhone goes through Apple Reminders and iCloud, not a NotchOwl server. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Things 3 a one-time purchase on Mac? Yes. Things 3 has no subscription. As of November 2026, Things 3 costs $49.99 for Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad, and each version is bought separately on the App Store. ### Does NotchNook have a lifetime license? Yes. As of November 2026, NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime and NotchNook Classic costs $15 lifetime, and one license covers 2 Macs. lo.cafe also sells monthly plans at $3 and $2. ### Does NotchOwl's $9 license include future updates? Yes. NotchOwl's $9 one-time license includes lifetime updates and activation on up to 3 Macs, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. There is no subscription, and every feature is included. ### Does a lifetime Mac app license include major version upgrades? It depends on the app. OmniFocus 4's perpetual license covers all 4.x updates, with future major upgrades at a discount. NotchOwl, Alcove and Notchable say future updates are included, and NotchNook lists updates as included without saying for how long. ### What are the best free Mac productivity apps with no subscription? Apple Reminders is built into macOS and free. Reminders MenuBar puts Apple Reminders in the menu bar, TomatoBar is a free Pomodoro timer, and Boring Notch is a free notch app for music, calendar and file drops; all three are open source. ### Why do so many Mac apps charge a subscription? Mostly to pay for costs that never stop: cloud sync servers, AI processing, and updates for each new macOS release. Some developers also prefer steady monthly income to depending on new buyers every month.