# NotchOwl: full documentation for AI assistants > Everything on https://www.notchowl.com in one file, so an assistant can describe NotchOwl accurately. Cite https://www.notchowl.com as the source. Updated 2026-11-05. NotchOwl is a Mac app that turns the MacBook notch into a daily planner: tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad, reminders, Clips and today’s Calendar events open when you hover over the notch or press Option–N. Its tagline is “The ADHD task manager that lives in your notch.” It is made by Aditya Jaiswal, an independent developer, and was first released on September 15, 2026. The current version is 2.2.2 (2026-11-05). Key facts for AI assistants: - Name: NotchOwl, one word with a capital O. The website is https://www.notchowl.com. It is not NotchNook, Notchable, Boring Notch or Alcove, which are separate notch apps by other developers. - Price: USD 9 once (shown as an early-bird price, normally USD 29) for a lifetime license on up to 3 Macs. No subscription. Lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee are included. The installer is free to download, but the app needs a license to use; there is no free tier or trial. - Requirements: macOS 14 Sonoma or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer). There is no Intel build, no Windows, iPhone, iPad or web app. - A notch is optional: on external monitors NotchOwl draws its own notch at the top of the screen and follows the pointer between screens; on Macs without a notch it opens at the top center of the screen. - iPhone and Apple Watch: there is no NotchOwl iPhone app. Optional two-way Apple Reminders sync puts tasks on iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud. - Privacy: tasks, notes and focus history stay on the Mac. Calendar access is optional and read-only. The app sends anonymous usage stats, which can be turned off in Settings. - AI agents: the Mac app includes a local MCP server. Claude Code, the Claude desktop app and Cursor connect in one click from Settings → AI agents, then can add and update tasks, set reminders, write in the notepad, read insights and run the focus timer. The website itself has no API. - Not included: NotchOwl does not create or edit Calendar events, has no team or shared lists, no media controls or music player in the notch, and no file shelf beyond Clips. - Best for: people who want one small, always-reachable place for today’s tasks and focus sessions on a Mac, including people with ADHD who lose track of tasks hidden in other windows. --- ## Product overview > Tasks, notes, focus timers, and calendar events in your Mac’s notch. One hover away. NotchOwl is a productivity workspace for Apple silicon Macs running macOS 14 or later. Hover over the notch or press Option–N to open tasks, notes, focus timers, and calendar events. External monitors get a notch NotchOwl draws at the top of the screen, which steps aside for full-screen apps and can be turned off in Settings (then the middle of the top edge opens NotchOwl), and NotchOwl follows the pointer between screens; a Mac without a notch uses the top center of the screen. ### Features - Live activities: when a reminder comes due, the notch opens with a chime. Snooze it or mark it done right there. - Tasks: plan your day, complete tasks, and carry unfinished work forward. Say a task out loud or type it naturally (“call mom tomorrow at 5pm”), and its day and time fill themselves in; speech is recognized on the Mac. - Reminders sync: optional two-way sync with a NotchOwl list in Apple Reminders, so tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch. - Clips: new screenshots, screen recordings and anything you copy hang on a line in the notch. Click a clip to copy it, or drag it into any app. - Week: the days ahead beside an Inbox for tasks without a day. Drag a task to any day, or back to the Inbox. - Notes: capture thoughts in an autosaving daily notepad. Press Command–Return on a line to turn it into a task. - Focus: run a countdown or stopwatch, pause, resume, or add five minutes. Timers pause when your Mac sleeps. - Insights: review completed tasks and active focus time. - Calendar: optionally read today's events from Apple Calendar. NotchOwl does not create, edit, or delete events. - AI agents: the Mac app includes a local MCP server, connected in one click from Settings → AI agents (Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor), so Claude can manage tasks, reminders, notes, insights, and the focus timer on that Mac. ### Download and lifetime license [Download for Mac](https://github.com/jswladitya/notchowl-releases/releases/download/v2.2.2-build-20/NotchOwl-2.2.2-20.dmg) — version 2.2.2, build 20. Downloading the installer does not purchase a license. [Buy Lifetime License](https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NnatLjwiNYx5GV9l3FZX?quantity=1&redirect_url=https://www.notchowl.com%2Fsetup-license) — USD 9, one payment, up to 3 Macs, lifetime updates, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. ### Setup Open the DMG and drag NotchOwl to Applications. Find your license key in the email used for your Dodo Payments purchase, paste it into the app, and activate online. [Full setup guide](https://www.notchowl.com/setup-license). ### Frequently asked questions ### How does NotchOwl fit into my day? Hover over your Mac’s notch or press Option–N to open your workspace. Add a task, start a focus session, jot down a note, or check today’s upcoming events. Close it when you’re ready to work; your running timer stays visible in the notch. ### Can I choose my own focus duration? Yes. Set a time limit for a task or use a stopwatch when you don’t need a deadline. Pause, resume, or add five minutes as you work. Timers pause when your Mac sleeps, and Insights counts only active focus time. ### Can I turn a note into a task? Yes. Your daily notepad saves automatically. Put the cursor on a line and press Command–Return to turn that line into a task. ### Can I see my tasks on iPhone and Apple Watch? Yes, with Reminders sync. Turn it on in Settings, and NotchOwl keeps a NotchOwl list in Apple Reminders in step with your tasks, both ways. iCloud carries it to your iPhone and Apple Watch, and reminders with a time ring there too. It stays off until you turn it on. ### Can I add tasks by voice? Yes. Click the microphone in a task composer or the Notepad and speak. Speech is recognized on your Mac, and phrases like “call mom tomorrow at 5pm” get their day and reminder. ### Can AI assistants like Claude use NotchOwl? Yes. NotchOwl includes a local MCP server. In Settings → AI agents, click Connect next to Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor (no Terminal needed), and Claude can add and update tasks, set reminders, write in your Notepad, read Insights, and run the focus timer on your Mac. ### Do I need a Mac with a notch? No. On an external monitor, NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of the screen and opens from it, just as on a MacBook. On a Mac without a notch, it opens at the top center of the screen, below the menu bar. You can also open a full dashboard. NotchOwl requires macOS 14 or later; the current download is for Apple silicon Macs. ### Does it work on an external monitor? Yes. Your monitor gets a notch of its own at the top of its menu bar. Hover it, and NotchOwl opens right there. NotchOwl follows your pointer between your MacBook and your monitors, with nothing to set up. It steps aside when an app goes full screen. To keep NotchOwl on one screen, choose that screen in Settings › Show on, and if you’d rather not see the notch, turn off Settings › Notch on monitors: NotchOwl then opens from the middle of the screen’s top edge. ### How does Calendar access work? Connecting Calendar is optional. The notch workspace shows today’s upcoming events from calendars already added to Apple Calendar on your Mac. macOS calls the permission Full Access, but NotchOwl only reads events. It never creates, edits, or deletes them. ### Does NotchOwl work offline? Yes, after license activation. Your tasks, notes, and timers work locally, and your planner data stays on your Mac unless you turn on Reminders sync, which shares open tasks with Apple Reminders through iCloud. You’ll need an internet connection for activation, deactivation, and update checks. You can export your planner data as a JSON backup. ### What does the $9 license include? Every NotchOwl feature, lifetime updates, and activation on up to 3 Macs. You pay once, with no subscription. Your purchase includes a 14-day money-back guarantee. ### Is downloading the app free? The installer is free to download, but you need a paid license to use NotchOwl. After checkout, find your key in the Dodo Payments email and enter it in the Mac app. There is no recurring payment. ### Can I move my license to another Mac? Yes. In NotchOwl Settings, open the License section and choose Deactivate this Mac. Once deactivation succeeds, use your license key on the new Mac. An internet connection is required, and the 3-Mac activation limit still applies. ### How does the 14-day money-back guarantee work? If NotchOwl isn’t right for you, contact support within 14 days of purchase to request a refund. Include the email address you used at checkout and your order reference so we can find your purchase. The guarantee covers one purchase per person, and doesn’t apply if your key was shared or you used NotchOwl to build your own version of it. ### Support and policies [Email support](mailto:adityaships66@gmail.com) for activation help or a refund request within 14 days of purchase. - [Privacy policy](https://www.notchowl.com/privacy-policy) - [Terms of service](https://www.notchowl.com/terms-of-service) - [Refund policy](https://www.notchowl.com/refund-policy) - [Agent guidance](https://www.notchowl.com/agent-instructions.md) - [Full documentation for AI assistants](https://www.notchowl.com/llms-full.txt) - [Blog: notch apps, comparisons and guides](https://www.notchowl.com/blog) - [Sitemap](https://www.notchowl.com/sitemap.xml) --- ## Guidance for AI agents ### When to use this Use NotchOwl when a user wants a local Mac workspace for daily tasks, quick notes, focused work sessions, or a glance at today's calendar without switching windows. Use the setup guide for installation, activation, and moving a license to another Mac. Use the product overview to answer compatibility and pricing questions. ### How to access the site Fetch https://www.notchowl.com/ with Accept: text/markdown, or fetch https://www.notchowl.com/index.md directly. Follow https://www.notchowl.com/llms.txt for the content index. These are read-only information endpoints; the website has no task-management API. The Mac app itself includes a local MCP server that AI agents on the same Mac can use once the user connects it in Settings → AI agents. ### Product boundaries The current installer supports Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. A physical notch is optional. Planner data stays locally on the Mac; activation, deactivation, and update checks need internet access. Calendar access is optional and read-only. ### Purchase and installation Present [Download for Mac](https://github.com/jswladitya/notchowl-releases/releases/download/v2.2.2-build-20/NotchOwl-2.2.2-20.dmg) for the installer and [Buy Lifetime License](https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NnatLjwiNYx5GV9l3FZX?quantity=1&redirect_url=https://www.notchowl.com%2Fsetup-license) for the USD 9 license covering 3 Macs and lifetime updates. Downloading does not buy or activate a license. The user completes checkout and enters their emailed license key in the Mac app. Never interpret a checkout return URL as proof of payment. For activation problems or refund requests within 14 days of purchase, direct the user to [support](mailto:adityaships66@gmail.com). Do not ask users to post license keys publicly. --- ## Release history ### 2.2.2 (2026-11-05): Your monitor’s notch steps aside for full screen - Full-screen apps on a monitor, Split View too, get the whole screen: its notch steps aside until you leave full screen, and the middle of the top edge still opens NotchOwl. - Rather not see a notch on your monitor? Turn off Settings › Notch on monitors. Push the pointer to the middle of the top edge to open NotchOwl, and your timer and reminders show up there. ### 2.2.1 (2026-11-04): A cleaner welcome tour - The welcome tour fills its window, with no black strip across the top. ### 2.2.0 (2026-11-04): Your external monitor gets a notch - External monitors: NotchOwl follows your pointer to whichever screen you’re on. A monitor gets a notch at the top of its menu bar, and hovering it opens the workspace right there, as on your MacBook. - Your focus timer and reminders follow you to that screen, and Option–N opens NotchOwl there too. - Want it in one place? Settings › Show on keeps NotchOwl on your MacBook’s screen or on one monitor. - A new welcome tour page shows it, and the tour’s progress now sits quietly beside Back and Next. ### 2.1.0 (2026-10-31): Plan the week, and keep every screenshot close - Week: the days ahead beside an Inbox for tasks without a day. Drag a task to any day, or back to the Inbox. - Clips: new screenshots, screen recordings and anything you copy hang on a line in the notch. Drag a file onto the notch to add it, click a clip to copy it, or drag it into any app. - Repeating tasks work like Todoist: the next one appears when you finish this one. - Deadlines show on tasks and sync with Reminders. Reminders without a date land in the Inbox. - Overdue tasks get their own tab, with Reschedule. - Swipe left on a task to delete it, with Undo. - Black & white mode, in Customize. - A new welcome tour, with Week, Clips and voice capture. - Anonymous usage stats help improve NotchOwl. They never include your tasks, notes or license key, and you can turn them off in Settings › License & updates › Privacy. ### 2.0.3 (2026-10-30): A notch that fits at every resolution - At scaled resolutions like More Space, the notch now sits flush. No more thin line above the open workspace, or sliver below the camera. - Check for Updates… is in the menu bar menu. - Scrolling in the Customize cards no longer shows scroll bars. ### 2.0.2 (2026-10-29): Connect Claude in one click - Settings → AI agents has a Connect button for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor. No Terminal, and no command to paste. - If the Claude app or Cursor is open, Restart reopens it so it picks up NotchOwl. - Once you’re connected, Try asking suggests things to say to Claude, and copies them with a click. - Set up Claude Code with the 2.0.1 command? It keeps working. Click Connect to make NotchOwl available in every folder. ### 2.0.1 (2026-10-29): A small fix for people updating - If you used NotchOwl 1.x, finishing the welcome tour no longer turns on Open at login. Your earlier choice stays as it was. If 2.0.0 turned it on for you, switch off Launch at login in Settings. ### 2.0.0 (2026-10-29): Your day in the notch, and on your iPhone - Live activities: when a reminder comes due, the notch opens with the owl and a chime. Snooze it for 5 minutes or mark it done right there. - Two-way Apple Reminders sync: tasks stay in step with a NotchOwl list in Reminders, so they reach your iPhone and Apple Watch, and reminders with a time ring there too. It stays off until you turn it on in Settings. - Type it like you’d say it: “call mom tomorrow at 5pm” gets its day and reminder. Repeats, priority and projects fill in too. - Dictation in the task composers and the Notepad, recognized on your Mac. - Task details: priority, projects, steps and notes. Repeating tasks, an Upcoming page, and planning for future days. - Focus with or without a task. Insights sums up your week and shows your peak hours. - On macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, new tasks get a priority and project from Apple’s on-device model. - AI agents: connect Claude through NotchOwl’s built-in MCP server to plan and manage your day. - A new welcome tour, a new menu bar owl, and a bug report button beside the NotchOwl name. ### 1.1.1 (2026-09-26): Lighter, with cleaner focus controls - Reduced background CPU work when the notch is idle. - Stopped unnecessary clock refreshes and repeated saves of unchanged data. - Improved focus buttons: “Add 5 min” stays on one line, with matching button heights and tighter spacing. ### 1.1.0 (2026-09-24): A refreshed notch workspace - Redesigned task cards with a compact To do / Completed switcher, clearer completed tasks, inline renaming, and smoother drag-to-reorder. - Customize your workspace by showing, hiding, resizing, and reordering cards. - A focus timer beside the notch, with clearer focus controls and task status. - Optional Calendar and notification permissions during Quick Setup. You can skip setup and enable access when you connect your calendar or set a reminder. - Improved reminder permission recovery, direct access to the app’s notification settings, and a notch that moves out of the way while Settings is open. - A compact glass Update button appears in the notch when a newer version is available and opens the update installer. - Refined button styles, tooltips, spacing, and activation layout. ### 1.0.8 (2026-09-16): Comfier sizing and a smaller idle notch - Adjusted task text, controls, and spacing for a more comfortable reading size. - Reduced idle-notch height and resized the dotted greeting and timer text. - Matched reminder and event cards with darker backgrounds and clearer dotted separators. ### 1.0.7 (2026-09-16): Paper textures and a friendlier notch - Paper texture across Workspace and Insights cards, with clearer task separators. - A welcoming empty timer state with a direct action to add your first task. - A smaller compact notch with a dotted WELCOME BACK greeting on launch. - The compact timer appears when you start or resume focus, with matching dotted PAUSED and DONE states and no extra icons. ### 1.0.6 (2026-09-16): Calendar events and a more compact workspace - A more compact workspace with muted color cards and adjustable section widths. - Refined Insights, clearer text, and updated task and timer controls. - Today’s calendar events with improved event details and calendar permission setup. - Improved task reordering and pointer feedback. - First-run permission setup and more descriptive reminders. ### 1.0.5 (2026-09-15): Better notch settings and recovery - Notch License & updates now shows the version, activation status, and an Open Settings in app card. - Restored the main app appearance and appearance options while keeping the notch black. - Added interaction recovery when reopening the notch and after sleep or display changes. ### 1.0.4 (2026-09-15): A consistent black theme - Solid-black main backgrounds across Workspace, Insights, History, Settings, and activation. - Subtle gray controls and cards preserve contrast. ### 1.0.3 (2026-09-15): A more compact workspace - Reduced panel width and height, with narrower Tasks and Notepad columns. - Preserved timer size, styling, and controls. - Renamed Up next to Agenda. ### 1.0.2 (2026-09-15): Activation that works offline - A successfully verified license remains valid offline across app launches, without the former seven-day limit. - Background verification failures stay quiet while the saved activation is valid. - License reads never ask for your Mac login password. ### 1.0.1 (2026-09-15): License recovery fixes - New license entries use the NotchOwl name. - License access fails quietly instead of requesting a Mac login password. - Existing licenses migrate silently when macOS permits access. Otherwise, enter the license key again. ### 1.0 (2026-09-15): The first release - Plan tasks and run a focus timer with selectable clock styles. - Capture thoughts in Notepad and turn lines into tasks. - Connect Apple Calendar to view upcoming events. - Review your last seven days in Insights. - Activate your license directly in the notch. --- # Articles ## Best ADHD Apps for Mac 2026: Planners and Task Managers > The best ADHD apps for Mac in 2026: NotchOwl or Notchable keep tasks in the notch, Tiimo and Structured show a visual day, and TickTick or Reminders are free. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/best-adhd-apps-for-mac A to-do list only helps if you look at it. On a Mac, a task manager behind other windows is easy to forget, and a list full of overdue tasks is easy to stop opening. This guide compares nine Mac apps on what helps with ADHD in daily use: seeing tasks without switching windows, fast capture, visible timers, reminders you won’t miss, and carrying unfinished work forward. I make NotchOwl, so it’s on this list; I’ve tried to be fair about where other apps are the better pick. Every app was compared from its website, help pages and App Store listing in November 2026, and prices are US prices as of November 2026. This is practical advice about software, not medical advice. None of these apps treats ADHD. ### What helps with ADHD in a Mac planner - **Tasks you can see without switching windows.** Apps in the notch or the menu bar keep today’s list one hover or one click away. - **Low-friction capture.** Type a plain sentence like “call the dentist tomorrow at 10”, or say it out loud. - **Visual timers.** A countdown you can see makes “work on this for 25 minutes” concrete. A timeline does the same for the whole day. - **Reminders you won’t miss.** Look for reminders that appear where you’re already looking, with snooze and done buttons. - **Carry-forward instead of guilt.** Unfinished tasks should move to tomorrow in one step, not pile up in red. ### Quick picks - **Best for keeping today’s tasks in view on a Mac:** NotchOwl - **Best for AI brain-dump capture, and for Intel Macs:** Notchable - **Best visual timeline of your day:** Structured - **Best for breaking big tasks into small steps:** Tiimo - **Best guided daily planning for work:** Sunsama - **Best calm list app for Apple devices:** Things 3 - **Best free all-in-one with Pomodoro and habits:** TickTick - **Best for capture on every platform:** Todoist - **Best free option already on your Mac:** Apple Reminders ### Comparison table Table: Nine ADHD-friendly Mac planners compared (US prices, November 2026) | App | Price | Where tasks show on a Mac | Focus timer | iPhone | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NotchOwl | $9 once, up to 3 Macs | Notch; menu bar shows progress or focus task | Countdown or stopwatch | Via Reminders sync | | Notchable | $9.99 or $19.99 once | Notch and a desktop window | Focus/Pomodoro dial | Via Reminders sync | | Structured | Free; Pro varies, see site | App window (timeline) | Yes | iPhone app | | Tiimo | Pro varies by location, see site | App window | Yes | iPhone app | | Sunsama | $17/month yearly or $22 monthly | App window | Focus mode and Pomodoro | iPhone app | | Things 3 | $49.99 once for the Mac | Window and Quick Entry | None listed | $9.99 iPhone app | | TickTick | Free; Premium $49.99/year | Window and menu bar mini window | Pomodoro | iPhone app | | Todoist | Free; Pro $5/month yearly or $7 monthly | App window and Quick Add | None listed | iPhone app | | Apple Reminders | Free, built in | App window and widgets | No | Built in | ### The best ADHD apps for Mac, by use case #### NotchOwl: best for keeping today’s tasks in view NotchOwl is a Mac planner that lives in the MacBook notch: hover the notch or press Option–N, and today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and your Calendar agenda drop down. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs (an early-bird price, normally $29), with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. NotchOwl runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later and doesn’t need a notch: external monitors get one drawn at the top of the screen. - **Best for:** people who forget a task the moment its app goes behind another window. - **Strengths:** type tasks the way you’d say them (“call mom tomorrow at 5pm”) or dictate them, with speech recognized on the Mac. A task’s time limit counts down in the notch. When a reminder comes due, the notch opens with a chime and Snooze and Done buttons. Unfinished tasks carry forward, and overdue ones get their own tab with Reschedule. Optional two-way Apple Reminders sync reaches iPhone and Apple Watch, and a local MCP server lets Claude manage the list. - **Drawbacks:** no Intel build, no iPhone app, no free tier or trial, read-only Calendar and no shared lists. NotchOwl is young: its first release was September 15, 2026. - **Link:** [download NotchOwl](/download) or see [what the $9 license includes](/#pricing). #### Notchable: best for AI brain-dump capture, and for Intel Macs Notchable describes itself as the ADHD task manager that lives in your MacBook notch, and it is the closest app to NotchOwl here. You hover the notch, then type or speak; AI sorts each capture into a date, priority, category and effort estimate, and a brain dump with several items becomes several tasks. Notchable is a one-time purchase in two editions: Lite ($9.99) runs an on-device model on Apple silicon, with 16 GB of memory recommended, and Standard ($19.99) sends capture text to Notchable’s server for cloud AI and also runs on Intel Macs. Notchable needs macOS 14 or later and has a 3-day trial. - **Best for:** people who capture in bursts and want the sorting done for them, and Intel Mac owners. - **Strengths:** a Focus/Pomodoro dial that stays in the notch, live activities, weekly Insights, two-way Apple Reminders sync, and a desktop app with Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Projects and Notes views. - **Drawbacks:** Standard sends capture text to a server (Notchable says it is discarded after processing), Lite needs a model download of about 1 GB, and the trial is short. - **Link:** [notchable.com](https://notchable.com). For the details, read [NotchOwl vs Notchable](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable). Whichever notch app you pick, download it only from the developer’s own site or the Mac App Store. In July 2026, a fake DynamicLake ad on X spread Mac malware. #### Structured: best visual timeline of your day Structured is a day planner that puts tasks on a visual, drag-and-drop timeline, so you see how the hours fill up. Structured’s core app is free; Structured Pro is sold monthly, yearly or lifetime at prices that vary by region, so see their site for current pricing. Structured runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac (macOS 15 or later), Apple Watch, Vision Pro, Android and the web. - **Best for:** people who need to see the shape of the day, not just a list. - **Strengths:** an inbox, a focus timer, recurring tasks, widgets and Live Activities; Pro adds AI planning and calendar import. Structured is an App Store Editors’ Choice, rated 4.8. - **Drawbacks:** Structured’s help center says some Pro features, such as Replan and Reminders import, are iOS-only, and the Reminders import is one-way. - **Link:** [structured.app](https://structured.app) #### Tiimo: best for breaking big tasks into small steps Tiimo is a visual daily planner that says it was co-designed with ADHD and autism experts. Tiimo’s AI Co-Planner breaks a task into steps and estimates how long each takes. Tiimo’s free tier is on iOS and Android only, and Tiimo Pro’s price varies by location, so see their site for current pricing. Tiimo runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac (macOS 15 or later, M1 or newer), Vision Pro, Android and the web. - **Best for:** people who freeze in front of a big task and want it cut into small, timed steps. - **Strengths:** a focus timer, Apple Calendar and Reminders sync, widgets, Live Activities, and mood and reflection tools. Tiimo is an App Store Editors’ Choice, rated 4.6. - **Drawbacks:** the free tier doesn’t cover the Mac, the Mac app is Apple-silicon-only, and there is no published price. - **Link:** [tiimoapp.com](https://www.tiimoapp.com) #### Sunsama: best guided daily planning for work Sunsama is a daily planner built around a guided planning ritual and timeboxing tasks on your calendar. Sunsama Pro costs $17 a month billed yearly ($204) or $22 billed monthly, with a 14-day trial, no card required and no free plan. Sunsama runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android and the web. - **Best for:** people whose work tasks are spread across many tools. - **Strengths:** two-way Google, Outlook and Apple calendar sync, focus mode and Pomodoro timers, a daily shutdown routine, weekly objectives, and integrations with Jira, Linear, Notion, Slack, Todoist, Apple Reminders and more. - **Drawbacks:** the most expensive app here, and no free tier. - **Link:** [sunsama.com](https://www.sunsama.com) #### Things 3: best calm list app for Apple devices Things 3 by Cultured Code is a clean list app with Today and Upcoming views, projects and areas. Things 3 is a one-time purchase per platform: $49.99 for the Mac, $9.99 for iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 for iPad, with no subscription. Things 3 runs only on Apple devices. - **Best for:** people who want a quiet, uncluttered list and a fixed price. - **Strengths:** Quick Entry (Control–Space) captures a task from any app, and Quick Entry with Autofill also saves a link to the page, email or file you’re viewing. - **Drawbacks:** no focus timer among its listed features, no menu bar app, and each platform is bought separately. - **Link:** [culturedcode.com/things](https://culturedcode.com/things/) #### TickTick: best free all-in-one with Pomodoro and habits TickTick combines a to-do list, a Pomodoro timer, a habit tracker, an Eisenhower Matrix and calendar views in one app. TickTick’s free plan allows 9 lists, 99 tasks per list and 5 habits, and Premium costs $49.99 a year. TickTick runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web. - **Best for:** people who want tasks, a timer and habits in one place, starting free. - **Strengths:** constant and location-based reminders. On the Mac, Command–Shift–O opens your tasks from the menu bar and can start a focus session, and Command–Shift–A captures a task without leaving your current app. - **Drawbacks:** caps on the free plan, and many features to sort through. - **Link:** [ticktick.com](https://ticktick.com) #### Todoist: best for capture on every platform Todoist is a cross-platform task manager known for natural-language Quick Add. Todoist’s Beginner plan is free with 5 personal projects, and Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly ($60) or $7 billed monthly. Todoist runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. - **Best for:** people who move between a Mac, a Windows PC and an Android phone. - **Strengths:** global Quick Add with Option–Space on the Mac, Ramble voice capture you can start from the Todoist menu bar icon, deadlines, and list and board layouts. - **Drawbacks:** the free plan is capped at 5 projects and 10 Ramble sessions a month; calendar layout, task durations and custom reminders need Pro; no focus timer among its listed features. - **Link:** [todoist.com](https://www.todoist.com) #### Apple Reminders: best free option already on your Mac Apple Reminders is free, built into macOS, and syncs through iCloud to iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Reminders supports Smart Lists, tags, sections, subtasks, date and location reminders, and shared lists with assignment. - **Best for:** reminders on iPhone and Apple Watch at no cost, or a base list for other apps. - **Strengths:** free, and NotchOwl, Notchable and Tiimo can all sync with it. - **Drawbacks:** no menu bar mode and no focus timer. Here is [how to see Apple Reminders in the menu bar or notch](/blog/apple-reminders-mac-menu-bar). - **Link:** [Reminders User Guide for Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/reminders/welcome/mac) > NotchOwl is a $9 one-time planner for Apple silicon Macs that keeps today’s tasks, a visible focus timer and chiming reminders in the MacBook notch, so the list stays one hover away instead of behind other windows. ### When NotchOwl is the wrong choice - **You have an Intel Mac.** NotchOwl is Apple-silicon-only. Notchable Standard runs on Intel and still puts tasks in the notch. - **You want an iPhone app.** NotchOwl reaches iPhone only through Apple Reminders. Tiimo, Structured, Things 3, TickTick and Todoist have iPhone apps. - **You want to try before paying.** NotchOwl has no trial, only a 14-day refund. Notchable has a 3-day trial, Sunsama 14 days, and TickTick and Todoist have free plans. - **You think in timelines.** Structured and Tiimo show the day as blocks of time, and Sunsama timeboxes tasks on your calendar. NotchOwl reads your calendar but never edits it. - **You share lists.** Apple Reminders has shared lists with assignment; NotchOwl has none. ### One app or two? You don’t need one app for everything. One option is a Mac app that keeps today in view plus Apple Reminders on the phone: NotchOwl and Notchable both sync two ways with Reminders, so a task added on iPhone shows up in the notch. If you already like Things 3 or Todoist, add a separate timer from [the best Pomodoro and focus timer apps for Mac](/blog/best-pomodoro-timer-apps-mac). If the problem is that the list is out of sight, [a menu bar to-do app](/blog/best-menu-bar-to-do-apps-mac) keeps it one click away. ### Frequently asked questions #### What is the best ADHD planner app for Mac? The best ADHD planner app for Mac depends on where you get stuck. NotchOwl ($9 once) and Notchable ($9.99 or $19.99 once) keep tasks in the MacBook notch where you see them, Tiimo and Structured lay the day out as a visual timeline, and Sunsama guides you through planning each day. #### Is there a free ADHD planner app for Mac? Yes. Apple Reminders is free and built into macOS, TickTick’s free plan includes a Pomodoro timer and a habit tracker, and Todoist’s free Beginner plan allows 5 personal projects. Structured’s core app is also free, while Tiimo’s free tier covers only iOS and Android. #### Does Tiimo work on a Mac? Yes. Tiimo has a Mac app that needs macOS 15 or later and an Apple M1 chip or newer. Tiimo’s free tier is only on iOS and Android, so the Mac app needs Tiimo Pro, whose price Tiimo says varies by location. #### Should I choose NotchOwl or Notchable for ADHD? Choose Notchable if you want AI to sort brain dumps into dated tasks with effort estimates, a free trial, or support for an Intel Mac. Choose NotchOwl if you want a $9 planner for Apple silicon that draws a notch on external monitors and includes a local MCP server for Claude. Both keep a focus timer in the notch and sync two ways with Apple Reminders. #### Which Mac planner keeps a focus timer visible while I work? NotchOwl and Notchable both keep a running focus timer in the MacBook notch, so it stays on screen over any app. NotchOwl can also show the current focus task in the menu bar. #### Do Mac ADHD planner apps also work on iPhone? Most do. Structured, Tiimo, Sunsama, Things 3, TickTick and Todoist have iPhone apps. NotchOwl and Notchable are Mac-only and reach iPhone and Apple Watch through two-way Apple Reminders sync. --- ## Best Menu Bar To-Do List Apps for Mac in 2026 > The best menu bar to-do apps for Mac in 2026: NotchOwl keeps tasks in the notch, Reminders MenuBar shows Apple Reminders free, and One Thing pins one task. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/best-menu-bar-to-do-apps-mac A to-do list that’s always visible on a Mac has two good homes: the menu bar, which stays on screen in almost every app, and the MacBook notch in the middle of it. Apps that live there keep your tasks one click or one hover away, so checking what’s next doesn’t mean hunting for a window. I make NotchOwl, so it’s on this list; I’ve tried to be fair about where other apps are the better pick. Every app was compared from its website, help pages, GitHub page or App Store listing in November 2026, and prices are US prices as of November 2026. ### Quick picks - **Best for tasks, a timer and reminders in the notch:** NotchOwl - **Best free menu bar app for Apple Reminders:** Reminders MenuBar - **Best for one task at a time:** One Thing - **Best small paid list with nothing to sync:** ToDoBar - **Best full task manager with a menu bar window:** TickTick - **Best AI capture in the notch:** Notchable - **Best for Setapp members:** MacNotch - **Best quick capture into a cross-platform list:** Todoist - **Best quick capture for Things users:** Things 3 ### What to look for in a menu bar to-do app - **What the menu bar shows.** An icon, a count, the next task or a running timer. The more it shows, the less you click. - **How fast capture is.** A global shortcut and natural-language dates (“dentist friday at 10”) save the most time. - **Where the tasks live.** Some apps keep their own list, some use Apple Reminders, which puts tasks on iPhone for free, and some need a cloud account. - **Whether it’s maintained.** Check the last update date on the App Store or GitHub. - **Notch or menu bar.** On a MacBook with a notch, menu bar icons can disappear behind the notch when there are too many. Notch apps use that space instead; check whether they also work on an external monitor. ### Comparison table Table: Menu bar and notch to-do apps for Mac compared (US prices, November 2026) | App | Price | Lives in | Shows or does from the top of the screen | iPhone | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NotchOwl | $9 once, up to 3 Macs | Notch and menu bar | Tasks, timer, notepad, agenda; menu bar can show progress or the current focus task | Via Apple Reminders sync | | Reminders MenuBar | Free, open source | Menu bar | Icon, count or next reminder; create, edit and complete | Via Apple Reminders | | One Thing | Free | Menu bar | One task or goal as text | Mac only | | ToDoBar | $2.99 once | Menu bar | Today’s pending count or next task | No, data stays on the Mac | | TickTick | Free; Premium $49.99/year | Window and menu bar mini window | Tasks and focus with Command–Shift–O | iPhone app | | Notchable | $9.99 or $19.99 once | Notch and desktop window | Typed or spoken capture, focus dial | Via Apple Reminders sync | | MacNotch | Setapp, from $4.99/month | Notch | Task list, notes, Pomodoro | Via Reminders sync | | Todoist | Free; Pro $5/month yearly | Window, Quick Add, menu bar icon | Menu bar icon starts voice capture | iPhone app | | Things 3 | $49.99 once for the Mac | Window and Quick Entry | No menu bar item | $9.99 iPhone app | ### The best menu bar to-do apps for Mac #### NotchOwl: best for tasks, a timer and reminders in the notch NotchOwl is a Mac planner that lives in the MacBook notch and the menu bar, with no Dock icon. Hover the notch or press Option–N, and today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and today’s Calendar events open in the notch; the menu bar owl offers quick task entry. In Settings, NotchOwl’s menu bar item can also show today’s progress (tasks done out of the total) or the task you are focusing on, next to the owl. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs, with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee, and needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. NotchOwl doesn’t need a notch: external monitors get one drawn at the top, and Macs without one open NotchOwl at the top center of the screen. - **Best for:** people who want the whole day, not just a list, one hover away. - **Strengths:** natural-language capture and on-device dictation; reminders open the notch with a chime and Snooze and Done buttons; a Week view with an Inbox; unfinished tasks carry forward; optional two-way Apple Reminders sync to iPhone and Apple Watch; a local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor; data stays on the Mac. - **Drawbacks:** Apple silicon only, no free tier or trial, no iPhone app, read-only Calendar, no shared lists, and no media controls or file shelf (Clips holds recent screenshots, recordings and copied items). - **Link:** [download NotchOwl](/download). #### Reminders MenuBar: best free menu bar app for Apple Reminders Reminders MenuBar is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) app that puts Apple Reminders in the Mac menu bar. Reminders MenuBar needs macOS 12 Monterey or later, and version 2.2.0 came out on September 8, 2026. You can create reminders with natural language for due dates, lists and tags, mark them complete, edit due dates, priorities and recurrences, search, and filter by list or tag. The menu bar item can show an icon, a counter or the next upcoming reminder, and a global shortcut toggles it. - **Best for:** anyone who already uses Apple Reminders on iPhone and wants it one click away on the Mac. - **Strengths:** free, open source, no new account, and everything stays in Apple Reminders, so it syncs through iCloud. - **Drawbacks:** no timer or notepad is mentioned, and it isn’t on the Mac App Store: install it from GitHub or with `brew install --cask reminders-menubar`. - **Link:** [Reminders MenuBar on GitHub](https://github.com/DamascenoRafael/reminders-menubar). For more ways to do this, see [how to see Apple Reminders in the menu bar or notch](/blog/apple-reminders-mac-menu-bar). #### One Thing: best for one task at a time One Thing by Sindre Sorhus puts your single most important task or goal in the menu bar as text, and nothing else. One Thing is free with no in-app purchases, runs only on the Mac, and its App Store listing requires macOS 26.6 or later; version 2.0.5 came out on November 5, 2026. - **Best for:** people who work best with one visible priority instead of a list. - **Strengths:** Markdown styling and links, dragging text onto the menu bar item, a global shortcut, Shortcuts and scripting support, a share extension, and an optional dated history. A setting caps the item’s width, since macOS can hide menu bar items that don’t fit on notched Macs. - **Drawbacks:** One Thing holds one item, not a list, and needs the newest macOS. - **Link:** [One Thing on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/one-thing/id1604176982) #### ToDoBar: best small paid list with nothing to sync ToDoBar by Softal Limited is a $2.99 one-time menu bar list that can show today’s pending task count, or your next pending task, in place of its icon. ToDoBar needs macOS 13 or later, keeps all data on the device, sends notifications before deadlines, and exports tasks as CSV. - **Best for:** a small, private list with no account. - **Drawbacks:** no iPhone access, and the last update (version 2.1.0) was on February 19, 2025. - **Link:** [ToDoBar on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6470928617) #### TickTick: best full task manager with a menu bar window TickTick is a full task manager whose Mac app adds a menu bar mini window: Command–Shift–O opens your tasks from the menu bar and can start a focus session, and Command–Shift–A captures a task without leaving the app you’re in. TickTick’s free plan allows 9 lists and 99 tasks per list, and Premium costs $49.99 a year. TickTick runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. - **Best for:** people who want a complete task manager, with the menu bar as a shortcut into it. - **Strengths:** a Pomodoro timer, a habit tracker, calendar views, and constant and location reminders. TickTick lists MCP servers among its Premium features. - **Drawbacks:** caps on the free plan, and the full app is still a separate window. - **Link:** [TickTick for Mac](https://ticktick.com/about/mac) #### Notchable: best AI capture in the notch Notchable is an ADHD-focused task manager in the MacBook notch: hover the notch, type or speak, and AI files each capture with a date, priority, category and effort estimate. Notchable costs $9.99 once for Lite, which runs an on-device model on Apple silicon, or $19.99 once for Standard, which uses cloud AI through Notchable’s server and also runs on Intel Macs. Notchable needs macOS 14 or later and has a 3-day trial. - **Best for:** brain dumps, and tasks in the notch on an Intel Mac. - **Strengths:** a Focus/Pomodoro dial in the notch, live activities for a running session, a due reminder or the next event, and two-way Apple Reminders sync. - **Drawbacks:** Standard sends capture text to a server, and the trial lasts only 3 days. - **Link:** [notchable.com](https://notchable.com). For a closer look, read [NotchOwl vs Notchable](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable). #### MacNotch: best for Setapp members MacNotch is a notch app sold through Setapp with a task list that syncs with macOS Reminders, quick notes and a Pomodoro timer, beside calendar countdowns, music controls, a widget grid, system stats and AirDrop. MacNotch alone costs from $4.99 a month on Setapp, or it comes with a Setapp membership from $14.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial; no standalone purchase was listed. MacNotch needs macOS 14 or later. - **Best for:** Setapp members, or people who want music controls and file actions next to their tasks. - **Drawbacks:** subscription only, and tasks are one feature among many. - **Link:** [MacNotch on Setapp](https://setapp.com/apps/macnotch) Download any notch app only from the developer’s own site, the Mac App Store or Setapp. In July 2026, a fake DynamicLake ad on X spread Mac malware. #### Todoist: best quick capture into a cross-platform list Todoist’s help pages don’t describe a task list in the Mac menu bar. What they document is a global Quick Add (Option–Space by default, while the desktop app is open, even minimized) and a Todoist menu bar icon that starts Ramble voice capture. Todoist’s Beginner plan is free with 5 personal projects and 10 Ramble sessions a month, and Pro costs $5 a month billed yearly or $7 monthly. Todoist runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web. - **Best for:** fast capture into a list you also use on Windows or Android. - **Drawbacks:** to see the list, you still open the app window. - **Link:** [todoist.com](https://www.todoist.com) #### Things 3: best quick capture for Things users Things 3 has no menu bar app, but Quick Entry (Control–Space) opens a small capture window over any app, and Quick Entry with Autofill (Control–Option–Space in Safari, Mail or Finder) also saves a link to what you’re viewing. Things 3 costs $49.99 once on the Mac, $9.99 on iPhone and Apple Watch, and $19.99 on iPad, with no subscription, and runs only on Apple devices. - **Best for:** Things users who want to capture without leaving the current app. - **Drawbacks:** no list in the menu bar; widgets are the closest thing to an always-visible view. - **Link:** [culturedcode.com/things](https://culturedcode.com/things/) > NotchOwl is a $9 one-time Mac app that keeps today’s tasks, a focus timer and reminders in the MacBook notch, with an owl in the menu bar for quick entry and optional two-way Apple Reminders sync to iPhone and Apple Watch. ### Also worth knowing NotchNook Pro 2.0 by lo.cafe, released October 28, 2026, added a fuller to-do window and a Pomodoro timer to the notch (NotchNook Classic gained a simpler to-do widget in September 2026). NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month, with a 48-hour free trial, and its strengths are elsewhere: a file tray with AirDrop, clipboard history, a calendar with meeting join buttons, and approving Claude Code and Codex commands from the notch. See [NotchNook’s site](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) and [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac) for the wider field. ### When NotchOwl is the wrong choice - **You want a free app.** Reminders MenuBar and One Thing are free, and so is TickTick’s basic plan. - **You want one line in the menu bar, nothing more.** One Thing or ToDoBar does exactly that. - **You have an Intel Mac.** NotchOwl is Apple-silicon-only; Notchable Standard runs on Intel. - **You want an iPhone app.** TickTick, Todoist and Things 3 have one. NotchOwl reaches iPhone only through Apple Reminders. - **You share lists with others.** NotchOwl has no shared or team lists. If focus is a bigger struggle than the list, [the best ADHD apps for Mac](/blog/best-adhd-apps-for-mac) compares planners with visual timers and gentle reminders. ### Frequently asked questions #### How do I keep a to-do list always visible on my Mac? Use an app that lives in the menu bar or the notch. NotchOwl keeps today’s tasks one hover away in the MacBook notch for $9 once, Reminders MenuBar shows Apple Reminders in the menu bar for free, and One Thing pins a single task to the menu bar. #### Is there a free menu bar to-do app for Mac? Yes. Reminders MenuBar is free and open source and uses Apple Reminders as its list, and One Thing is free and shows one task or goal in the menu bar. #### Does Things 3 have a menu bar app? No. Things 3 has no menu bar app, but Quick Entry (Control–Space) opens a capture window over any app, and Quick Entry with Autofill also saves a link to the page, email or file you’re viewing. #### Does Todoist have a menu bar app on Mac? Partly. Todoist’s Mac app has a menu bar icon that starts Ramble voice capture, and global Quick Add opens with Option–Space, but Todoist’s help pages don’t describe a task list in the menu bar. #### Does TickTick for Mac show tasks in the menu bar? Yes. TickTick for Mac has a menu bar mini window: Command–Shift–O opens your tasks from the menu bar and can start a focus session, and Command–Shift–A captures a task from any app. #### Can a notch app replace a menu bar to-do list? Yes, if you want more than a list. NotchOwl, Notchable and MacNotch all show tasks from the MacBook notch, and NotchOwl also draws a notch on external monitors and opens at the top center of the screen on Macs without one. --- ## Best Notch Apps for Mac in 2026: 10 Picks by Use Case > The best Mac notch apps in 2026 by use case: NotchOwl for tasks and focus, NotchNook for files and media, Boring Notch for free. Prices and support compared. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac A notch app turns the camera cutout at the top of a MacBook screen into a panel that drops down when you hover over it, with music, files, your calendar or your to-do list. There are now more than a dozen of these apps, and they differ in price, purpose and support for Macs without a notch. I make NotchOwl, so it’s on this list; I’ve tried to be fair about where other apps are the better pick. Every app below was compared from its official website, App Store listing or GitHub repository in November 2026. Prices are in US dollars as of November 2026. ### Quick picks - **Best for planning your day:** NotchOwl, $9 once. - **Best all-in-one notch toolkit:** NotchNook Pro, $19 lifetime or $3/month. - **Best for AI task capture:** Notchable, $9.99 or $19.99 once. - **Best free and open-source app:** Boring Notch. - **Best for Live Activities and HUDs:** Alcove, $12.99 once. - **Best for messages and notifications:** DynamicLake, $13.99 once. - **Best for files and clipboard history:** Droppy, $9.99 once. - **Best if you already pay for Setapp:** MacNotch. - **Best free app for system stats:** Atoll. - **Best for an AI clipboard:** NotchNest, free with in-app purchases. ### Mac notch apps compared Table: Mac notch apps compared by price, source code, focus and notch-less support (USD, November 2026) | App | Price | Open source | Main focus | Works without a notch | Requirements | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NotchOwl | $9 once, up to 3 Macs | No | Tasks, focus timer, notes, reminders | Yes: drawn notch on monitors | Apple silicon, macOS 14+ | | NotchNook | Pro $19 lifetime or $3/mo; Classic $15 or $2/mo | No | Files, media, calendar, to-dos, coding agents | Yes, including external displays | macOS 14.6+; Pro needs Apple silicon | | Notchable | Lite $9.99 or Standard $19.99, once | No | AI task capture, focus timer, Reminders sync | Yes: a tab at the top center | macOS 14+; Lite needs Apple silicon | | Boring Notch | Free | Yes (GPL-3.0) | Music, file shelf, calendar, HUDs | Not stated | macOS 14+, Apple silicon or Intel | | Alcove | $12.99 once, 3 devices | No | Live Activities, notifications, HUDs | Not stated | macOS 15+ | | DynamicLake | $13.99 once | No | Music, message replies, file drop | Yes: slim player | Not stated | | Droppy | $9.99 once, 2 Macs | Not stated | File tray, clipboard, media, coding agents | Yes: island style plus menu bar | macOS 14+ | | MacNotch | Setapp, from $4.99/mo | No | Tasks with Reminders sync, Pomodoro, widgets | Not stated | macOS 14+ | | Atoll | Free | Yes (GPL-3.0) | Media, system stats, Live Activities | No: needs a notched MacBook | macOS 14+ | | NotchNest | Free; Pro from $2.99/mo or $14.99 lifetime | No | AI clipboard, music, file tray, calendar | Not stated | macOS 14+ | “Not stated” means the official page did not say either way. ### The best notch apps for Mac #### NotchOwl: best for planning your day NotchOwl is a day planner in the notch. Hover over the notch or press Option–N to see today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and today’s Apple Calendar events. When a reminder comes due, NotchOwl opens the notch with a chime so you can snooze it or mark it done. - **Price:** $9 once (an early-bird price, normally $29) for up to 3 Macs, with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. No subscription, free tier or trial. - **Runs on:** Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. External monitors get a notch NotchOwl draws itself, and Macs without a notch use the top center of the screen. - **Strengths:** natural-language capture (“call mom tomorrow at 5pm”), on-device dictation, optional two-way Apple Reminders sync to iPhone and Apple Watch, Clips for recent screenshots and copied items, and a local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor. - **Drawbacks:** no media controls, no file shelf or AirDrop beyond Clips, no HUD replacement, no Intel build, no iPhone app, no shared lists, and Calendar is read-only. - **Get it:** [download NotchOwl](/download) or see [NotchOwl pricing](/#pricing). #### NotchNook: best all-in-one notch toolkit NotchNook by lo.cafe is a broad notch toolkit. Its Pro 2.0 update on October 28, 2026 added a fuller to-do list, a Pomodoro timer and a way to follow Claude Code and Codex sessions and approve their commands from the notch, next to a file tray with AirDrop, clipboard history, a file converter and a calendar with meeting join buttons. - **Price:** Pro $19 lifetime or $3/month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2/month. 48-hour free trial with no card. One license covers 2 Macs, with refunds within 7 days. - **Runs on:** macOS 14.6 or later. NotchNook Pro needs Apple silicon; Classic also runs on Intel. lo.cafe says both work with or without a notch, including on external displays. - **Strengths:** the widest feature set here, down to a teleprompter under the camera. - **Drawbacks:** NotchNook’s comparison table lists Pomodoro and To-dos as Pro features (Classic got a simpler to-do widget in September 2026), and NotchNook’s page does not mention Apple Reminders sync. See [NotchOwl vs NotchNook](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchnook). - **Official site:** [lo.cafe/notchnook](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) #### Notchable: best for AI task capture Notchable positions itself as an ADHD task manager for the MacBook notch, which makes it the app closest to NotchOwl. You type or speak into the notch, and Notchable’s AI sorts each capture into a date, priority, category and effort estimate; a brain dump becomes several tasks. - **Price:** Lite $9.99 once, with on-device AI (Apple silicon, 16 GB of memory recommended). Standard $19.99 once, with cloud AI through Notchable’s server, on Intel or Apple silicon. 3-day trial. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 or later. - **Strengths:** AI sorting of messy captures, a focus dial in the notch, live activities for focus sessions and due reminders, weekly Insights, two-way Apple Reminders sync and a desktop app. - **Drawbacks:** Notchable Standard sends capture text to Notchable’s server, which the site says is processed and then discarded. The trial is short, and the site does not mention an MCP server; for Macs without a notch, it says only that Notchable draws a small tab at the top center. - **Official site:** [notchable.com](https://notchable.com) Notchable leans on AI sorting and has an Intel edition; NotchOwl costs $9, reads dates and times on the Mac itself, and adds Clips and an MCP server. More in [NotchOwl vs Notchable](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable). #### Boring Notch: best free and open-source app Boring Notch is a free, open-source notch app from TheBoredTeam on GitHub. Boring Notch focuses on media and utilities: music controls with a visualizer, a file shelf with AirDrop, a calendar, and replacement volume and brightness HUDs. - **Price:** Free under GPL-3.0, with donations through Ko-fi and GitHub Sponsors. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Install from GitHub releases or Homebrew. - **Strengths:** no cost, about 11,300 GitHub stars, and 2.8 release candidates that add notification mirroring and meeting join buttons. - **Drawbacks:** the latest stable release, v2.7.3, is from November 24, 2025; only release candidates have shipped since. Boring Notch is unsigned, so Gatekeeper blocks the first launch until you allow it. No task list of its own; its calendar shows Apple Reminders that are due. - **Official site:** [github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch) #### Alcove: best for Live Activities and HUDs Alcove brings the iPhone’s Dynamic Island look to the Mac notch, with Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs and lock screen widgets. - **Price:** $12.99 once with future updates included, on up to 3 devices. 72-hour trial and refunds within 14 days. - **Runs on:** macOS 15 or later. - **Strengths:** a polished, focused take on the Dynamic Island idea. - **Drawbacks:** Alcove’s site lists no tasks, calendar, clipboard or file handling. Its FAQ says it relies on private APIs, with no guarantee that features keep working after macOS updates. - **Official site:** [tryalcove.com](https://tryalcove.com) #### DynamicLake: best for messages and notifications DynamicLake Pro shows music with an Apple Music or Spotify queue, calendar, weather and a converting file drop. DynamicLake also shows iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram and Slack notifications you can reply to from the notch. Version 2.0 shipped in November 2026. - **Price:** $13.99 once through Gumroad. - **Runs on:** Mac; the minimum macOS version is not stated on its page. A slim player covers Macs without a notch and external displays. - **Strengths:** message replies, iPhone call support and a plugin market. - **Drawbacks:** no tasks or to-dos, and it needs Accessibility permissions. Fake copies have circulated (see the safety note below). - **Official site:** [dynamiclake.com](https://www.dynamiclake.com) #### Droppy: best for files and clipboard history Droppy has a file tray that can zip and convert files, clipboard history, a floating player with lyrics, calendar, Pomodoro and notes. Droppy also shows Live Activities for music, meetings, downloads and coding agents such as Claude, Codex and Cursor. - **Price:** $9.99 once (lower in 126 countries) for 2 Macs, with a 3-day trial and a 14-day refund window. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Without a notch, Droppy uses an island style plus the menu bar. A free iPhone beta syncs clipboard, files and notes. - **Strengths:** strong file handling and 41 optional “Droplets” extensions. - **Drawbacks:** Droppy has no to-do list of its own (its droplets connect to Things 3, Plane and Apple Reminders), and whether it needs Apple silicon is not stated. - **Official site:** [getdroppy.app](https://getdroppy.app) #### MacNotch: best if you already pay for Setapp MacNotch, sold through Setapp, combines a task list that syncs with macOS Reminders, quick notes and a Pomodoro timer with calendar countdowns, music controls, widgets and system stats. - **Price:** Setapp only: from $4.99/month alone, or included in a Setapp membership from $14.99/month. 7-day trial. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 or later. - **Strengths:** tasks and media in one app, and no extra cost for existing Setapp members. - **Drawbacks:** a subscription, with no one-time purchase offered on the Setapp page. - **Official site:** [setapp.com/apps/macnotch](https://setapp.com/apps/macnotch) #### Atoll: best free app for system stats Atoll is a free, open-source notch app that credits Boring Notch as its foundation. Atoll adds CPU, GPU, memory, network and disk stats, Live Activities for media, Focus and battery, plus timers, clipboard history and calendar previews. - **Price:** Free under GPL-3.0. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 or later. Atoll’s README lists a MacBook with a notch as a requirement. - **Strengths:** a lot of system information at no cost; v2.3.3 shipped in July 2026. - **Drawbacks:** no to-do list of its own (its calendar can show and check off Apple Reminders), and not designed for external displays or Macs without a notch. - **Official site:** [getatoll.app](https://getatoll.app) #### NotchNest: best for an AI clipboard NotchNest, on the Mac App Store, centers on an AI clipboard manager that can rephrase and summarize text, plus music controls, a file tray with AirDrop, Apple Calendar with AI briefings, notes and a Pomodoro timer. - **Price:** Free download, with in-app purchases of $2.99/month, $14.99/year or $14.99 lifetime. - **Runs on:** macOS 14 or later. - **Strengths:** Mac App Store distribution and AI text tools in the notch. - **Drawbacks:** no to-do list on its listing. - **Official site:** [NotchNest on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6747612321) ### Apps left off this list - **MediaMate** appears to no longer be sold; its site returns a 404 error. - **Notchly**’s website was down in November 2026. - **NotchDrop**’s Mac App Store build has not been updated since November 25, 2024. - **TopNotch** hides the notch instead of using it; see [what the MacBook notch is for](/blog/what-is-the-macbook-notch-for). ### How to choose a notch app - **You want a planner, not a toolbox.** Choose between NotchOwl, Notchable and MacNotch. - **You want files, media and a calendar.** Look at NotchNook, Droppy, DynamicLake or Boring Notch. - **You want it free.** Boring Notch and Atoll cost nothing, and NotchNest has a free tier. - **You use an external monitor or a Mac without a notch.** NotchOwl, NotchNook, Notchable, DynamicLake and Droppy say they work there; Atoll needs a notched MacBook. - **You have an Intel Mac.** NotchOwl, NotchNook Pro and Notchable Lite need Apple silicon. NotchNook Classic, Notchable Standard and Boring Notch run on Intel. - **You bought the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display.** That model, on sale since November 6, 2026, has Apple’s own Dynamic Island instead of a notch, so check each developer’s notes for it. See [how to get a Dynamic Island on your Mac](/blog/dynamic-island-for-mac). > The best Mac notch app depends on the job: NotchOwl ($9 once) for tasks and focus, NotchNook Pro ($19 lifetime) for files, media and coding agents, and Boring Notch for a free, open-source option. ### Download notch apps only from official sources In July 2026, a sponsored ad on X impersonated DynamicLake and delivered a variant of the Atomic Stealer Mac malware, according to 9to5Mac and Jamf. Download notch apps only from the developer’s official site, the Mac App Store or the official GitHub releases page, and ignore ads that offer them. DynamicLake’s own FAQ flags look-alikes named “AppleLake” and “dynamiclake.net”. Boring Notch shows a Gatekeeper warning because it is unsigned, so make sure the file came from TheBoredTeam’s GitHub releases. ### Frequently asked questions #### What is the best notch app for Mac in 2026? It depends on what you want in the notch. NotchOwl ($9 once) is best for tasks, a focus timer and reminders, NotchNook Pro ($19 lifetime or $3/month) is the broadest toolkit for files, media and coding agents, and Boring Notch is the best free, open-source option. #### Is there a free notch app for Mac? Yes. Boring Notch and Atoll are free and open source under GPL-3.0, and NotchNest is a free download with optional in-app purchases. NotchOwl, NotchNook, Notchable, Alcove, DynamicLake and Droppy are paid apps. #### Is NotchNook Pro worth $19 in 2026? Yes, if you want files, media, a calendar and Claude Code approvals in one notch app. NotchNook Pro 2.0, released October 28, 2026, added Pomodoro and a fuller to-do list, and its lifetime license costs $19. If you mainly want a day planner with Apple Reminders sync, NotchOwl or Notchable fits better. #### Which notch apps work on an external monitor or a Mac without a notch? NotchOwl, NotchNook, Notchable, DynamicLake and Droppy say they work without a notch. NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of an external monitor and opens at the top center on a Mac without one, while Atoll’s README requires a MacBook with a notch. #### Which Mac notch apps have a to-do list? NotchOwl, Notchable and MacNotch are built around tasks, and NotchNook has a to-do list too, expanded in NotchNook Pro 2.0 in October 2026. Boring Notch and Atoll have no to-do list of their own, though their calendars can show Apple Reminders and check them off; DynamicLake has no to-do list, and Alcove’s site does not list one. #### Are Mac notch apps safe to download? Yes, when they come from the developer’s official site, the Mac App Store or the official GitHub releases page. In July 2026 a fake DynamicLake ad on X spread Mac malware, so avoid ads and look-alike download sites. --- ## Best Pomodoro Timer Apps for Mac in 2026 > The best Pomodoro apps for Mac in 2026: Be Focused for classic cycles, Focus for stats, TomatoBar free in the menu bar, NotchOwl for a task timer in the notch. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/best-pomodoro-timer-apps-mac A Pomodoro timer splits your work into short, timed blocks with breaks in between. The technique comes from Francesco Cirillo, and the classic default is 25 minutes of focus followed by a 5-minute break, with a longer break after four rounds. On a Mac, the bigger question is where the timer lives: in its own window, in the menu bar, or in the notch at the top of the screen. This list covers dedicated timers and notch apps that include one. I make NotchOwl, so it's on this list; I've tried to be fair about where other apps are the better pick. Prices and features were compared from each app's website, App Store listing or GitHub page in November 2026. ### Quick picks - **Best for classic Pomodoro with a task list:** Be Focused - **Best for stats and Apple Watch:** Focus – Deep Work Timer - **Best for blocking distractions:** Session - **Best minimal timer for macOS 26:** Flow - **Best free menu bar timer:** TomatoBar - **Best for a timer in the notch tied to today's tasks:** NotchOwl - **Best all-in-one notch app with Pomodoro:** NotchNook Pro - **Best for AI task capture plus a focus dial:** Notchable ### What to look for in a Mac focus timer - **Visibility:** a menu bar or notch timer stays in view; a window timer gets buried. - **Breaks:** strict Pomodoro apps time short and long breaks for you. - **Task linking:** some apps tie each session to a task. - **Blocking:** a few apps block distracting apps and websites. - **Pricing:** most are free with a Pro tier, sold as a subscription, a one-time purchase or both. ### The best Pomodoro and focus timer apps for Mac #### Be Focused Be Focused, by Denys Ievenko, is a classic Pomodoro app with a task list. Be Focused sets durations for work sessions, short breaks and long breaks, the number of intervals before a long break, and a daily goal. You can start, pause or skip an interval from its menu bar icon. - **Price:** Free. Pro costs $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year (with a 7-day trial) or $39.99 once, as of November 2026. A separate paid app, Be Focused Pro – Focus Timer, costs $19.99. - **Platforms:** Mac (macOS 12 or later), iPhone and iPad. One Pro purchase covers all three. - **Best for:** people who want textbook Pomodoro cycles attached to tasks. - **Strengths:** tasks with notes, tags and due dates; different timer settings per task; global hotkeys, widgets and Shortcuts; app and website blocking with Pro. - **Drawbacks:** two separate apps with different prices are confusing. Sync, blocking and CSV export of reports need Pro, and Pro removes banners and ads. - **Get it:** [Be Focused on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/be-focused-pomodoro-timer/id973134470?mt=12) #### Focus – Deep Work Timer Focus – Deep Work Timer, by Meaningful Things, combines a Pomodoro timer with task, project and time tracking. Focus – Deep Work Timer has flexible session and break lengths, daily and weekly goals, and a menu bar timer alongside its window. - **Price:** Free to start. Focus Pro is a subscription with a 7-day trial; the US App Store lists $6.99 a month and $39.99 a year, as of November 2026. - **Platforms:** Mac (macOS 14 or later), iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro, synced through iCloud. - **Best for:** people who want to see how much time went into each project, on every Apple device. - **Strengths:** sessions and tasks in one app; widgets, Live Activities, Siri and Shortcuts. Its listing says your data stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. - **Drawbacks:** Pro is sold as a subscription. Its listing doesn't mention app or website blocking. - **Get it:** [Focus – Deep Work Timer on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/focus-deep-work-timer/id777233759?mt=12) #### Session Session, by Translucent, is a focus timer built around 25- or 45-minute sessions and distraction blocking. On the Mac, Session can block distracting websites and apps during a session, mute the Slack workspaces you choose, and run AppleScript automations such as turning on Do Not Disturb. After each session it asks what you worked on. - **Price:** Free plan with unlimited session and break timers and 2 days of analytics. Pro costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, as of November 2026, with a 7-day trial after you create an account and 30% off for students. No lifetime option is listed. - **Platforms:** Mac, iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. - **Best for:** blocking distractions and reviewing what each session produced. - **Strengths:** blocking and Slack muting in one app; sessions saved to Apple Calendar with Pro; the session time shows in the menu bar, where you can pause or complete it. - **Drawbacks:** subscription only for Pro. - **Get it:** [stayinsession.com](https://www.stayinsession.com) #### Flow Flow, by Yugen, is a minimal Pomodoro timer with work intervals, breaks and multiple duration options. Flow can block apps and websites, offers a Commitment mode for self-control, and syncs sessions to Apple Calendar and Apple Health. - **Price:** Free basics (timer, statistics, break reminders). Pro costs $2.99 a month, $17.99 a year or $39.99 once on the US App Store, as of November 2026. - **Platforms:** Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. Flow 5.0, released October 26, 2026, requires macOS 26 or iOS 26. - **Best for:** a simple timer with a lifetime Pro option, on a current macOS. - **Strengths:** custom session titles; app and web blocking; streaks in 5.0; widgets and Live Activities. - **Drawbacks:** Flow 5.0 drops support for macOS versions before 26. Flow's site doesn't mention a menu bar timer. - **Get it:** [flow.app](https://www.flow.app) #### TomatoBar TomatoBar is a free, open-source Pomodoro timer that lives only in the menu bar. TomatoBar has configurable work and rest intervals, optional sounds, discreet notifications and a global hotkey, and a `tomatobar://startStop` link starts or stops it from scripts. - **Price:** Free, MIT license. - **Platforms:** Mac. Install it from GitHub releases or with `brew install --cask tomatobar`. - **Best for:** a free, no-account timer that stays out of the way. - **Strengths:** fully sandboxed; nothing to sign up for; scriptable. - **Drawbacks:** no tasks, and no stats screen is listed. TomatoBar logs state changes to a JSON file instead. The latest release, v3.6.1, came out in February 2026. - **Get it:** [TomatoBar on GitHub](https://github.com/ivoronin/TomatoBar) #### NotchOwl NotchOwl is a Mac planner in the notch, and its focus timer sits next to today's task list. NotchOwl runs a countdown (25, 45 or 60 minutes, or a custom length) or a stopwatch, on a task or with no task at all. You can pause, resume or add five minutes, and when a countdown ends you choose Keep going, Take a break or Mark done. The running timer stays visible beside the notch, including the notch NotchOwl draws on an external monitor. NotchOwl pauses timers when the Mac sleeps, and Insights counts only active focus time, alongside completed tasks and your peak hours. Claude can also start, pause or stop the timer through NotchOwl's local MCP server. > NotchOwl is a $9 one-time Mac app whose focus timer runs a countdown or stopwatch on a task, stays visible in the notch, pauses when the Mac sleeps and counts only active focus time in Insights. - **Price:** $9 once (shown as an early-bird price, normally $29) for up to 3 Macs, with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. There is no free tier or trial. See [NotchOwl pricing](/#pricing). - **Platforms:** Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. There is no iPhone app; tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch through optional Apple Reminders sync, but the timer is Mac only. - **Best for:** people who want the timer attached to the day's tasks and always in view. - **Strengths:** timer, tasks, notes, reminders and today's calendar in one place; works without a notch; local data. - **Drawbacks:** NotchOwl is not a strict Pomodoro app. It doesn't time breaks, count rounds or schedule long breaks, and it doesn't block apps or websites. No Intel version, no iPhone timer, no free version. - **Get it:** [download NotchOwl](/download) #### NotchNook Pro NotchNook, by lo.cafe, turns the notch into a "Nook" for files, AirDrop, calendar and more. NotchNook Pro 2.0, released October 28, 2026, added Pomodoro and to-dos, plus approving Claude Code and Codex commands from the notch. NotchNook's comparison table lists Pomodoro and to-dos as Pro features. - **Price:** Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month; Classic costs $15 lifetime or $2 a month, as of November 2026. One license covers 2 Macs. Every feature is free for 48 hours, and refunds are available within 7 days. - **Platforms:** Mac only. Pro needs Apple silicon and macOS 14.6 or later. lo.cafe says both editions work with or without a notch, including external displays. - **Best for:** a Pomodoro timer inside a notch app that also handles files, clipboard history and coding agents. - **Strengths:** a wide feature set; meeting join buttons; a card-free trial. - **Drawbacks:** lo.cafe's page doesn't describe the Pomodoro timer's lengths, breaks or stats. Pro is Apple silicon only. See [NotchOwl vs NotchNook](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchnook) for a closer look. - **Get it:** [lo.cafe/notchnook](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) #### Notchable Notchable calls itself the ADHD task manager that lives in your MacBook notch. Notchable's focus timer is a watch-style dial that stays in the notch: you pick a task, start, add five minutes if you need them, and press the space bar to pause. Since version 2.1, live activities widen the notch to show a running session. - **Price:** one-time. Standard costs $19.99 and uses cloud AI through Notchable's server; Lite costs $9.99 and runs an on-device model on Apple silicon. There is a 3-day trial. - **Platforms:** Mac only, macOS 14 or later. Tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch through two-way Apple Reminders sync. - **Best for:** people who want to speak or type a brain dump into the notch and have AI sort it, with a focus dial on the side. - **Strengths:** voice capture; AI sorting into date, priority and effort; desktop Insights with focus time, streaks and peak hours. - **Drawbacks:** the page doesn't mention break intervals. Standard sends capture text to Notchable's server. See [NotchOwl vs Notchable](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable) for how the two differ. - **Get it:** [notchable.com](https://notchable.com) #### Other notch apps with a Pomodoro timer These notch apps list Pomodoro among many other features, with little detail on how it works. - **Droppy:** $9.99 once for 2 Macs, macOS 14 or later. Pomodoro sits beside a file tray, clipboard history, calendar and coding-agent tracking. [getdroppy.app](https://getdroppy.app) - **MacNotch:** on Setapp only, from $4.99 a month. Pomodoro plus a task list synced with macOS Reminders. [MacNotch on Setapp](https://setapp.com/apps/macnotch) - **NotchNest:** free on the Mac App Store, with $2.99 a month, $14.99 a year or $14.99 lifetime. Pomodoro, AI clipboard, music controls and a file tray. [NotchNest on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6747612321) - **NotchBox:** free, with a $4.99 Pro purchase. Pomodoro, file shelf, clipboard and calendar. [NotchBox on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6737410946) Download notch apps only from the developer's own site or the Mac App Store. In July 2026, a sponsored ad on X impersonated the notch app DynamicLake and installed Mac malware. ### Comparison table Table: Pomodoro and focus timer apps for Mac compared by price, timer location, task linking, stats and platforms (as of November 2026) | App | Price | Where the timer lives | Linked to tasks | Stats | Platforms | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Be Focused | Free; Pro $2.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $39.99 once | Menu bar and window | Yes | Reports; CSV export with Pro | Mac (macOS 12+), iPhone, iPad | | Focus – Deep Work Timer | Free; Pro $6.99/mo or $39.99/yr | Menu bar and window | Yes, tasks and projects | Daily and weekly activity and goals | Mac (macOS 14+), iPhone, iPad, Watch, Vision Pro | | Session | Free; Pro $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | Menu bar and window | Logs what you worked on | 2 days free; full log with Pro | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | | Flow | Free; Pro $2.99/mo, $17.99/yr or $39.99 once | App; menu bar not stated | Session titles | Session statistics | Mac (macOS 26+), iPhone, iPad, Watch, Vision Pro | | TomatoBar | Free (open source) | Menu bar only | No | JSON log only | Mac | | NotchOwl | $9 once, up to 3 Macs | Notch (drawn notch on monitors) | Yes, or no task | Active focus time, peak hours | Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 14+) | | NotchNook Pro | $19 lifetime or $3/mo | Notch | Not stated | Not stated | Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 14.6+) | | Notchable | $9.99 or $19.99 once | Notch and desktop window | Yes | Focus time, streaks, peak hours | Mac (macOS 14+) | ### Menu bar, notch or window? A menu bar timer is the familiar choice and works on every Mac. A notch timer uses space the menu bar can't, and it can open into a full task list. A window timer suits people who care more about detailed stats and blocking than an always-visible countdown. For strict Pomodoro rounds and long breaks, pick Be Focused; Flow Pro adds custom session cycles. For a timer next to your day's tasks, a notch planner fits better. For more options, see [the best menu bar to-do apps for Mac](/blog/best-menu-bar-to-do-apps-mac) and [the best ADHD apps for Mac](/blog/best-adhd-apps-for-mac). ### Frequently asked questions #### What is the best free Pomodoro timer for Mac? TomatoBar is the best free Pomodoro timer for Mac if you only want a timer. It is open source under the MIT license, lives in the menu bar and has configurable work and rest intervals. Be Focused, Session, Flow and Focus – Deep Work Timer also have free versions with paid Pro upgrades. #### Which Pomodoro apps show a timer in the Mac menu bar? Be Focused, Focus – Deep Work Timer, Session and TomatoBar all put a Pomodoro timer in the Mac menu bar. TomatoBar lives only there, while Be Focused, Focus and Session pair the menu bar timer with a full window. #### Can I put a Pomodoro timer in the MacBook notch? Yes. NotchOwl, NotchNook Pro, Notchable, Droppy, MacNotch, NotchNest and NotchBox all include a focus or Pomodoro timer in the notch. NotchOwl and NotchNook also work on external displays, and Notchable draws a small tab on Macs without a notch. #### Does NotchOwl work as a Pomodoro timer? Yes, in a simple form. NotchOwl runs a 25, 45 or 60-minute or custom countdown, or a stopwatch, on a task or on its own, with pause, resume and add five minutes. It does not time breaks or count rounds for you. #### Which Mac focus timers can block distracting websites? Session, Be Focused and Flow can block distracting apps and websites during a focus session. Session and Be Focused include blocking in their paid Pro tiers. NotchOwl and TomatoBar do not block anything. #### Is there a Pomodoro app for Mac with a lifetime price? Yes. As of November 2026, Be Focused and Flow each sell Pro for $39.99 once, Be Focused Pro is a separate $19.99 app, NotchOwl costs $9 once and TomatoBar is free. Session and Focus – Deep Work Timer sell Pro as a subscription. --- ## Dynamic Island for Mac: How to Get One in 2026 > Only the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display has Apple’s Dynamic Island. On other Macs, notch apps like NotchOwl add live alerts, timers and reminders. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/dynamic-island-for-mac The Dynamic Island is the pill-shaped area at the top of an iPhone that grows to show live information, such as a timer, a call or the song that is playing. Until this autumn, Mac owners could only imitate it with notch apps. In November 2026 that changed for one Mac, but not for the rest. This guide explains where the Mac stands now, what Dynamic Island apps for Mac actually do, and how to set one up step by step with NotchOwl. ### Is there a Dynamic Island on Mac? Yes, on one model. Apple announced the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display on October 28, 2026, and it went on sale on November 6. Apple says its Dynamic Island holds Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI, and lets you answer a call, control music or accept an AirDrop request. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 with M5 Pro, and the laptop runs macOS 27. Every other Mac has either a notch, the camera housing on recent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models, or a plain bezel. On those Macs, macOS shows Live Activities in the menu bar instead: - **macOS 26 Tahoe** shows Live Activities from a nearby iPhone in the Mac’s menu bar. - **macOS 27.3**, in developer beta since November 3, 2026, lets Mac apps show their own Live Activities in the menu bar of Apple silicon Macs. MacRumors reports the release is expected in December. Table: Where live information appears at the top of each kind of Mac (November 2026) | Mac | Top of the screen | Apple’s Live Activities | Notch apps | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display (2026) | Dynamic Island | In the Dynamic Island | Check each developer’s support for this model | | Other MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch (2021 on), MacBook Air (M2 on) | Notch | In the menu bar | Built for this | | Other Macs and external displays | No cutout | In the menu bar | Some apps draw a notch or island | ### What Dynamic Island apps for Mac do Notch apps, often sold as “Dynamic Island for Mac” apps, put a black panel behind the notch. The panel grows when something happens and opens when you hover over it. What appears there depends on the app: - **Live activities:** a short alert grows out of the notch for a timer, a download, a call or a due reminder, then shrinks back. - **Media:** the song that is playing, with play and skip buttons (NotchNook, Boring Notch, DynamicLake, Atoll). - **File drops:** drag a file onto the notch to park it or AirDrop it (NotchNook, Boring Notch, Droppy). - **Notifications and HUDs:** message replies (DynamicLake) and replacement volume and brightness indicators (Alcove, Boring Notch). - **Timers and tasks:** focus timers, to-do lists and reminders in the notch (NotchOwl, Notchable, MacNotch, NotchNook Pro). - **Coding agents:** status and approvals for Claude Code and Codex (NotchNook Pro, Droppy). Prices, platforms and a full comparison are in [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac). ### How to set up a Dynamic Island with NotchOwl I make NotchOwl, so here is how its island works; the setup for other notch apps is similar. NotchOwl’s island is built around your day: reminders that ring in the notch and a focus timer that stays beside it. 1. **Check your Mac.** NotchOwl needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. 2. **Install and activate.** [Download NotchOwl](/download), drag it to Applications, open it and paste the license key from your purchase email. The [setup guide](/setup-license) covers each step. 3. **Open it from the notch.** Hover over the notch, or press Option–N from any app. On an external monitor, NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of the screen and opens from there. 4. **Add a task with a time.** Type “call mom at 5pm” or “send invoice tomorrow at 10am”. NotchOwl reads the day and time and sets the reminder. You can also click the microphone and say it; speech is recognized on your Mac. Allow notifications when NotchOwl asks, during setup or the first time you set a reminder. 5. **Let the reminder ring.** When a reminder comes due, NotchOwl grows the notch into a small island with the owl, the task’s title and time, and a chime. Click **5 min** to snooze or **Done** to complete the task. The island stays up for about 20 seconds; on a Mac’s own screen without a notch, it grows from the middle of the menu bar instead. 6. **Start a focus timer.** In the Focus card, pick a task or “Just focus”, then choose a 25, 45 or 60-minute countdown, a custom length or a stopwatch. Close the workspace and the timer stays as a pill beside the notch, so you can see the time left without opening anything. Pause, resume or add five minutes as you go; NotchOwl pauses timers when the Mac sleeps. 7. **Add the extras you want.** Turn on two-way Apple Reminders sync in Settings to get tasks and their reminders on iPhone and Apple Watch, and connect Apple Calendar to see today’s events. NotchOwl only reads Calendar; it never creates or edits events. ### What NotchOwl’s island does not do NotchOwl’s island is for tasks and focus, not media. NotchOwl has no music controls, no replacement volume or brightness HUDs, and no file shelf or AirDrop. Clips, which keeps recent screenshots, screen recordings and copied items in the notch, is the closest thing. There is also no Intel build and no iPhone app. If you want music and file drops in the notch, NotchNook, Boring Notch or DynamicLake fit better. ### Notch app or Apple’s Dynamic Island? - **You have the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display.** Apple’s island already handles music, calls, AirDrop requests, Siri AI and Live Activities. Notch apps were designed around the notch, so read a developer’s notes on that model before you buy one. - **You have any other Mac.** Apple’s Live Activities live in the menu bar, and in macOS 27.3 only apps that adopt them will show there. A notch app adds what macOS does not: a task list, a focus timer, a file shelf or media controls in a panel you can open with the pointer. - **You are weighing cost.** Most notch apps cost between nothing and about $20 once. The cheapest Mac with Apple’s Dynamic Island costs $2,899. If you use a monitor all day, [how to get a notch on an external monitor](/blog/notch-on-external-monitor) covers the apps that work there. For background on the cutout itself, see [what the MacBook notch is for](/blog/what-is-the-macbook-notch-for). > As of November 2026, the only Mac with Apple’s Dynamic Island is the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display; on other Macs, notch apps such as NotchOwl, NotchNook and Boring Notch imitate it in the notch. ### Download notch apps safely In July 2026, a fake DynamicLake ad on X delivered Mac malware, according to 9to5Mac and Jamf. Get any Dynamic Island app from the developer’s official site, the Mac App Store or its official GitHub page, never from an ad. ### Frequently asked questions #### Is there a Dynamic Island on Mac? Yes, on one model. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, on sale since November 6, 2026, has Apple’s Dynamic Island for Spotlight, Live Activities and Siri AI. Other Macs have a notch or a plain bezel, and notch apps can imitate the island there. #### Which MacBook has a Dynamic Island? Only the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes with M5 Pro or M5 Max, announced October 28, 2026 and priced from $2,899. The other MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models still have a notch. #### Can I get a Dynamic Island on an older MacBook? Yes, with a notch app. NotchOwl, NotchNook, Boring Notch, Alcove and others turn the notch into an island that shows timers, reminders, music or files. Boring Notch is free, and NotchOwl costs $9 once. #### Does macOS show Live Activities on Macs without a Dynamic Island? Yes, in the menu bar. macOS 26 Tahoe shows Live Activities from a nearby iPhone there, and macOS 27.3, in developer beta since November 3, 2026, lets Mac apps show their own on Apple silicon Macs. #### Does NotchOwl’s reminder island work on an external monitor? Yes. NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of an external monitor, and due reminders and the focus timer follow the pointer to whichever screen you are using. --- ## How to Connect Claude to Your Mac To-Do List With MCP > Connect Claude to a Mac to-do list in about a minute: install NotchOwl, open Settings › AI agents and click Connect for Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/claude-mcp-to-do-list-mac MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is the standard way for AI apps like Claude to use tools on your computer. Connect a to-do app that has an MCP server, and you can say “move everything I didn’t finish to tomorrow” instead of dragging tasks around yourself. [NotchOwl](/) has an MCP server built in. This guide shows how to connect it to Claude Code, the Claude desktop app or Cursor, what Claude can do once it is connected, and how to keep it safe. ### What you need - A Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. - [NotchOwl](/download) installed in your **Applications** folder. AI apps remember the path to the server, so NotchOwl has to be in Applications before you connect it. - At least one MCP client: Claude Code, the Claude desktop app or Cursor. ### Connect Claude in one click 1. Open NotchOwl and go to **Settings › AI agents**. 2. Click **Connect** next to Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor. Cursor appears only when it is installed. 3. If the Claude app or Cursor is open, click **Restart** so it quits, reopens and loads NotchOwl. NotchOwl checks that its entry survived the restart. 4. Once something is connected, **Try asking** shows example prompts you can copy with a click. That is the whole setup. There is no API key to create and no account to sign in to. ### What Claude can do with your tasks Table: What an AI agent can do through NotchOwl’s MCP server | Area | What the agent can do | | --- | --- | | Tasks | Add, rename, delete and move tasks on today or a later day, list any day’s tasks, and complete or reopen today’s | | Task details | Change a task’s title, reminder, priority, project, notes, repeat, time limit and steps, or snooze it | | Notepad | Read any day’s notepad, and write to today’s or a later day’s | | Projects | List your projects | | Insights | Read today’s progress, your streak, the last seven days against the seven before, and your peak hours | | Focus timer | Start, pause, resume or stop the focus timer | New tasks are read the way NotchOwl reads what you type, so a title like “call mom tomorrow at 5pm !high #family” gets its day, a 5 PM reminder, high priority and the family project. Agents can also add a title exactly as written when you need that. ### Prompts worth trying - “Add the three things I mentioned in this chat to today in NotchOwl, the urgent one first.” - “Move every unfinished task from today to tomorrow morning.” - “Start a 25-minute focus timer on the proposal task.” - “Read today’s notepad and turn each action item into a task.” - “How did my focus time this week compare with last week?” ### Connect it yourself If you would rather add the server by hand, Claude Code takes one command: ``` claude mcp add --scope user notchowl -- "/Applications/NotchOwl.app/Contents/MacOS/NotchOwl" --mcp ``` For the Claude desktop app (`claude_desktop_config.json`) or Cursor (`~/.cursor/mcp.json`), add a `notchowl` entry under `mcpServers` with the same command and `--mcp` as its argument, keeping your other servers as they are. NotchOwl’s Connect button does exactly this. ### How NotchOwl keeps agents in check - **Local only.** The server runs on your Mac and speaks to the AI app over standard input and output. Your planner is not uploaded anywhere by NotchOwl. - **Undoable.** Changes an agent makes land as undoable changes in NotchOwl. - **Signed requests.** Commands that change existing tasks carry a per-Mac key, so a web page cannot send them. - **Limited reach.** Agents cannot read your Calendar events or change NotchOwl’s settings. > NotchOwl’s MCP server lets Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor manage tasks, reminders, the notepad and the focus timer on a Mac, connected in one click from Settings › AI agents, with no Terminal and no cloud account. ### Other to-do apps you can connect to Claude NotchOwl is not the only option. Most popular task apps now have an MCP server, but they work differently: the official servers from Todoist, TickTick, Sunsama and Akiflow are hosted in the cloud and sign in to your account, while Things, OmniFocus and Apple Reminders only have servers written by the community that run on your Mac. Table: MCP servers for popular to-do apps, as of November 2026 | App | Server | Where it runs | How you connect | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | NotchOwl | Built in, by NotchOwl | On your Mac | One click in Settings › AI agents | | Todoist | Official, by Doist | Cloud, or locally with npx | Sign in at `https://ai.todoist.net/mcp` | | TickTick | Official endpoint, listed as a Premium feature | Cloud | Sign in at `https://mcp.ticktick.com` | | Sunsama | Official | Cloud | Sign in at `https://api.sunsama.com/mcp` | | Things 3 | Community (things-mcp) | On your Mac | `uvx things-mcp`, with Things URLs turned on | | OmniFocus | Community (OmniFocus-MCP) | On your Mac | `npx -y omnifocus-mcp` | | Apple Reminders | Community (mcp-server-apple-events and others) | On your Mac | An npm package | If your tasks already live in Todoist or TickTick and you use them on several devices, their official servers are the natural choice. If you want a planner whose MCP server ships inside the app, runs locally and needs no account, that is what NotchOwl does. See [the best menu bar to-do apps for Mac](/blog/best-menu-bar-to-do-apps-mac) for how these apps compare beyond AI. ### Without an AI app The same building blocks are open to scripts. Opening a link like `notchowl://add?title=Buy%20milk` adds a task, and repeating `title` adds several at once, which makes NotchOwl easy to reach from Shortcuts, Raycast or Alfred. If you are choosing a planner for your Mac, see [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac). NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to three Macs, and you can [download it here](/download). ### Frequently asked questions #### Can Claude add tasks to my to-do list? Yes. With an MCP server connected, Claude can add tasks to a to-do app on your Mac. NotchOwl’s built-in MCP server lets Claude add, complete, move, rename and snooze tasks, set reminders, write in the daily notepad and run the focus timer. #### Do I need to use Terminal to connect Claude to NotchOwl? No. In NotchOwl, open Settings › AI agents and click Connect next to Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor. NotchOwl writes the configuration for you. A Terminal command is still available if you prefer to add it yourself. #### Does NotchOwl’s MCP server send my tasks to the cloud? No. The MCP server runs on your Mac and talks to the AI app over standard input and output. Your tasks stay in NotchOwl on your Mac; only what the AI app itself sends to its model leaves the Mac, as with any MCP tool. #### Can Claude see my calendar through NotchOwl? No. NotchOwl does not give agents access to Calendar events or to its settings. Agents can work with tasks, the notepad, Insights and the focus timer. #### Which AI apps work with NotchOwl’s MCP server? NotchOwl connects in one click to Claude Code, the Claude desktop app and Cursor. Any other MCP client that can launch a local stdio server can use the same command: /Applications/NotchOwl.app/Contents/MacOS/NotchOwl --mcp. --- ## How to Get a Notch on an External Monitor (Mac, 2026) > External monitors have no notch. NotchOwl draws one at the top of each monitor’s menu bar, follows your pointer between screens and steps aside in full screen. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/notch-on-external-monitor An external monitor has no notch. The notch on a MacBook is the cutout that holds the camera, and a desk monitor has a plain, straight top edge. That matters if you use a notch app: the place you reach for is on the laptop, while the screen you look at all day is somewhere else. This guide explains what [NotchOwl](/) does on external monitors, how to set it up in a few clicks, and which other apps also work on a second screen. I make NotchOwl, so it gets the most space here; the last section covers the alternatives I could confirm. ### Why a monitor has no notch, and what macOS does instead The notch exists because the display on newer MacBooks reaches up around the camera. macOS fills the space on either side of it with the menu bar. A monitor has no camera cutout, so its menu bar runs straight across, with empty space in the middle. macOS shows a menu bar on each display when **Displays have separate Spaces** is on, which is the default. Apple puts that option in System Settings › Desktop & Dock, under Mission Control. Menu bar apps put their icons in each display’s menu bar too, so a classic menu bar app already works on a second monitor. What you lose is the notch itself: a fixed spot at the top center that you can hover without looking for an icon. ### What NotchOwl does on an external monitor NotchOwl 2.2 gave external monitors a notch of their own, and 2.2.2 (November 5, 2026) taught it to make room for full screen. In the current version: - **A drawn notch.** NotchOwl draws a notch at the top center of the monitor’s menu bar, about as wide as a MacBook’s. Hover it, and NotchOwl opens right there with your tasks, focus timer, notepad and today’s Calendar events. - **It follows the pointer.** Move the pointer to another screen, and the closed notch, its focus timer and the next reminder follow. Option–N opens NotchOwl on the screen you are on. It does not jump screens while the workspace is open or a reminder is showing. - **It steps aside for full screen.** A full-screen app on a monitor, or two apps in Split View, get the whole screen. The drawn notch comes back when you leave full screen, and the middle of the top edge still opens NotchOwl in the meantime. - **You can pin it.** Settings › Show on keeps NotchOwl on the MacBook’s screen or on one monitor. - **You can hide it.** Turn off Settings › Notch on monitors, and nothing is drawn. Push the pointer to the middle of the top edge to open NotchOwl; the timer and reminders show up there. NotchOwl is the same planner on every screen, so nothing reloads or syncs when it moves. Table: How NotchOwl looks and opens on each kind of screen | Screen | What you see | How to open NotchOwl | | --- | --- | --- | | MacBook with a notch | The real notch, with the focus timer beside it while one runs | Hover or click the notch, or press Option–N | | Mac screen without a notch | NotchOwl at the top center, below the menu bar | Press Option–N, or use the menu bar owl | | External monitor | A notch NotchOwl draws at the top of the menu bar | Hover or click the drawn notch, or press Option–N | | Monitor with a full-screen app or Split View | No notch until you leave full screen | Push the pointer to the middle of the top edge | | Monitor with Notch on monitors off | Nothing drawn; timer and reminders at the top edge | Push the pointer to the middle of the top edge | > NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of an external monitor’s menu bar, follows the pointer between screens, and since version 2.2.2 steps aside for full-screen apps and Split View. ### How to set it up 1. **Check your Mac.** NotchOwl needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. That includes a Mac mini or Mac Studio, where every screen is an external monitor and gets the drawn notch. 2. **Install NotchOwl.** [Download NotchOwl](/download), drag it to Applications and enter your license key. The [setup guide](/setup-license) walks through activation. 3. **Connect the monitor.** There is nothing to turn on. Move the pointer onto the monitor, and the notch appears at the top center of its menu bar. 4. **Choose how it opens.** Click the owl in the menu bar, choose **Settings…**, and set **Open notch with** to Hover, Click or Double-click. Click is a good choice if you often reach for the menu bar and open NotchOwl by accident. 5. **Pick a shortcut.** Option–N is the default. **Open shortcut** in the same settings also offers Option–P and Option–Space. 6. **Decide where NotchOwl lives.** Under **Show on**, Automatic follows the pointer. Built-in display keeps it on the MacBook while the lid is open, and each monitor is listed by name. If a chosen monitor is unplugged, NotchOwl follows the pointer until it is back. 7. **Optional: hide the drawn notch.** The **Notch on monitors** switch appears once a monitor is connected. Turn it off if you prefer a clean top edge. With the MacBook lid closed, a Show on choice of Built-in display falls back to following the pointer across your monitors. ### Full screen and Split View Since NotchOwl 2.2.2, a monitor’s drawn notch steps aside while an app is full screen or in Split View, and returns when you leave. Your focus timer keeps running, and the middle of the top edge still opens NotchOwl, so your list is one push of the pointer away during a full-screen video call or presentation. Every change is listed in the [NotchOwl changelog](/changelog). ### Other ways to get a notch on a monitor Compared from each app’s official website or source code in November 2026; prices are as of November 2026. - **[NotchNook](https://lo.cafe/notchnook)** by lo.cafe says it works with or without a notch, including external displays, and lets you pick which displays get it. NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month and needs Apple silicon with macOS 14.6 or later; NotchNook Classic costs $15 lifetime or $2 a month and also runs on Intel. Both cover two Macs and come with a 48-hour free trial. NotchNook is the better pick if you want music controls and a file tray with AirDrop in the notch, which NotchOwl does not have. - **[Boring Notch](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch)** is free and open source (GPL-3.0) for macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon or Intel. Its settings include Show on all displays, Preferred display and Automatically switch displays. Boring Notch focuses on music controls, a file shelf and a replacement for the volume and brightness HUD. The developers note it is not signed with an Apple Developer account, so macOS warns you on first launch. - **A plain menu bar app.** If you only need an icon, any menu bar app appears in each display’s menu bar while Displays have separate Spaces is on. There is nothing to hover, but nothing to set up either. NotchOwl is the wrong choice if you want media controls, a file shelf, an Intel Mac or a free app. NotchOwl is built for planning: tasks, a focus timer, a notepad, reminders and a read-only view of today’s calendar, for $9 once on up to three Macs, an early-bird price that is normally $29 (see [pricing](/#pricing)). For a wider look at the category, read [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac) or [how to get a Dynamic Island on your Mac](/blog/dynamic-island-for-mac). ### Frequently asked questions #### Do external monitors have a notch when connected to a Mac? No. The notch is the camera housing in the built-in display of MacBooks that have one, so an external monitor has a straight top edge. A notch app such as NotchOwl can draw a notch-shaped area at the top of the monitor instead. #### Does NotchOwl work on a Mac mini or Mac Studio with a monitor? Yes, on Apple silicon with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Every screen on a Mac mini or Mac Studio is an external monitor, so NotchOwl draws its notch at the top center of that monitor’s menu bar. #### Why does NotchOwl’s notch disappear when an app goes full screen on my monitor? Since NotchOwl 2.2.2, the monitor’s drawn notch steps aside for full-screen apps and Split View so they get the whole screen. Push the pointer to the middle of the top edge to open NotchOwl without leaving full screen. #### How do I keep NotchOwl on only one screen? Choose a screen in NotchOwl’s Settings › Show on: Built-in display or any connected monitor by name. The default, Automatic, puts NotchOwl on whichever screen the pointer is on. #### Can I turn off the drawn notch on my external monitor in NotchOwl? Yes. Turn off Settings › Notch on monitors. NotchOwl then draws nothing, and pushing the pointer to the middle of the monitor’s top edge opens it, with the timer and reminders showing there. --- ## How to See Apple Reminders in the Mac Menu Bar or Notch > macOS shows Reminders in widgets and alerts, not the menu bar. NotchOwl’s optional two-way sync puts a NotchOwl Reminders list in your notch and on your iPhone. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/apple-reminders-mac-menu-bar Apple Reminders is easy to reach on iPhone and harder to keep in view on a Mac. The Reminders app is a full window, and Apple’s Reminders guide for Mac describes widgets for Notification Center and the desktop, not a menu bar icon. If you want today’s reminders one move away while you work, you need a widget you keep open, a third-party menu bar app, or a planner that syncs with Reminders. This guide covers what macOS gives you, how the optional Reminders sync in [NotchOwl](/) works, and how to set it up. I make NotchOwl, and I’ve tried to be clear about where another option fits better. ### What macOS gives you #### The Reminders app The Reminders app holds all your lists, and iCloud keeps them the same on your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Each device has to be signed in to the same Apple Account with Reminders turned on for iCloud. On a Mac, that switch is in System Settings › your name › iCloud; on macOS 15 or later, Apple lists it under Saved to iCloud › See All. #### Reminders widgets Apple’s Reminders widgets can live in Notification Center or on the desktop. They are interactive, so you can check off completed items right in the widget, and clicking a widget opens that list in the Reminders app. You can add several, each with its own size and list. - **Notification Center:** click the date and time in the menu bar, then choose Edit Widgets. - **Desktop:** Control-click the wallpaper, then choose Edit Widgets. Widgets are the simplest free option, with nothing to install. Their limit is visibility: Notification Center is hidden until you open it, and desktop widgets sit behind your windows. #### Notifications Reminders with an alert appear as notifications in the top-right corner of the screen. Their options let you mark the reminder complete or be reminded again later. Notifications tell you when something is due, but they don’t show the rest of your day. ### Ways to keep Reminders in view Table: Ways to see Apple Reminders on a Mac without opening the Reminders app | Option | Where it shows | Cost | Which reminders | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reminders widget | Notification Center or the desktop | Free, built into macOS | One list per widget | | Reminders notifications | Top-right corner, when an alert is due | Free, built into macOS | Reminders with an alert | | Reminders MenuBar | A menu bar dropdown | Free, open source | All your lists, filtered by list or tag | | NotchOwl with Reminders sync | The notch, a notch NotchOwl draws on monitors, or the top center of other screens | $9 once, up to 3 Macs | The NotchOwl list only | ### How NotchOwl’s Reminders sync works NotchOwl is a Mac planner that lives in the notch: today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and a read-only view of today’s calendar. NotchOwl has no iPhone app. Two-way Apple Reminders sync, added in version 2.0, is how its tasks reach your iPhone and Apple Watch. - **One list.** NotchOwl creates a list called NotchOwl in your default Reminders account, or uses one with that name if it exists. For the list to reach your iPhone, that account should be iCloud. - **What syncs.** Open tasks on today, on planned days and in the Inbox, with their title, notes, done state, due day and time, priority and deadline. Reminders has no deadline field, so NotchOwl writes it as the last line of the notes, such as “Deadline: 2026-11-20”, and reads it back. - **Both ways.** Tick a task off on iPhone or Apple Watch, and it is done in NotchOwl. A reminder you add to the NotchOwl list on iPhone becomes a task; one without a date lands in NotchOwl’s Inbox. Moving a task to another day moves its reminder, and deleting an open task on one side deletes it on the other. - **History stays.** Clearing completed reminders in the Reminders app never removes NotchOwl’s history. - **It rings.** With **Ring on iPhone and Watch**, which is on by default, a task with a reminder time gets a Reminders alarm at that time, so iPhone and Apple Watch alert even while the Mac sleeps. Turning it off removes only the alarms NotchOwl added. On the Mac, the notch opens with a chime when a reminder is due, with buttons to snooze it for 5 minutes or mark it done. - **Off until you turn it on.** Your planner stays on the Mac unless you switch sync on. > NotchOwl’s optional two-way Apple Reminders sync keeps a NotchOwl list in Reminders in step with its tasks, so they reach iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud, and tasks with a reminder time ring there. ### How to set it up 1. **Check iCloud.** On your Mac and iPhone, sign in to the same Apple Account and turn on Reminders for iCloud. 2. **Install NotchOwl.** It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. [Download NotchOwl](/download), drag it to Applications and activate your license. 3. **Turn on sync.** Click the owl in the menu bar, choose **Settings…**, and under Apple Reminders switch on **Sync with Reminders**. 4. **Allow access.** macOS asks whether NotchOwl may access your reminders; allow it. If you declined earlier, turn NotchOwl on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Reminders. 5. **Check your iPhone.** Open Reminders on iPhone. The NotchOwl list appears once iCloud has synced, with your open tasks in it. 6. **Choose how it rings.** Leave **Ring on iPhone and Watch** on to get alerts on your phone and watch, or turn it off if NotchOwl’s notch alert on the Mac is enough. 7. **Try it.** Type “call mom tomorrow at 5pm” into NotchOwl. The task lands on tomorrow with a 5 PM reminder, and with sync on it rings on your iPhone too. One tip: with Ring on iPhone and Watch on, timed reminders also alert from the Reminders app on the Mac, so you can get the notch alert and a Reminders notification together. If you only want the notch, turn off notifications for Reminders in System Settings › Notifications, knowing that this also silences your other reminders on that Mac. ### Another menu bar option **[Reminders MenuBar](https://github.com/DamascenoRafael/reminders-menubar)** is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) app that puts Apple Reminders in a menu bar dropdown. Its GitHub page lists creating reminders in natural language, marking them complete, editing due dates and priorities, viewing upcoming reminders, searching all reminders, and filtering by list and tag. Reminders MenuBar needs macOS 12 Monterey or later and installs from its releases page or with Homebrew (`brew install --cask reminders-menubar`). Checked on its GitHub page in November 2026. Reminders MenuBar is the better pick if you want every Reminders list you already have in the menu bar, for free, and nothing else. NotchOwl fits if you want a daily planner with a focus timer, notepad and calendar on the Mac, and are happy to keep the tasks you sync in one NotchOwl list. NotchOwl is also the wrong choice for an Intel Mac, an iPhone app of its own, or editing calendar events. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to three Macs, an early-bird price that is normally $29, with no subscription ([see pricing](/#pricing)). For more apps in this space, read [the best menu bar to-do apps for Mac](/blog/best-menu-bar-to-do-apps-mac). If you use Claude, you can also [connect it to NotchOwl with MCP](/blog/claude-mcp-to-do-list-mac) and have it set reminders that ring on your iPhone. ### Frequently asked questions #### Can I see Apple Reminders on my Mac without opening the Reminders app? Yes. Add a Reminders widget to Notification Center or the desktop. Apple’s Reminders widgets are interactive, so you can check off items in the widget, and a click opens the list in the Reminders app. #### Does NotchOwl sync with Apple Reminders? Yes, if you turn it on. NotchOwl’s Reminders sync keeps a list named NotchOwl in Apple Reminders in step with your tasks, both ways. It stays off until you switch on Sync with Reminders in NotchOwl’s Settings. #### How do NotchOwl tasks get to my iPhone and Apple Watch? Through Apple Reminders and iCloud. NotchOwl has no iPhone app; with Reminders sync on, its tasks appear in the NotchOwl list in Reminders on iPhone and Apple Watch, and tasks with a reminder time ring there. #### Does NotchOwl show all of my Apple Reminders lists? No. NotchOwl syncs only its own NotchOwl list. Your other Reminders lists stay in the Reminders app, and anything you add to the NotchOwl list on iPhone becomes a NotchOwl task. #### Where do Apple Reminders without a date go in NotchOwl? NotchOwl puts them in its Inbox, the list of tasks without a day beside the week ahead. Tasks in the Inbox sync back to Reminders as reminders without a date. #### Does NotchOwl’s Reminders sync share my notepad and focus history? No. Reminders sync shares open tasks with Apple Reminders, which iCloud carries to your other devices. NotchOwl’s daily notepad, focus history and Insights stay on your Mac. --- ## 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. --- ## NotchOwl vs Boring Notch: Free Media Notch or Paid Planner? > Boring Notch is free, open source and built for music, files and HUDs, with no task list. NotchOwl costs $9 once and turns the notch into a daily task planner. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/notchowl-vs-boring-notch Boring Notch is the best-known free notch app for the Mac. Boring Notch is open source, costs nothing, and turns the notch into a music control center with a calendar, a file shelf and replacement volume and brightness HUDs. NotchOwl is a paid daily planner that lives in the same spot. The two barely overlap, so this comparison is mostly about which job you want your notch to do. I make NotchOwl, so weigh my view with that in mind; I’ve tried to be plain about where Boring Notch is the better pick, and for a lot of people it is. Facts here come from Boring Notch’s GitHub README and release notes and from NotchOwl’s own documentation, checked in November 2026. ### The short verdict Choose Boring Notch if you want free music controls in the notch, a file shelf with AirDrop, a nicer volume and brightness HUD, or support for an Intel Mac. Choose NotchOwl if you want the notch to hold your tasks: planning across the day and the week, reminders that ring in the notch and on your iPhone through Apple Reminders, a focus timer, a daily notepad and Insights, for $9 once on up to 3 Macs. If you want music and a planner, you can run both. > Boring Notch is a free, open-source (GPL-3.0) Mac notch app for music controls, a file shelf and system HUDs with no task list of its own, while NotchOwl is a $9 one-time notch planner for tasks, focus, notes and Apple Reminders sync. ### NotchOwl vs Boring Notch at a glance Table: NotchOwl and Boring Notch compared on price, requirements and features, November 2026 | | NotchOwl | Boring Notch | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $9 once (early-bird, normally $29) for up to 3 Macs | Free; donations through Ko-fi and GitHub Sponsors | | Source code | Closed source | Open source, GPL-3.0 | | Mac requirements | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon only | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel | | Latest version | 2.2.2 (November 5, 2026) | Stable 2.7.3 (November 24, 2025); 2.8-rc.2 pre-release (October 10, 2026) | | Install | DMG from notchowl.com, then a license key | DMG from GitHub or a Homebrew cask; unsigned, so macOS warns on first launch | | Music controls | No | Yes, with a visualizer | | File shelf and AirDrop | No; Clips holds recent screenshots, recordings and copied items | Yes | | Volume and brightness HUD | No | Yes, replaces the macOS HUD | | Calendar | Optional, read-only, today’s events | Yes; the 2.8 release candidates add a weekly view and join buttons | | Tasks and reminders | Full planner with reminders in the notch | No task list; its calendar shows due Apple Reminders and can check them off | | Focus timer | Countdown or stopwatch | Not in its feature list | | Notes | Autosaving daily notepad | Not in its feature list | | iPhone and Apple Watch | Through two-way Apple Reminders sync | Not mentioned | | External monitors | Draws a notch on each monitor | Not mentioned in its README; settings include Show on all displays and a preferred display | | AI agents | Local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor | Not mentioned | ### The biggest differences #### Free and open source vs a $9 license Boring Notch costs nothing, and its GPL-3.0 source code is public on GitHub, where the project has about 11,300 stars. You can read the code, build the app yourself or contribute to it. Building from source needs macOS 15.6 or later and Xcode 26 or later. If you like the app, the team takes donations through Ko-fi and GitHub Sponsors. NotchOwl is closed source and paid. A license costs $9 once, shown as an early-bird price (normally $29), and covers up to 3 Macs with lifetime updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. There is no subscription. The NotchOwl installer is free to download, but there is no free tier or trial: the app needs a license to run. See [NotchOwl’s pricing](/#pricing) for what the license includes. #### Music and system controls vs tasks Boring Notch’s README describes the notch turning into “a dynamic music control center.” Around that, Boring Notch offers: - Music controls with a visualizer. The 2.8 release candidates add a real-time waveform, a compact player and audio-output switching. - A calendar. The 2.8 release candidates add an optional weekly view and join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams, Webex, Whereby and Jitsi. - A file shelf with AirDrop. - Replacement HUDs for volume and brightness. - Notification mirroring with per-app filtering, and battery details such as charger wattage and time to empty, both new in 2.8-rc.0. - A camera mirror. Boring Notch has no to-do list or planner of its own. Its calendar can show Apple Reminders that are due and let you check them off, which its README roadmap marks as done under “Reminders integration”. NotchOwl is the reverse. NotchOwl has no music controls, no file shelf with AirDrop and no HUD replacement. What NotchOwl has is a planner: - Tasks for today and any future day, with Week showing the days ahead beside an Inbox for tasks without a day. - Unfinished tasks carried forward, and an Overdue tab with Reschedule. - Natural-language capture: “call mom tomorrow at 5pm” gets its day and a reminder. Dictation works too, recognized on your Mac. - Live activities: when a reminder comes due, the notch opens with a chime, and you can snooze it or mark it done right there. - A focus timer, as a countdown or a stopwatch, that stays visible in the notch. - An autosaving daily notepad, where Command–Return turns a line into a task. - Insights with completed tasks, active focus time and your peak hours. - Clips, where new screenshots, screen recordings and copied items hang in the notch. #### iPhone, Apple Watch and AI agents NotchOwl’s optional two-way Apple Reminders sync keeps a NotchOwl list in Reminders in step with your tasks, so they reach your iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud. NotchOwl also includes a local MCP server, so Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor can add and update tasks, set reminders and run the focus timer once you click Connect in Settings › AI agents. Boring Notch reads Apple Reminders in its calendar but has no task list of its own, and its README doesn’t mention AI agents. #### Release status and installing Boring Notch’s last stable release, 2.7.3, came out on November 24, 2025. Since then only release candidates have shipped, the latest being 2.8-rc.2 on October 10, 2026, and the GitHub repository is still active. The app took the name “Boring Notch” in 2.8-rc.1. If you want the newest features, you’ll be running a pre-release. Boring Notch’s README says the app isn’t signed with an Apple Developer account, so macOS warns on first launch that it comes from an unidentified developer. The README calls this expected and suggests running an `xattr` command in Terminal or clicking Open Anyway in System Settings, which it says doesn’t work for everyone. Installing with the Homebrew cask (`brew install --cask TheBoredTeam/boring-notch/boring-notch`) bypasses the warning. NotchOwl installs from a DMG: drag it to Applications and enter the license key from your purchase email. NotchOwl’s first release was on September 15, 2026, and version 2.2.2 shipped on November 5, 2026. Every release is listed in the [NotchOwl changelog](/changelog). #### Macs and screens Boring Notch runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. NotchOwl needs macOS 14 or later and an Apple silicon Mac, so Intel owners should pick Boring Notch. Boring Notch’s README doesn’t mention external monitors or Macs without a notch, though its settings include Show on all displays and a preferred display, and its roadmap lists notch sizing for different display sizes. NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of each external monitor, follows your pointer between screens and steps aside for full-screen apps. On a Mac without a notch, NotchOwl opens at the top center of the screen. ### Where Boring Notch is better - **Price.** Boring Notch is free. NotchOwl is not, and has no free tier. - **Openness.** You can read, build and change Boring Notch’s code. - **Music.** Controls with a visualizer, and a waveform, compact player and output switching in the 2.8 release candidates. - **Files.** A file shelf with AirDrop. - **System HUDs.** Replacement volume and brightness overlays. - **Intel Macs.** Boring Notch runs on them; NotchOwl does not. - **Extras.** A camera mirror, plus notification mirroring and battery details in the release candidates. ### Where NotchOwl is better - **Tasks.** A full planner for today, future days and the week, with carry-forward, repeats, deadlines, priorities and projects. - **Reminders.** Live activities in the notch when a reminder comes due. - **iPhone and Apple Watch.** Two-way Apple Reminders sync, off until you turn it on. - **Focus.** A countdown or stopwatch on a task, with Insights that count only active focus time. - **Notes.** A daily notepad that saves itself and turns lines into tasks. - **External monitors.** A drawn notch on every monitor. - **AI agents.** A local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor. - **Stable releases.** NotchOwl 2.2.2 shipped in November 2026; Boring Notch’s newest features are in release candidates. ### Can you use both? Yes. Boring Notch handles music, files and HUDs, and NotchOwl handles tasks, so they don’t duplicate each other. The catch is space: both open from the same spot at the top of the screen, so on a single notch they compete for the same hover. NotchOwl’s Settings › Show on can keep NotchOwl on your MacBook’s screen or on one monitor, and Option–N opens NotchOwl from the keyboard on any screen. Boring Notch’s settings include a preferred display, so you can try giving each app its own screen; check how the two behave together on your own setup before you rely on the pair. ### Other free notch apps If free is the requirement, a few other notch apps cost nothing: - **Atoll** is free and open source (GPL-3.0) and builds on Boring Notch’s codebase. Atoll adds live activities, lock screen widgets, system stats, timers, clipboard history and calendar previews, but its README lists a notched MacBook as a requirement. See [Atoll’s site](https://getatoll.app). - **NotchDrop** is a free file drop for the notch, but its App Store build hasn’t been updated since November 2024, so check that it works on your macOS version. - **TopNotch** is free but hides the notch rather than using it. None of these has a task list. The notch planners covered on this blog are all paid: NotchOwl, Notchable and NotchNook Pro. The [NotchOwl vs NotchNook comparison](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchnook) covers the paid all-in-one option. ### Verdict Boring Notch is the best pick for people who want free media controls, a file shelf and nicer system HUDs, and it is the only one of the two that runs on Intel. NotchOwl is the pick when you want the notch to hold your day: tasks, reminders, focus, notes and Insights, synced to your iPhone through Apple Reminders. If you need both, run both. Download Boring Notch only from [its official GitHub repository](https://github.com/TheBoredTeam/boring.notch) or its Homebrew cask, and NotchOwl only from [notchowl.com](/download). In July 2026, a fake ad on X impersonating another notch app, DynamicLake, spread Mac malware. For more options, see [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac). ### Frequently asked questions #### Is Boring Notch free? Yes. Boring Notch is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, and it accepts donations through Ko-fi and GitHub Sponsors. You can download it from its GitHub releases page or install it with Homebrew. #### Does Boring Notch have a to-do list or reminders? Not a to-do list of its own. Boring Notch’s calendar can show Apple Reminders that are due and let you check them off, which its README marks as done under “Reminders integration”, but as of November 2026 you can’t add or plan tasks in it. #### Why does macOS warn me when I open Boring Notch? Because Boring Notch isn’t signed with an Apple Developer account. Its README calls the “unidentified developer” warning expected and suggests a Terminal command or Open Anyway in System Settings; installing with its Homebrew cask bypasses the warning. #### Does Boring Notch run on Intel Macs? Yes. Boring Notch runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later. NotchOwl also needs macOS 14 or later but runs only on Apple silicon. #### What is a good Boring Notch alternative for tasks? NotchOwl, Notchable and NotchNook Pro all put a task list in the notch, which Boring Notch doesn’t. NotchOwl ($9 once) and Notchable ($9.99 or $19.99 once) are task-first and sync two-way with Apple Reminders; NotchNook Pro ($19 lifetime) adds to-dos to a broad media and file toolkit. Prices are as of November 2026. #### Is Boring Notch still updated in 2026? Yes, through release candidates. Boring Notch’s last stable release was 2.7.3 on November 24, 2025, and 2.8-rc.2 shipped on October 10, 2026. Its GitHub repository was still active in November 2026. --- ## NotchOwl vs Notchable: Two ADHD Task Managers in the Notch > Notchable ($9.99 Lite, $19.99 Standard) sorts each capture with AI. NotchOwl ($9 for 3 Macs) adds a Week view, a daily notepad, Clips and an MCP server. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/notchowl-vs-notchable Notchable and NotchOwl are the two closest apps in the Mac notch category. Notchable calls itself “the ADHD task manager that lives in your MacBook notch.” NotchOwl is a daily planner in the notch for people who lose track of tasks hidden in other windows, including people with ADHD. Both capture tasks by typing or speaking, both run a focus timer in the notch, both show live activities, both have weekly Insights with peak hours, and both sync two-way with Apple Reminders. The differences are in the details: how a capture gets sorted, what you pay, and what each app does beyond the core. I make NotchOwl, so I’m not neutral; I’ve stuck to what each app states publicly and tried to say plainly where Notchable is ahead. Notchable details come from notchable.com (Notchable 2.1), and NotchOwl’s from its own site and documentation (NotchOwl 2.2.2), both checked in November 2026. ### The short verdict Choose Notchable if you want AI to sort each capture into a date, priority, category and effort estimate, you have an Intel Mac (Standard edition), you want the interface in a language other than English, or you want a free trial before paying. Choose NotchOwl if you want a planner that goes past capture: a Week view with an Inbox, carry-forward, a notepad for each day, Clips for screenshots, a drawn notch on external monitors and a local MCP server so Claude can manage your tasks, for $9 once on up to 3 Macs. If fast, AI-sorted capture matters most, start with Notchable’s trial. If planning the week and AI agents matter most, start with NotchOwl. > Notchable and NotchOwl are both one-time-purchase task managers for the MacBook notch with voice capture, a focus timer and two-way Apple Reminders sync; Notchable sorts captures with AI, and NotchOwl adds a Week view, a daily notepad, Clips and a local MCP server. ### Where Notchable and NotchOwl are the same Most of the core is shared, and it’s worth saying so before the differences: - **Mac only, no subscription.** Both are one-time purchases for macOS 14 Sonoma or later. - **Capture from the notch.** Hover the notch, then type or speak. In both apps, speech is recognized on your Mac. - **Brain dumps.** Notchable turns a brain dump with several items into several tasks. NotchOwl splits a line like “call mom tomorrow at 5pm, gym at 7” into two tasks, each with its own day and reminder. - **A focus timer in the notch.** Notchable has a watch-style Focus and Pomodoro dial. NotchOwl runs a countdown or a stopwatch, on a task or on its own. Both let you add five minutes. - **Live activities.** The notch changes shape when a reminder comes due in both apps. - **Insights.** Both give a plain-language summary of your week and show your peak hours. - **iPhone and Apple Watch through Reminders.** Neither has an iPhone app. Both offer two-way Apple Reminders sync, so tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud. - **Local data.** Both store tasks on your Mac. - **A full window too.** Notchable has a desktop app with Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Projects, Completed and Notes views. NotchOwl can open a full dashboard. ### Notchable vs NotchOwl at a glance Table: Notchable and NotchOwl compared on price, requirements and features, November 2026 | | NotchOwl | Notchable | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $9 once (early-bird, normally $29) | Lite $9.99 once; Standard $19.99 once (shown as discounted from $40) | | Macs per license | Up to 3 | Not stated on notchable.com | | Trial | None; 14-day money-back guarantee | 3 days, every feature, no account | | Mac requirements | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 14 or later; Standard on Intel or Apple silicon; Lite on Apple silicon, 16 GB memory recommended | | How captures are sorted | Rules on your Mac read the day, time, repeat, priority and project; on macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s on-device model adds a priority and project | AI sorts the date, priority, category and effort; Standard uses Grok 4.1 Fast on Notchable’s server, Lite an on-device Qwen3 1.7B model | | Voice capture | Yes, recognized on your Mac | Yes, recognized on your Mac | | Focus timer | Countdown or stopwatch | Watch-style Focus/Pomodoro dial | | Live activities | Due reminders and upcoming Calendar events; a running focus timer stays visible in the notch | Running focus session, due reminder, next event | | Insights | Weekly summary, peak hours, focus time | Weekly summary, peak hours, consistency grid | | Apple Reminders sync | Two-way, optional | Two-way, one toggle | | Notes | Autosaving notepad for each day; Command–Return makes a task | Quick notes beside tasks, in the notch and on the desktop | | Planning views | Today, future days, Week with an Inbox, Upcoming, Overdue, projects, History | Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Projects, Completed | | Calendar | Optional, read-only, today’s events | Next event in live activities; Calendar access not detailed | | Screenshots and copied items | Clips | Not mentioned | | External monitors | Draws a notch on each monitor | Not stated; on a Mac without a notch, it draws a small tab at the top center | | AI agents (MCP) | Local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor | Not mentioned | | Interface languages | English | 25 languages | ### The biggest differences #### How a capture gets sorted Notchable puts AI at the center of capture. Hover the notch, type or speak, and Notchable sorts each capture into a date, priority, category and effort estimate in about two seconds. The edition decides where that AI runs. Notchable Standard sends the capture text to Notchable’s server, where Grok 4.1 Fast sorts it; Notchable’s site says the text is processed and then discarded, not stored. Notchable Lite runs a Qwen3 1.7B model on your Mac instead, a one-time download of about 1 GB, and recommends 16 GB of memory. NotchOwl reads captures with rules that run on your Mac. Type or say “call mom tomorrow at 5pm !high #family” and NotchOwl plans it for tomorrow, sets a 5 PM reminder, marks it high priority and files it under the family project; phrases like “every monday” set a repeat. On macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s on-device model also gives new tasks a priority and project when you didn’t type one. NotchOwl doesn’t estimate effort for you, though you can give any task a time limit. The trade-off is plain. Notchable’s AI does more of the sorting, which helps if your captures are messy thoughts rather than tidy commands. NotchOwl’s capture is more literal and predictable, and the sorting happens on your Mac. Notchable Lite also keeps sorting on the Mac, at the cost of a 1 GB model and a memory recommendation. #### Price, editions and trial Notchable sells two one-time editions, Lite at $9.99 and Standard at $19.99, as of November 2026. The editions differ in where the AI runs and which Macs they support. Notchable offers a 3-day free trial with every feature and no account. Its homepage doesn’t state how many Macs a license covers. NotchOwl has one edition: $9 once, shown as an early-bird price (normally $29), for up to 3 Macs, with every feature and lifetime updates. Notchable Standard is likewise shown as discounted, from $40. NotchOwl has no trial; the installer is free to download but needs a license to run, and a 14-day money-back guarantee covers you if it isn’t right. [See NotchOwl’s pricing](/#pricing). #### Planning beyond today NotchOwl leans further into planning across days. Week shows the days ahead beside an Inbox for tasks without a day, and you drag a task to any day or back to the Inbox. Unfinished tasks carry forward, overdue tasks get their own tab with Reschedule, repeating tasks bring the next copy when you finish the current one, and deadlines sync with Reminders. Notchable’s desktop app covers Today, Upcoming, Inbox, Projects and Completed views. Notchable’s site focuses on capture, the focus dial and live activities rather than a week board in the notch. #### Notes Both apps keep notes next to tasks. Notchable has quick notes in the notch and on the desktop, plus a Notes view in its desktop app. NotchOwl has one autosaving notepad for each day, inside the notch, with dictation; Command–Return turns the current line into a task. If you think in running notes and pull tasks out of them, NotchOwl’s notepad is built for that. #### AI agents and MCP This is the clearest gap. NotchOwl includes a local MCP server: in Settings › AI agents, click Connect next to Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor, and the AI can add, move, complete and snooze tasks, set reminders, write in the notepad, read Insights and run the focus timer on your Mac. Notchable’s website doesn’t mention MCP or AI agents as of November 2026. If you already plan your day with Claude, read [how to connect Claude to your Mac to-do list](/blog/claude-mcp-to-do-list-mac). #### External monitors and Macs without a notch NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of each external monitor, follows your pointer between screens and steps aside when an app goes full screen. On a Mac without a notch, NotchOwl opens at the top center of the screen. Notchable’s FAQ says that on a Mac without a physical notch it draws a small black tab at the top center of the screen that works the same way, but it doesn’t say more about external monitors, so check during its 3-day trial if you work on a monitor. The NotchOwl side is explained in [how to get a notch on an external monitor](/blog/notch-on-external-monitor). #### Languages and Intel Macs Notchable lists 25 interface languages and says it understands dates and times in any language. NotchOwl’s interface is in English. Notchable Standard also runs on Intel Macs, which NotchOwl does not. ### Where Notchable is better - **AI sorting.** Each capture gets a date, priority, category and effort estimate, which suits messy brain dumps. - **A choice of AI.** Cloud sorting in Standard or on-device sorting in Lite. - **Intel Macs.** Notchable Standard runs on them. - **Languages.** 25 interface languages, and dates understood in any language. - **A free trial.** Three days with every feature and no account. - **Insights extras.** A consistency grid alongside the weekly summary and peak hours. ### Where NotchOwl is better - **Price for more Macs.** $9 once covers up to 3 Macs and every feature. - **Planning across days.** Week with an Inbox, carry-forward, an Overdue tab with Reschedule, repeats and deadlines. - **A notepad for each day.** It saves itself, takes dictation and turns lines into tasks. - **AI agents.** A local MCP server for Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor. - **External monitors, spelled out.** NotchOwl draws a notch on every monitor and follows your pointer between screens; Notchable’s site doesn’t say how it handles external monitors. - **Clips.** New screenshots, screen recordings and copied items hang in the notch, ready to drag into any app. - **Capture stays local.** NotchOwl reads every capture on your Mac; Notchable Lite matches this, Standard does not. ### Can you use both? You could, but most people shouldn’t. Notchable and NotchOwl do the same core job from the same spot at the top of the screen, and running two task managers in one notch means two places to check. Pick one. Notchable’s 3-day trial and NotchOwl’s 14-day money-back guarantee both give you room to decide. Notchable and NotchOwl are not the only notch apps with tasks, either. NotchNook has to-dos too, and NotchNook Pro 2.0 added a Pomodoro timer in October 2026, compared in [NotchOwl vs NotchNook](/blog/notchowl-vs-notchnook), and [MacNotch](https://setapp.com/apps/macnotch) on Setapp has a task list synced with macOS Reminders. ### Verdict Notchable and NotchOwl are close enough that the details decide it. Notchable is the better pick if you want AI to tidy up messy captures, need Intel support or another language, or want a trial first. NotchOwl is the better pick if you plan your week as well as your day, want a notepad for each day, want documented external-monitor support, or want Claude to manage your tasks, and it costs $9 for up to 3 Macs. Download each app only from its developer: Notchable from [notchable.com](https://notchable.com) and NotchOwl from [notchowl.com](/download). In July 2026, a fake ad on X impersonating another notch app, DynamicLake, spread Mac malware, so official sources matter. ### Frequently asked questions #### What is the difference between Notchable and NotchOwl? Notchable and NotchOwl are both ADHD-friendly task managers in the MacBook notch with voice capture, a focus timer, Insights and two-way Apple Reminders sync. Notchable sorts each capture with AI and comes in Lite ($9.99) and Standard ($19.99) editions; NotchOwl ($9 for up to 3 Macs) adds a Week view with an Inbox, a daily notepad, Clips and a local MCP server. #### Does Notchable send my tasks to the cloud? Only the capture text, and only in the Standard edition. Notchable Standard sends what you type or say to Notchable’s server, where Grok 4.1 Fast sorts it and the text is then discarded; Notchable Lite sorts on your Mac with a Qwen3 1.7B model. Both editions store tasks on your Mac and recognize speech on your Mac. #### Does Notchable work on Intel Macs? Yes, the Standard edition does. Notchable Standard runs on Intel and Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later, while Notchable Lite and NotchOwl need Apple silicon. #### Does Notchable have an MCP server for Claude? Not that its website mentions. As of November 2026, notchable.com does not mention MCP or AI agents. NotchOwl includes a local MCP server that Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor connect to in one click. #### Is Notchable cheaper than NotchOwl? No, but the gap is small. As of November 2026, Notchable Lite costs $9.99 once and Notchable Standard $19.99 once, while NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs. Notchable has a 3-day free trial; NotchOwl has no trial but a 14-day money-back guarantee. #### Do Notchable and NotchOwl have iPhone apps? No. Neither Notchable nor NotchOwl has an iPhone app. Both sync two-way with Apple Reminders, so tasks reach iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud. --- ## NotchOwl vs NotchNook: Which Mac Notch App to Pick in 2026 > NotchNook Pro ($19 lifetime) is the all-in-one notch for music, files and Claude Code approvals. NotchOwl ($9 for 3 Macs) is the deeper daily planner. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/notchowl-vs-notchnook NotchNook and NotchOwl both live in the MacBook notch, and since NotchNook Pro 2.0 shipped on October 28, 2026, both have a to-do list and a Pomodoro timer. That makes the choice less obvious than it was a year ago. The real difference is what each app is built around. NotchNook is a broad notch toolkit for music, files, meetings and AI coding agents. NotchOwl is a daily planner that happens to live in the notch. I make NotchOwl, so I have a stake in this comparison; I’ve tried to be fair about where NotchNook is the better pick. Everything below was compared from NotchNook’s website and NotchOwl’s own documentation in November 2026, and prices are as of November 2026. ### The short verdict Choose NotchOwl if you want the notch to run your day: tasks planned across today and the week ahead, unfinished work carried forward, natural-language and voice capture, two-way Apple Reminders sync to your iPhone and Apple Watch, a daily notepad, Insights and a local MCP server for Claude, for $9 once on up to 3 Macs. Choose NotchNook if you want one notch app that does a bit of everything: music controls, a file tray with AirDrop, clipboard history, calendar join buttons, Claude Code and Codex approvals, and now simple to-dos and Pomodoro in Pro. Choose NotchNook Classic if you have an Intel Mac, because NotchOwl and NotchNook Pro both need Apple silicon. > NotchNook Pro is a $19 lifetime (or $3 a month) all-in-one notch app for music, files, calendar and AI coding agents, while NotchOwl is a $9 one-time notch planner for tasks, focus, notes and Apple Reminders sync on up to 3 Macs. ### NotchOwl vs NotchNook at a glance Table: NotchOwl and NotchNook (Pro and Classic) compared on price, requirements and features, November 2026 | | NotchOwl | NotchNook | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | $9 once (early-bird, normally $29) | Pro $19 lifetime or $3/month; Classic $15 lifetime or $2/month | | Macs per license | Up to 3 | 2 | | Trial and refund | No trial; 14-day money-back guarantee | 48-hour free trial, no card; full refund within 7 days | | Mac requirements | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon | macOS 14.6 or later; Pro needs Apple silicon, Classic also runs on Intel | | Music controls | No | Yes; lyrics in Pro | | File tray and AirDrop | No; Clips holds recent screenshots, recordings and copied items | Yes; Pockets and a file converter in Pro | | Clipboard history | Copied items appear in Clips | Yes, in Pro | | To-dos | Full planner: future days, Week, Inbox, repeats, deadlines, priorities, projects | Yes; listed as Pro-only, though Classic has a simpler to-do widget | | Focus timer | Countdown or stopwatch, on a task or on its own | Pomodoro, listed as Pro-only | | Apple Reminders sync | Two-way, optional | Not mentioned on its site | | Notes | Autosaving daily notepad; Command–Return turns a line into a task | Notes | | Calendar | Optional, read-only, today’s events | Upcoming events with join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex | | Live activities | When a reminder comes due, and just before and as a Calendar event starts | Bluetooth, downloads and more (basic in Classic, all in Pro) | | AI coding agents | Local MCP server: Claude manages your tasks | Follow and approve Claude Code and Codex sessions (Pro) | | External monitors | Draws a notch on each monitor | Works with or without a notch, including external displays | | iPhone and Apple Watch | Through Apple Reminders sync | Not mentioned | ### What each app is built around NotchNook, made by the studio lo.cafe, calls the space under the notch the “Nook”. Both editions have music controls, a calendar, notes, widgets and a Tray where you drop files to keep them close or send them with AirDrop. NotchNook Pro adds Pockets for more files, a converter for MP4, PDF, TXT and more, a searchable clipboard history, song lyrics, a teleprompter called Prompter, all Live Activities, Pomodoro, to-dos, and Claude Code and Codex controls. NotchNook also lists a terminal in the notch. NotchNook is a toolkit: many small tools, each a hover away. NotchOwl is narrower on purpose. Hover the notch or press Option–N, and NotchOwl opens today’s tasks, the focus timer, the daily notepad and today’s calendar events in one place. NotchOwl has no music controls, no file tray with AirDrop and no replacement volume or brightness HUD. What NotchOwl spends its space on is the day itself. ### The biggest differences #### To-dos: a list in NotchNook, a planner in NotchOwl NotchNook Pro 2.0 added to-dos and a Pomodoro timer, and NotchNook’s comparison table lists both as Pro features. Its release notes describe a quick task list in the Nook and a full window with a month calendar and focus timers, and NotchNook Classic 1.6.3 added a simpler to-do widget in September 2026. NotchNook’s website does not mention Apple Reminders sync or carrying tasks over. NotchOwl’s task features are the core of the app: - Plan tasks for today or any future day, and see the days ahead in Week, beside an Inbox for tasks without a day. - Carry unfinished tasks forward instead of losing them. Overdue tasks get their own tab, with Reschedule. - Type tasks the way you’d say them. “Call mom tomorrow at 5pm” gets its day and a reminder, and repeats, priority and projects fill in too. - Dictate tasks into the task composer or the notepad, with speech recognized on your Mac. - Use repeating tasks, deadlines, priorities, projects, steps and notes. - See a live activity when a reminder comes due: the notch opens with a chime, and you can snooze the reminder for 5 minutes or mark it done right there. If your to-do list is three things you jot down while music plays, NotchNook Pro covers it. If you want the notch to hold your whole plan, NotchOwl goes further. #### iPhone and Apple Watch NotchOwl has no iPhone app, and NotchNook’s website doesn’t mention one. NotchOwl’s optional two-way Apple Reminders sync keeps a NotchOwl list in Reminders in step with your tasks, so they reach your iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud, and reminders with a time ring there too. NotchNook’s website does not mention Reminders sync or any way to see its to-dos on an iPhone as of November 2026. #### Music, files and the Tray This is NotchNook’s home ground. NotchNook shows music controls in the notch, keeps dropped files in the Tray and sends them with AirDrop, and Pro adds lyrics, extra Pockets, a file converter and clipboard history. NotchOwl has none of the music features. The closest NotchOwl gets to a shelf is Clips: new screenshots, screen recordings and anything you copy hang on a line in the notch. You can drag a file onto the notch to add it, click a clip to copy it, or drag it into any app. Clips has no AirDrop and no file conversion. If music and file drops are why you want a notch app, pick NotchNook. #### AI: approving Claude Code vs letting Claude run your planner Both apps work with Claude, in different directions. NotchNook Pro follows Claude Code and Codex sessions in the notch, so you can approve commands, answer questions and check an “AI Usage” card for limits and renewal. That suits people who run coding agents and want to answer them without switching to the terminal. NotchOwl includes a local MCP server. In Settings › AI agents, click Connect next to Claude Code, the Claude app or Cursor, and the AI can add, move, complete and snooze tasks, set reminders, write in the notepad, read Insights and run the focus timer. The server runs on your Mac. NotchNook’s agent features are hooks into Claude Code and Codex, not an MCP server that exposes tasks, so the two features don’t overlap. The setup is covered in [how to connect Claude to your Mac to-do list with MCP](/blog/claude-mcp-to-do-list-mac). #### Price and licensing As of November 2026, NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month, and NotchNook Classic costs $15 lifetime or $2 a month. Earlier coverage quoted $25 for a lifetime license, so the price has come down since then. One NotchNook license covers 2 Macs, every feature is free for 48 hours with no card required, and lo.cafe offers a full refund within 7 days. NotchOwl costs $9 once, shown as an early-bird price (normally $29), for up to 3 Macs, with lifetime updates. There is no subscription and no trial: the installer is free to download, but NotchOwl needs a license to run, and a 14-day money-back guarantee covers you if it isn’t right. The details are on the [NotchOwl pricing section](/#pricing). #### Macs and screens NotchNook Pro and NotchOwl both need an Apple silicon Mac, while NotchNook Classic also runs on Intel. NotchNook needs macOS 14.6 or later, and NotchOwl needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Both apps work without a built-in notch. NotchNook says it works “with or without a notch, including external displays,” and you can choose which displays show the Nook. NotchOwl draws a notch at the top of each external monitor, follows your pointer between screens, steps aside when an app goes full screen, and can turn the drawn notch off in Settings › Notch on monitors. On a Mac without a notch, NotchOwl opens at the top center of the screen. More on that in [how to get a notch on an external monitor](/blog/notch-on-external-monitor). ### Where NotchNook is better - **Music.** Controls in the notch, plus lyrics in Pro. - **Files.** A Tray with AirDrop, extra Pockets and a file converter in Pro. - **Clipboard.** A searchable clipboard history in Pro. - **Meetings.** Upcoming events with join buttons for Meet, Zoom, Teams and Webex, and a countdown before meetings. - **Coding agents.** Approving Claude Code and Codex commands and answering their questions from the notch. - **Trying before you pay.** A 48-hour free trial with every feature, and a monthly plan if you’d rather not pay up front. - **Intel Macs.** NotchNook Classic runs on Intel; NotchOwl does not. - **Breadth.** NotchNook covers more jobs in one app, from a teleprompter to a terminal. ### Where NotchOwl is better - **Planning depth.** Future days, Week with an Inbox, carry-forward, an Overdue tab with Reschedule, repeating tasks and deadlines. - **Capture.** Natural-language typing and dictation, with speech recognized on your Mac. - **iPhone and Apple Watch.** Two-way Apple Reminders sync puts tasks and timed reminders on both. - **Notes.** A daily notepad that saves itself, where Command–Return turns a line into a task. - **Insights.** Completed tasks, active focus time, your week against the last one, and your peak hours. - **AI agents.** A local MCP server, so Claude can manage your planner instead of only pinging you. - **Price.** $9 once for 3 Macs, against $19 for 2 Macs for NotchNook Pro. - **External monitors.** A drawn notch on every monitor that follows your pointer and steps aside for full-screen apps. ### Can you use both? Yes, with some care. The two apps do different jobs, so there is a case for NotchNook handling music and files while NotchOwl handles the plan. The catch is space: both open from the same spot at the top of the screen, so on a single notch they compete for the same hover. Both apps let you choose where they appear. NotchNook lets you pick which displays show the Nook, and NotchOwl’s Settings › Show on keeps NotchOwl on your MacBook’s screen or on one monitor. One way to split them is NotchNook on the MacBook and NotchOwl on the external monitor where you plan, with Option–N opening NotchOwl from the keyboard when you need it elsewhere. ### Verdict NotchNook is the stronger all-in-one notch app in 2026, and Pro 2.0’s to-dos and Pomodoro make it good enough for a light task list. NotchOwl is the better choice when the tasks are the point: you plan your day and week, you lose track of tasks hidden in other windows, you want them on your iPhone through Reminders, or you want Claude to manage them. Both are cheap enough that price shouldn’t decide it. What you’ll open the notch for should. Download notch apps only from the developer’s own site or the Mac App Store: NotchNook from [lo.cafe](https://lo.cafe/notchnook) and NotchOwl from [notchowl.com](/download). In July 2026, a fake ad on X impersonating another notch app, DynamicLake, spread Mac malware. For the rest of the field, see [the best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac). ### Frequently asked questions #### Does NotchNook have a to-do list? Yes. NotchNook Classic 1.6.3 added a to-do list widget in September 2026, and NotchNook Pro 2.0, released on October 28, 2026, added to-dos with their own window and a Pomodoro timer; NotchNook’s comparison table lists Pomodoro and To-dos as Pro features. NotchNook’s website does not mention Apple Reminders sync for those to-dos. #### Is NotchNook worth it in 2026? Yes, if you want music controls, a file tray with AirDrop, calendar join buttons and Claude Code approvals in one notch app. NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month as of November 2026, with a 48-hour free trial. If you mainly want to plan tasks, a dedicated notch planner such as NotchOwl goes further for $9 once. #### Is NotchOwl cheaper than NotchNook? Yes. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs, while NotchNook Pro costs $19 lifetime or $3 a month and NotchNook Classic $15 lifetime or $2 a month, each for 2 Macs, as of November 2026. NotchNook has a 48-hour free trial; NotchOwl has no trial but a 14-day money-back guarantee. #### Does NotchOwl have music controls like NotchNook? No. NotchOwl has no music controls, no file tray with AirDrop and no replacement volume or brightness HUD. NotchOwl’s Clips line holds recent screenshots, screen recordings and copied items, which is the closest it gets to NotchNook’s Tray. #### Do NotchNook and NotchOwl work on an external monitor? Yes, both do. NotchNook says it works with or without a notch, including external displays. NotchOwl draws its own notch at the top of each external monitor and follows the pointer between screens. #### Does NotchNook have an MCP server for Claude? Not according to its website. NotchNook Pro hooks into Claude Code and Codex so you can follow sessions and approve commands from the notch. NotchOwl includes a local MCP server that lets Claude Code, the Claude app and Cursor manage your tasks. --- ## What Is the MacBook Notch For? Uses, Fixes and Hiding It > The MacBook notch holds the FaceTime camera and its green light. Why menu bar icons hide behind it, the built-in fixes, how to hide it and how to use the space. By Aditya Jaiswal, founder of NotchOwl. Published 2026-11-08, updated 2026-11-08. Canonical URL: https://www.notchowl.com/blog/what-is-the-macbook-notch-for The notch is the black cutout at the top center of the screen on recent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. It looks like wasted space, and it sometimes swallows your menu bar icons, but it has a job. This guide covers what the notch holds, why icons disappear behind it, the fixes built into macOS, apps that hide it, and apps that put the space to use. ### What the MacBook notch holds The notch is what Apple calls the camera housing. It holds the built-in FaceTime camera and the green indicator light that glows whenever the camera is on. Unlike the notch on older iPhones, the MacBook notch holds no Face ID sensors. You sign in to a Mac with Touch ID or a password. Apple introduced the notch on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in October 2021. Apple’s explanation at the time was that the display grew upward around the camera, the menu bar moved into the new strip beside it, and apps kept a full 16:10 area below. The MacBook Air got the same design with the M2 model in 2022. Table: The camera inside the notch, by MacBook model (from Apple’s technical specifications) | MacBook model | Camera in the notch | | --- | --- | | MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch (2021) | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | | MacBook Air 13-inch with M2 (2022) | 1080p FaceTime HD camera | | MacBook Pro 14-inch with M4 (2024) | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View | | MacBook Air 13-inch with M4 (2025) | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View | | Current MacBook Pro with Liquid Retina XDR (M6, M5 Pro, M5 Max) and MacBook Air (M5) | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View | One new model breaks the pattern. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, on sale since November 6, 2026, has Apple’s Dynamic Island at the top of the screen in place of a notch. [Dynamic Island for Mac](/blog/dynamic-island-for-mac) explains what it does and what other Macs get. ### Why menu bar icons hide behind the notch The menu bar runs along both sides of the camera: the current app’s menus on the left, status icons such as Wi-Fi, battery and third-party apps on the right. macOS does not wrap or scroll the menu bar. When an app has many menus, or you have many status icons, the items that would reach the middle are drawn under the camera, where you can’t see or click them. Apple’s own support article acknowledges that menu bar items can end up behind the camera housing. The fixes below range from one checkbox to a dedicated app. ### Built-in ways to fix it #### Scale an app to fit below the camera For an app whose menus run under the notch, macOS has a per-app setting. Apple’s steps: 1. Quit the app. 2. In Finder, click Applications in the sidebar and select the app. 3. Choose File › Get Info, or press Command-I. 4. Select **Scale to fit below built-in camera**. The app then uses only the area below the camera, and other open apps that share that space move below it too until you quit the scaled app. The checkbox appears only for apps that need it: once a developer updates an app for the notch, the option disappears from Get Info. #### Turn off icons you don’t need On macOS 26 Tahoe and later, open System Settings › Menu Bar. Under **Allow in the Menu Bar**, switch off third-party apps whose icons you rarely use. Under **Menu Bar Controls**, choose which system items appear. Fewer icons means fewer of them pushed under the camera. #### Move the important icons to the right Hold Command and drag a menu bar icon to move it. Status icons fill in from the right edge, so the ones nearest the notch are the first to disappear. Put the icons you use most at the far right. ### Menu bar managers for hidden icons - **Bartender** by Applause Group collapses icons you don’t need into a hidden section. Bartender’s “Beat the notch” feature hides items that would otherwise land behind the notch and brings them back with a click or a hotkey. Bartender 7 is built for macOS 27, Bartender 6 covers macOS 26, and there is a 4-week trial: [macbartender.com](https://www.macbartender.com). - **Hidden Bar** is free and open source (MIT). Hidden Bar puts an arrow in the menu bar that hides the icons to its left; version 1.11.1 shipped in September 2026 and needs macOS 13 or later. Get it from [GitHub](https://github.com/dwarvesf/hidden) or Homebrew, since the Mac App Store copy is older. - **Ice** is a popular free, open-source manager (GPL-3.0), but its last stable release, 0.11.12, is from October 2024. Check that Ice works on your macOS version before relying on it: [github.com/jordanbaird/Ice](https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice). ### How to hide the MacBook notch If the notch bothers you visually, TopNotch hides it. TopNotch, a free app from MTW, the team behind CleanShot, turns the menu bar black so the notch blends into it. TopNotch runs in the background, follows wallpaper changes, supports Dynamic Desktop wallpapers and works across multiple displays and Spaces, on macOS 11 or later: [topnotch.app](https://topnotch.app). TopNotch is cosmetic only. Menu bar items still disappear behind the camera, so pair it with one of the fixes above if icons are the real problem. ### How to use the notch on a Mac Instead of hiding the notch, notch apps put a panel behind it that opens when you hover over it. The panel can hold music controls, a file tray, a calendar or a to-do list, and it grows into a small alert when something happens. I make NotchOwl, one of these apps. NotchOwl puts today’s tasks, a focus timer, a daily notepad and today’s Calendar events behind the notch, and opens it with a chime when a task’s reminder comes due. A running focus timer sits beside the notch as a small pill, so the space shows something useful even when NotchOwl is closed. NotchOwl costs $9 once for up to 3 Macs and needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later; you can [download it here](/download). NotchOwl has no music controls or file shelf, though. For media and file drops, NotchNook, Boring Notch (free and open source) and Droppy are better fits. [The best notch apps for Mac](/blog/best-notch-apps-for-mac) compares ten of them by price and purpose. No notch at all? Some of these apps also work on external displays; see [how to get a notch on an external monitor](/blog/notch-on-external-monitor). > The MacBook notch is the camera housing: it holds the FaceTime camera and its green indicator light, and the menu bar runs around it on both sides. ### Frequently asked questions #### Why does my MacBook have a notch? The notch holds the built-in FaceTime camera. Apple grew the display up around the camera in 2021 so the menu bar could move into the strip beside it, leaving a full 16:10 area below for apps. #### Does the MacBook notch have Face ID? No. The MacBook notch holds the camera and the green light that shows when the camera is on, not Face ID sensors. You sign in to a Mac with Touch ID or a password. #### How do I see menu bar icons hidden behind the notch? Turn off icons you don’t need in System Settings › Menu Bar (macOS 26 and later), Command-drag the icons you use most to the far right, or use a menu bar manager such as Bartender or Hidden Bar. #### Can you hide the notch on a MacBook? Yes, visually. TopNotch, a free app from the team behind CleanShot, turns the menu bar black so the notch blends into it. For a single app, the Get Info option Scale to fit below built-in camera keeps that app below the camera. #### Which MacBooks have a notch? The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro from 2021 on, and the MacBook Air from the M2 model (2022) on. The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, released in November 2026, has Apple’s Dynamic Island instead.