NotchDude
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NotchDude vs NotchNook: which notch app is right for you?
NotchNook is the best-known notch app on the Mac. NotchDude is the one I build. They both turn the MacBook notch into a hub you open with a hover, but they're built around different ideas. This page lays out the differences plainly, including where NotchNook is the better pick.
Disclosure: I make NotchDude. NotchNook details come from its listing and published reviews such as MacStories, as of October 2026. If anything here is out of date, email me and I'll correct it.
The short version
- Pick NotchNook if you want the most established app, Shortcuts and a to-do widget, custom GIFs and gestures, Setapp access, or a licence for up to 5 Macs.
- Pick NotchDude if you want the notch to replace your clipboard manager, Pomodoro timer, quick notes, and teleprompter, or if you use Claude Code or Codex and want your usage limits in view. It also has a free plan that never expires.
Side by side
| NotchDude | NotchNook | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan; Pro $6.99 one-time | ~$25 one-time or $3/month |
| Free option | Free plan, no time limit | Trial only |
| Trial | 48 hours of every Pro feature, no card | Free trial |
| Macs per licence | 3 | 5 (one-time) or 2 (monthly) |
| Music controls | Spotify, Apple Music | Yes |
| File shelf + AirDrop | Yes, with Quick Look and quick actions | Yes |
| Calendar | Month view, day agenda, one-click Join | Yes |
| Chat messages | WhatsApp, Slack, Teams (Pro) | — |
| Webcam mirror | Yes | Yes |
| Clipboard history | Searchable, pinnable | — |
| Timer | Pomodoro with breaks | Timer |
| Notes / to-do | Notes and bookmarks | To-do |
| Teleprompter | Yes | — |
| Claude Code / Codex limits | Yes, with live agent sessions | — |
| Shortcuts widget | — | Yes |
| Custom GIFs, gestures | — | Yes |
| Non-notch and external displays | Floating island; every display with Pro | Hover handle |
| Accounts | None | Not stated |
| Requirements | macOS 14+, Apple silicon | macOS 14.6+ (per MacUpdate) |
| Where to buy | notchdude.com | Developer site, Setapp |
Different ideas of what the notch is for
NotchNook treats the notch as a Dynamic Island: a lively, customisable space with live activities, gestures, and personality. You can make it yours with GIFs and widgets.
NotchDude treats the notch as a drawer of small utilities you'd otherwise keep as separate apps: a clipboard manager, a Pomodoro timer, a notes app, a teleprompter, and an AI usage checker. It's deliberately quiet. It opens on hover, gets out of the way, and respects Reduce Motion.
Where NotchNook wins
- Maturity and community. It's been around longer and more people use it.
- Customisation. Custom GIFs, gestures, and a Shortcuts widget for running automations from the notch.
- More Macs per licence, 5 instead of 3, and it's available through Setapp if you already subscribe.
- Intel Macs. NotchDude needs Apple silicon.
Where NotchDude wins
- Clipboard history you can search and pin, kept on your Mac.
- A real Pomodoro timer with breaks, a completion sound, and a daily count.
- Teleprompter under the camera, for calls and recordings. See the teleprompter guide.
- AI Usage for Claude Code and Codex: 5-hour and weekly limits with reset countdowns, plus which project each agent is working on and when it's waiting for you. See how it works.
- A Home you arrange yourself: live tiles you drag, resize, and swap, like your phone's Home Screen. Drag the open notch bigger and the tiles grow with it.
- Messages: new WhatsApp, Slack, and Teams messages in the notch, read from your Mac's own notification record.
- A month calendar beside your day's events, with one-click Join for Zoom, Meet, and Teams calls.
- Small tools built in: Keep Mac Awake, sound output switching, and File Shelf quick actions that zip files, convert images, copy text from images and PDFs, and cut out a photo's subject.
- A free plan that never expires, and a lower one-time price for Pro.
- Built to stay out of the way. Native Swift on public Apple frameworks, keyboard shortcuts (⌘1–9) for every widget, VoiceOver labels, and Reduce Motion support.
Privacy
NotchDude has no accounts. Clipboard history, notes, bookmarks, teleprompter scripts, and shelf files stay on your Mac, and AI Usage reads only token counts, limits, and project folder names, never prompts or code. The app sends a few anonymous usage events, which you can turn off in Settings › Privacy. The privacy policy lists every network request.
Switching from NotchNook
- Quit NotchNook and remove it from System Settings › General › Login Items, so the two apps don't overlap.
- Download NotchDude and drag it to Applications.
- Hover the notch. Grant music, calendar, or camera access only for the widgets you use.
- Use the 48-hour Pro trial to try clipboard history, the teleprompter, and AI Usage before you decide.
FAQ
Is NotchDude cheaper than NotchNook?
Yes. NotchDude Pro is $6.99 one-time for up to 3 Macs, and it has a free plan that never expires. NotchNook is about $25 one-time for up to 5 Macs or $3 per month, after a free trial.
Which is better for developers?
NotchDude. It shows Claude Code and Codex usage limits, reset countdowns, and token totals in the notch, and it includes a searchable clipboard history. NotchNook has neither.
Which has more widgets?
They overlap a lot. NotchNook adds Shortcuts, a to-do list, custom GIFs, and gestures. NotchDude adds clipboard history, a Pomodoro timer, notes, bookmarks, a teleprompter, and AI usage.
Can I run both?
It's not recommended. Both draw over the same area at the top of the screen and will overlap. Quit one and remove it from Login Items before trying the other.
See for yourself
Download NotchDude free. Every Pro feature is unlocked for 48 hours, with no card or account.
macOS 14+ · Apple silicon