NotchPad| Your main job | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Write notes and recover copied text | NotchPad | Rich notes, clipboard history, snippets, window stickies, and AI connections |
| Follow speech from a call or video | NotchLive | Live captions and transcripts; Pro adds Voice Notes |
| Widgets and a file shelf | NotchNook | A broader notch utility; check current availability and license support |
| Music and general notch utilities, with source access | Boring Notch | Open-source music controls, calendar integration, and file shelf |
| Switch windows and see notifications | Peninsula by celve | Window switching, notifications, and file storage |
| Make the notch blend into the menu bar | TopNotch | A visual treatment for the menu bar rather than a notes panel |
NotchPad: notes and clipboard history you keep reaching for
NotchPad opens from the notch or with double Control. Write a note, find an earlier copy, or copy a named snippet, then return to your app. Rich notes support images, tables, checklists, and text styling. Folders keep projects separate.
Its newer features let notes live beside the work. Window stickies attach to a window, a supported browser page or Figma file, or an app. AI Connections let Claude or Codex read shared notes and save editable work here. These are useful if your problem is keeping information close, rather than controlling music.
Try every feature for 14 days. No card needed and no automatic charge. After the trial, your saved content remains readable, copyable and exportable; the Welcome Note stays editable. Pro is $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs. Keep creating and editing notes, capturing clipboard history, saving snippets and using every feature. No subscription. The current download is for Apple silicon Macs on macOS 15 or later, with or without a physical notch. Built-in AI editing needs macOS 26 or later and Apple Intelligence.
Apple silicon Mac · macOS 15+ · No notch required. 14-day free trial. Pro is $9.99 once for up to 3 Macs.
For dictating text into your own notes, NotchPad 1.9.3 includes on-device dictation in its trial and Pro. No NotchLive license is needed.
NotchLive: speech you want to follow or keep
NotchLive is our separate app for live captions from Mac audio or your microphone. Choose it when you need to follow a call, video, or lecture. Pro adds saved meetings and Voice Notes; dictated text can be sent to NotchPad. It is not included in a NotchPad Pro license. See NotchLive’s current features and requirements.
NotchNook: a broader utility panel
NotchNook’s product page describes widgets, live actions, and a file shelf, including use on notchless screens and multiple monitors. That is a different starting point from a notes and clipboard app. Its current official site is getnotchnook.com. The developer’s terms explain that licenses from the previous store do not activate automatically in the current app, so existing customers should review the support options before buying again. Check NotchNook.
Boring Notch: music controls and an open-source project
Boring Notch’s repository describes music controls, a visualizer, calendar integration, a file shelf with AirDrop, and system HUD replacements. Its source is public. Choose it if those utilities matter most and you are comfortable following the project’s current installation guidance. Read the official README and releases.
Peninsula: window switching and notifications
The celve/Peninsula project focuses on switching windows, notifications, and file storage. It asks for Accessibility permission for app and window information. This is the GitHub project linked here; other products use the Peninsula name, so check the developer before assuming they are the same app. See the project.
TopNotch: change the appearance, not the workflow
TopNotch darkens the menu bar area so the notch blends into it. Choose it if the shape bothers you and you do not need a new panel for notes, clipboard history, or media controls. See TopNotch.
Four checks before you install
- Mac and OS: check the actual download requirements, including Apple silicon or Intel support.
- Your main task: notes, captions, music, and file shelves are different jobs. Avoid choosing on the longest feature list alone.
- Permissions: understand why an app needs Accessibility, microphone, or screen-recording access.
- Two apps at the top: try your usual hover and keyboard workflows if you run more than one notch utility. NotchPad and NotchLive include a sibling-app selector when both are installed.