Side by side
Crowny’s column is ours. NotchNook’s column comes from its own pages (sources below), checked on 1 October 2026. A dash means the source does not mention it, not that the app lacks it.
| Feature | Crowny | NotchNook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5 one-time (list $15) | $25 one-time or $3/month |
| How you pay | Pay once, 14-day refund, every version 1 update | One-time (5 Macs) or subscription (2 Macs), 15-day refund |
| Open source | No | No (the developer says it will probably go open source) |
| macOS | 15+, Apple Silicon | 14.6+ |
| Latest version | 0.1.0 | 1.5.5 (as listed in May 2026) |
| AI coding agent sessions | YesClaude Code, Codex, Grok | — (not listed) |
| Approve agent prompts in the notch | YesClaude Code; Codex shows when it waits | — (not listed) |
| AI plan usage limits | YesClaude 5-hour and weekly | — (not listed) |
| Music / now playing | YesSpotify, Apple Music, YouTube | YesWith artwork and a waveform |
| Calendar | YesGoogle, iCloud, Outlook | Yes |
| Meetings | YesOne-tap Join | — (not listed) |
| File shelf | Yes | YesFile tray with AirDrop |
| Clipboard history | Yes | — (not listed) |
| Timers / focus | YesFocus, timer, stopwatch, alarms | — (not listed) |
| Games | YesSnake, Tetris, 2048, Flappy | — (not listed) |
| Weather | Yes | — (not listed) |
| Volume / brightness HUD | No | — (not listed) |
| Works without a notch | YesA pill under the menu bar | Yes“A nice handler with the exact same functions” |
| Also | Reminders, notes, GitHub graph, Gmail and Apple Mail, pinned sites; Water, stand and eye-break nudges, held during focus; AirPods and Mac battery; Always on or Minimal mode; Colourful or Black & white; About 0.1% CPU at rest | Mirror (camera preview); Shortcuts launcher; Multiple monitors |
| Privacy | No account, no analytics; your data stays on the Mac | — |
Who should pick which
Pick NotchNook if
- You already own a NotchNook lifetime licence and it still works for you.
- You use the mirror (camera preview) or the shortcuts widget every day. Crowny has neither.
- You run an Intel Mac or macOS 14. Crowny needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15.
- You want a licence that covers five Macs. Crowny’s licence is one Mac.
Pick Crowny if
- You run Claude Code, Codex or Grok and want each session in the notch, with Claude Code’s permission prompts answered right there.
- You want your Claude 5-hour and weekly limits one glance up.
- Your next meeting with a Join button, a focus timer that holds nudges, clipboard history and a few games, all in the one panel.
- You want to pay once, without an account.
Why people switch to Crowny
Most people who look for a NotchNook alternative in 2026 are asking a practical question: can I buy it, and will my licence keep working? The developer’s own notice says some customers lost access and that they will restore it as soon as they can. We hope they do. In the meantime, it is reasonable to want a notch app you can buy and activate today.
The second reason is fit. NotchNook is a set of general widgets around the notch. Crowny started from one problem: a coding agent waiting in a terminal you cannot see. Every Claude Code, Codex and Grok session gets a face in the notch, Claude Code’s questions drop down with Approve and Deny, and the notch tells you when a session finishes. The everyday parts (music, the next meeting, timers, the shelf, clipboard history, weather) sit around that.
Both apps keep a file shelf and now-playing controls, so you do not lose those by switching.
Pricing
NotchNook was listed at $25 one-time for five Macs, or $3 a month for two, with a 15-day refund. Crowny is $5 once for one Mac (list price $15), with every version 1 update and a 14-day refund. Over two years the NotchNook subscription comes to $72; the one-time licences are $25 and $5.
Crowny’s licence and what it includes are on the pricing page. Already have it? Download Crowny.
Questions
Is NotchNook still available?
As of 1 October 2026, the developer’s site lo.cafe says some customers lost access to NotchNook, that access will be restored as soon as possible, and points to a new app called NOOTCH. notchnook.com shows a “coming soon” page and the old product page no longer loads. Check lo.cafe for the latest.
Does Crowny have a file shelf like NotchNook’s tray?
Yes. Drag files onto the notch and drag them out where you need them.
Does Crowny have a mirror like NotchNook?
No. Crowny has no camera preview. If you use NotchNook’s mirror often, that is a real reason to stay.
Can I approve Claude Code prompts from the notch with Crowny?
Yes. Turn on the Claude Code hook in Crowny’s setup, and when Claude Code asks to run a command, the question appears in the notch with Approve and Deny.
Sources
Checked on 1 October 2026. Apps change; if something here is out of date, write to us and we will fix it.
- lo.cafe/notchnook (archived 25 May 2026)
- lo.cafe (the developer’s notice)
- notchnook.com
- MacStories review, Aug 2024 (third-party)
NotchNook, Boring Notch, Alcove, DynamicLake, MediaMate, Atoll, Droppy, AgentNotch, TopNotch and the other names here belong to their owners. Crowny is not affiliated with any of them.