What to Do With the MacBook Notch: 11 Apps That Actually Use It
The MacBook Pro notch is wasted space for most people. Here are 11 apps that turn it into a feature: timers, pets, clipboard, audio meters, and more.
The MacBook Pro notch is wasted space by default. The best apps that actually use it: NotchNook (Dynamic Island clone), Dockling (pixel pet + Pomodoro timer), MediaMate (music + AirPods), and Boring Notch (free, open-source). See Dockling →
Apple put a black rectangle in the middle of every modern MacBook Pro and gave third-party developers the entire job of figuring out what to do with it. Four years in, the answer is no longer “hide it.” The notch is now real estate, and a small ecosystem of apps has emerged to use it.
This guide covers what the notch actually is, why apps targeting it became a category, and 11 apps that use the notch productively, with our pick at each price point.
What is the MacBook Pro notch?
The notch is the small black rectangle at the top-center of the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro (2021+) and the 13" and 15" MacBook Air (2022+). It houses the 1080p FaceTime HD camera and the ambient light sensor. Apple removed the bezel and pushed the menu bar around the camera so you'd get more vertical space, but the notch itself is just a hole in the display.
Apple does not use the notch for any UI of its own. The space is reserved for the camera. That left a gap that third-party developers have spent four years filling.
Why notch apps became a category
When the iPhone X launched in 2017, the notch was eventually repurposed into Dynamic Island, Apple's 2022 redesign that turned a hardware compromise into an interaction surface. Mac users saw Dynamic Island and asked the obvious question: why doesn't my $2,500 laptop have this?
Apple has not shipped a Mac equivalent. Third-party developers did.
11 apps that actually use the MacBook notch
1. NotchNook: best Dynamic Island clone ($25 once)
NotchNook is the most polished “Dynamic Island for Mac” implementation. Hover the notch and it expands into a tray with AirDrop file drops, a music player, recent files, and battery stats for connected accessories. It's closer to Apple's own design language than anything else on this list. Lifetime license at $25 is fair for what it does.
2. Dockling: pixel pet + Pomodoro inside the notch ($2.99 once)
Dockling lets you place a pixel pet directly inside the notch. It walks during your focus sessions and curls up to sleep on your break. It's the only notch app that turns the dead space into a focus-tracker. The pet is generated from your own photo, so no two installs look the same. $2.99 once. Get Dockling →
3. MediaMate: best for music ($4.99 once)
MediaMate hijacks the notch to show now-playing info from any source: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube in a browser tab. The animations are tasteful, the integration is seamless, and on a 14" MacBook Pro it genuinely improves the music experience. Pair with NotchNook if you can afford both.
4. Boring Notch: best free option (open source)
The community-driven free alternative to NotchNook. Music, AirDrop previews, calendar peek. It's rougher than the paid options and the codebase is being rewritten frequently, but for $0 it's remarkable.
5. TopNotch: hide the notch ($0)
TopNotch uses a black wallpaper trick to make the notch visually disappear. If you hate the notch and want to pretend it's not there, this is the cleanest way to do it. We'd argue you're wasting good real estate, but the option exists.
6. Bartender 5: notch-aware menu bar manager ($16)
Bartender doesn't live in the notch but it solves a related problem: the notch eats menu bar space, and most menu bar apps now get hidden behind it. Bartender 5 is the gold-standard fix: configurable hidden/shown menu bar items, with notch-aware overflow behavior.
7. iStat Menus: system stats overflow ($12.99)
iStat Menus is the de-facto Mac system monitor: CPU, RAM, network, temperature in the menu bar. The 7.x release added notch-aware layout so your stats don't get clipped on 14" MacBooks. Essential if you do anything CPU-intensive.
8. Latest: calendar in the notch (free)
Latest tucks your next calendar event into the notch area with a small countdown. It's the cleanest way to stop missing meetings without dedicating an entire menu bar slot.
9. Alcove: minimal Dynamic Island ($5/mo)
Alcove is NotchNook's smaller, simpler cousin. Less feature surface, cleaner aesthetic. The subscription pricing is the downside: $5/month is steep for a notch widget when NotchNook is $25 once.
10. Notchmeister: silly notch effects (free)
Made by Panic, Notchmeister adds googly eyes, spotlights, and other gags to the notch. It's not productive and it's not meant to be. Install it once, laugh, share it with a coworker, uninstall it.
11. Dockling: yes, again, but for a different reason
Worth mentioning twice: Dockling is the only app on this list that treats the notch as part of an emotional system, not just a widget tray. The pet living inside the notch reacts to your state: focus, break, idle, working late. It's a different category than “Mac Dynamic Island,” and the people who like it really like it.
MacBook notch app comparison
| App | Price | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchNook | $25 once | Dynamic Island clone | Most polished general-purpose pick |
| Dockling | $2.99 once | Pixel pet + Pomodoro | Focus + personality |
| MediaMate | $4.99 once | Music in the notch | Music lovers |
| Boring Notch | Free | Open-source Dynamic Island | Free option |
| Alcove | $5/mo | Minimal Dynamic Island | If subscription is fine |
| TopNotch | Free | Hides the notch | Notch haters |
| Notchmeister | Free | Silly gags | Five-minute laugh |
How to pick the right notch app
Three quick questions:
Do you want widgets or personality?
NotchNook, MediaMate, Boring Notch are widget plays. Dockling is a personality play. Most people want one of each: a widget app (notifications, music) plus something with character (pet). Dockling stays out of NotchNook's way because the pet sits slightly below the notch line.
Are you willing to pay once or only subscribe?
Subscriptions for a notch widget (Alcove's $5/mo) is aggressive pricing for a small feature. We'd pay once for NotchNook + Dockling and skip subscription notch apps entirely.
Do you spend most of your time on a 14" or external display?
On an external display the notch is invisible. Your menu bar is on the external monitor. Notch apps that tie features to the notch itself (Alcove, MediaMate) become useless when you plug in a monitor. Dockling works on either because the pet can move to dock or menu bar when the notch isn't available.
FAQ
Why does the MacBook have a notch?
The notch exists because Apple wanted to shrink the top bezel without removing the FaceTime HD camera. The result is more vertical screen space at the cost of a small black rectangle in the menu bar. Net positive on usable display area, but aesthetically divisive.
Can I disable the notch?
You can't disable it physically. It's a hole in the display. You can hide it visually with TopNotch or by using a black wallpaper that makes the menu bar blend in.
Is there an Apple-made app for the notch?
No. Apple has not shipped a first-party notch widget system on macOS. All notch apps are third-party.
Does the notch work like Dynamic Island on iPhone?
Not by default. With third-party apps like NotchNook, Boring Notch, or MediaMate installed, you get a passable Dynamic Island experience. Apple has not announced first-party plans to bring Dynamic Island to macOS.
Will the notch ever go away?
Long-term, yes. Apple is widely reported to be working on under-display cameras for the iPhone, and the Mac will follow. Short-term, the notch is here for at least the next 2-3 MacBook Pro generations. Pick apps that use it well now.
Get a pixel pet that lives in your dock.
Pomodoro timer, focus streaks, and a tiny friend generated from your photo. Native macOS, $2.99 one-time.