Side by side
Crowny’s column is ours. NotchNook’s column comes from its own pages (sources below), checked on 9 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 lifetime or $3/month (relaunch price $15 or $2/month until 13 Oct 2026) |
| How you pay | Pay once, 14-day refund, every version 1 update | Lifetime or monthly subscription, free trial, 7-day refund |
| Open source | No | No (the developer says it will probably go open source) |
| macOS | 15+, Apple Silicon | 14.6+, Apple Silicon or Intel |
| Latest version | 0.1.0 | Relaunched in October 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 free trial before you buy. Crowny has a 14-day refund instead.
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
NotchNook made the widget notch popular, went quiet for a while, and relaunched in October 2026 at getnotchnook.com. It is a good app; the question is which one fits your day.
The real difference 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 is $25 for a lifetime licence or $3 a month (relaunch prices of $15 and $2 a month until 13 October 2026), with a free trial and a 7-day refund. Crowny is $5 once for one Mac (list price $15), with every version 1 update and a 14-day refund.
Crowny’s licence and what it includes are on the pricing page. Already have it? Download Crowny.
Questions
Is NotchNook still available?
Yes. NotchNook relaunched in October 2026 at its official site, getnotchnook.com, with a free trial. It supports macOS 14.6 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
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 9 October 2026. Apps change; if something here is out of date, write to us and we will fix it.
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.