Compare
notchman vs Alcove. Side by side, facts from their own site.
Alcove turns the notch into a Dynamic Island, and does it with a lot of polish: now playing for every media source, an expanded calendar that works with Fantastical and Notion Calendar, custom volume and brightness HUDs, battery alerts and weather. It collects no data, and it works on screens without a notch. notchman uses the same space for a different job: tools you reach for all day.
Facts about Alcove are from its own site, read on 2026-10-04. If something is out of date, email hello@notchman.com.
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| notchman | Alcove | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 until 15 October, then $19.99, one-time | $14.99 one-time, 72-hour free trial |
| Focus | Twenty-one daily tools in a tabbed panel | Dynamic Island: media, calendar, HUDs, live activities |
| Now playing | With karaoke lyrics, album glow and hover controls | Every media source, with AirPlay |
| Calendar | With a Join button on calls | Expanded calendar, Fantastical and Notion Calendar |
| Dictation and rewriting in any app | ⌥⌘K and ⌥⌘L | |
| File shelf with AirDrop | Not stated | |
| Clipboard history and snippets | Not stated | |
| Tasks, reminders, notes, timers | Not stated | |
| Claude and Codex usage limits | Not stated | |
| Teleprompter and camera mirror | Not stated | |
| Works on Macs without a notch | ||
| Data | Stays on your Mac, no account | No data or personal information collected |
| Macs per license | 3 Macs | 3 Macs |
| Requirements | macOS 14+, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 15 Sequoia or later |
| Refund | 14 days | 14 days |
Only in notchman
- Dictation into any app (⌥⌘K) and rewriting any selected text with one shortcut (⌥⌘L)
- A file shelf with AirDrop
- Clipboard history with snippets, Paste as… and Grab text
- Tasks, reminders, notes and timers
- Claude and Codex usage limits
- Teleprompter and camera mirror
- Revenue and analytics
- Runs on macOS 14
Choose notchman if
Choose notchman if you want to talk instead of typing (⌥⌘K) and fix any text with one key (⌥⌘L), in every app, and keep your files, clipboard, tasks and timers one hover away. For a third of the price at launch.
Questions. About the two.
Is Alcove cheaper?
No. Alcove is $14.99. notchman is $4.99 until 15 October, then $19.99. Both are one-time purchases with a 14-day refund.
Does Alcove have a clipboard or a file shelf?
Neither is listed on Alcove's site or changelog. notchman has both, with AirDrop from the shelf.
Can I run both?
Not usefully. Both draw over the notch and open on hover, so pick one.
Try notchman on your own notch. One-time purchase, 14-day refund, everything stays on your Mac.
Updated 2026-10-04. Alcove is a trademark of its owner; this page is an independent comparison.