Every notch app, one grid
Seven apps that live in the space around your MacBook's notch, feature by feature. We make Pulse, so the rows lean toward what Pulse does. The columns don't lie about what the others do.
Last reviewed 9 August 2026 · every app links to its own site
 PulseOurs |  NotchNook |  Boring Notch |  Alcove |  Droppy | MediaMate |  Seam | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media and audio | |||||||
| Now Playing with artwork and controls | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media in browser tabs: YouTube, SoundCloud | ✓Chrome, Brave, Edge, Safari | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Scrubbing and volume in the island | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Meetings | |||||||
| Countdown to your next event | ✓ | – | –calendar view | – | – | – | – |
| One-click Join: Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mute, camera and leave while on a call | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Files and clipboard | |||||||
| Drop shelf at the notch | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | – | ✓ | – | – |
| AirDrop the moment you let go | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Cloud share links | – | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Clipboard manager | ✓typed: swatches, thumbnails, code, OTPs | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – |
| Clipboard kept in memory, never on disk | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| System and focus | |||||||
| Weather with no API key or account | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CPU, GPU, memory, network and disk | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| iPhone, Watch, AirPods and peripheral batteries | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Focus sessions with breaks | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| AI tools watched: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Buying it | |||||||
| One-time purchase, no subscription | ✓ | ✓subscription option too | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 Macs on one key | ✓ | – | –free everywhere | – | – | – | – |
| Published idle budget: under 1% CPU, 30 MB | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Open source | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| On Setapp | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | – |
✓ ships it today · – doesn't, or its own site doesn't claim it
Frequently asked questions
You make Pulse. Why should I trust this table?
You shouldn't, blindly. Every competitor's name links to their own site so each claim is one click from its source, a dash never asserts an app lacks a feature (only that its own pages don't claim it), and the rows Pulse loses are printed with the winner's check clearly showing. If a cell is wrong, tell us from the support page and it gets fixed.
Why is Pulse not on Setapp or the Mac App Store?
The App Store sandbox would remove the browser media support and most of the typed clipboard, which are two of the columns Pulse wins. So it ships as a notarized direct download instead. If you already pay for Setapp, NotchNook is included there and this table cannot compete with that.
Where do the other apps actually win?
The long-form version of this page says so in full sentences: one paragraph per app, each with the specific case where it beats Pulse. If you are choosing carefully, read that one too.
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