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Best of MacPip

Best free notch apps for Mac

Updated Nov 13, 2026, from what MacPip lists today.

Short answer

MacPip lists 8 free notch apps for Mac, and a person has checked 2 of them.All of them have a free version.3 of them sell a one-time license.1 of them is paid by subscription.There is no single best free notch app for everyone, so MacPip does not rank them.If you want it free, start with Coral.

Apps a person checked come first, newest check first. Never ordered by payment.

What these 8 apps offer, by their listings. An app can offer several, so the bars do not add up to 8.
Free version8 of 8
Pay once3 of 8
Subscription1 of 8
Native to Apple silicon8 of 8
Open source2 of 8
Works offline5 of 8
Checked by a person2 of 8

Compared

AppWhat it doesPriceFree or paidApple siliconOpen sourceMade byChecked
CoralProductivity for Claude Code and Codex agentsFree, Pro from $8/month, 7-day trialFree versionOne-timeSubscriptionYes, and Intel, its maker saysNoCoral ClaudeNov 9
Slap AlertA Mac menu bar app for founders that celebrates every sale.Free for scripts, $19 once, 7-day trialFree versionOne-timeYes, and Intel, its maker saysNoNot statedNov 3
ToraDictation, writing fixes, meeting notes, and call replies in your Mac's notchFree. Tora Cloud is optionalFree versionYes, Apple silicon only, its maker saysNoToraPending
TellieThe invisible teleprompter that follows your words in the notchFree, Pro $29 once, 10-day trialFree versionOne-timeYes, Apple silicon only, its maker saysNoSteve ChazinPending
MacSpacesMacSpaces turns your notch into a workstation.FreeFree versionYes, and Intel, its maker saysYesNot statedPending
ClockStackTime, date, battery percentage and Wi-Fi in one compact Mac menu bar item.FreeFree versionYes, and Intel, its maker saysNoNot statedPending
TucketA macOS clipboard manager in the notch.One-time purchase, no subscriptionFree versionYes, Apple silicon only, its maker saysNoArpit ChandakPending
capcapTake a screenshot, annotate and share in one flowFree and open sourceFree versionYes, and Intel, its maker saysYesNot statedPending

The apps, one by one

Coral app icon

Coral

Productivity for Claude Code and Codex agents

Free versionPay onceSubscriptionApple siliconWorks offlineChecked Nov 9
Coral on a Mac

From its maker: Coding agents stop and wait for you, and checking on them pulls you out of your work. Coral is a Mac app for developers who run Claude Code, Codex, Copilot and more.

Deal
50% off
Price
Free, Pro from $8/month, 7-day trial
Needs
macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Its maker says it replaces
AgentPeek, Vibe Island, Happy, Omnara

Coral on MacPip More productivity apps

Slap Alert app icon

Slap Alert

A Mac menu bar app for founders that celebrates every sale.

Free versionPay onceApple siliconChecked Nov 3
Slap Alert on a Mac

Slap Alert is for founders who like to see a sale land. It watches Stripe, Paddle, RevenueCat, Polar or Dodo Payments with a read-only key, and Shopify orders arrive by webhook. For every new sale, a pixel monkey slaps a sticky note on your screen with who paid and how much, and win cards mark milestones like your first $1k. It is free for scripts, or $19 once with a 7-day trial.

Price
Free for scripts, $19 once, 7-day trial
Needs
macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Slap Alert on MacPip More messaging and social apps

Tora app icon

Tora

Dictation, writing fixes, meeting notes, and call replies in your Mac's notch

Free versionApple silicon
Tora on a Mac

From its maker: Tora puts four AI agents in your Mac's notch. Dictation: hold fn and talk.

Price
Free. Tora Cloud is optional
Needs
macOS 26 Tahoe or later
Its maker says it replaces
Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, Granola, Otter.ai, Grammarly

Tora on MacPip More notch apps

Tellie app icon

Tellie

The invisible teleprompter that follows your words in the notch

Free versionPay onceApple siliconWorks offline
Tellie on a Mac

From its maker: Tellie is the Mac teleprompter that understands. It lives in the MacBook notch, right beside the camera, so you can read and still look at the person you are talking to.

Price
Free, Pro $29 once, 10-day trial
Needs
macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Its maker says it replaces
CueNotch, Prompter, Avocado

Tellie on MacPip More notch apps

MacSpaces app icon

MacSpaces

MacSpaces turns your notch into a workstation.

Free versionApple siliconOpen sourceWorks offline
MacSpaces on a Mac

From its maker: MacSpaces turns your notch into a workstation. Free and open source, for macOS 13 or later.

Price
Free
Needs
macOS 13 Ventura or later

MacSpaces on MacPip More notch apps

ClockStack app icon

ClockStack

Time, date, battery percentage and Wi-Fi in one compact Mac menu bar item.

Free versionApple siliconWorks offline
ClockStack on a Mac

From its maker: Time, date, battery percentage and Wi-Fi in one compact Mac menu bar item. Saves space next to the notch.

Price
Free
Needs
macOS 13 Ventura or later

ClockStack on MacPip More menu bar apps

Tucket app icon

Tucket

A macOS clipboard manager in the notch.

Free versionApple silicon
Tucket on a Mac

Tucket is a clipboard manager that lives in the notch. It keeps every copy on your Mac, sorts clips by type as you copy them, makes screenshots searchable by the text inside them, and blocks sensitive data before it is stored. It runs on Apple silicon and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Price
One-time purchase, no subscription
Needs
macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Tucket on MacPip More clipboard and text apps

capcap app icon

capcap

Take a screenshot, annotate and share in one flow

Free versionApple siliconOpen sourceWorks offline
capcap on a Mac

From its maker: capcap is a free, open-source screenshot and screen capture tool for macOS 14+, built with AppKit for Apple silicon and Intel. It helps developers, writers, and designers capture, annotate, and share without telemetry or a subscription.

Price
Free and open source
Needs
macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Its maker says it replaces
Shottr, CleanShot X

capcap on MacPip More screenshots apps

Which one to pick

What to look for

Look for whether it stays out of the way until you hover, what it does on a Mac or display without a notch, and how much it asks to access.

Questions

What is the best free notch app for Mac?

There is no single best one for everyone. MacPip lists 8: Coral, Slap Alert, Tora, Tellie, MacSpaces, ClockStack, Tucket, capcap. If you want it free, look at Coral. If you would rather pay once than subscribe, look at Slap Alert. If you need it to work offline, as its maker says it does, look at Coral.

Which free notch apps run natively on Apple silicon?

By their makers' word or by our check: Coral, Slap Alert, Tora, Tellie, MacSpaces, ClockStack, Tucket, capcap.

Which free notch apps has a person checked?

Each has a dated report on its page: Coral, Slap Alert.

How does MacPip order these apps?

Apps a person has checked come first, newest check first, then the rest by when they were added. Payment never changes the order, and sponsored rows are labeled and kept apart.

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