Guide

NotchNook is offline. Here are your alternatives.

By Donncha O'Toole · Updated 7 October 2026

If you bought NotchNook and lost access when its licence server went offline, you are not alone, and you have options.

What happened to NotchNook

In September 2026 NotchNook's website and licence server went offline during a dispute inside lo.cafe, the company that made it. Setapp removed the app, and Homebrew disabled its install as unreachable. lo.cafe's founder has written that he hopes to restore access, and that a successor app, NOOTCH, is planned, with a discount for lifetime licence holders. As of 7 October 2026 it has not been released.

Sources: lo.cafe, MacMagazine (Portuguese), Homebrew.

Your options

• Wait for NOOTCH if you loved NotchNook's look and its media controls. lo.cafe says lifetime owners will get a large discount.
• Boring Notch or Atoll if you want free and open source. Boring Notch is unsigned, so macOS will ask you to approve it manually; Atoll is signed.
• Alcove if animation and media controls matter most. It has no file shelf yet.
• Notchbird if you also run Claude Code or Codex, or you want a notch that plans your day, keeps your focus and stays out of your screen share.

What Notchbird does differently

• A licence that does not depend on us being online. Notchbird keeps working for 14 days without reaching its licence server, and errors on our side never count against you.
• A shutdown pledge. If Notchbird ever stops, a final build that needs no licence will be published, so the copy you paid for keeps working. It is written into the terms.
• Pay once if you prefer. $49 for a lifetime licence with every future version, or $24 a year.
• A file shelf like NotchNook's. Drop files on the notch, drag them out later, or hold ⌥ to AirDrop.

Notchbird differs from NotchNook in what it leaves out: it has no music controls in the notch and no calendar widgets yet. Try it free for 14 days and see if it fits.

Common questions

Why did NotchNook stop working?

In September 2026 NotchNook's website and licence server went offline during a dispute inside lo.cafe, its maker, so licences could no longer be checked. lo.cafe says it hopes to restore access.

What is the best free NotchNook alternative?

Boring Notch and Atoll are free and open source. Atoll is signed and notarised; Boring Notch needs a manual approval in macOS before it runs.

Will my Notchbird licence stop working if the server goes down?

No. Notchbird keeps working for 14 days without reaching its licence server, and if Notchbird ever stops, a final licence-free build will be published.