NotchBay vs boring.notch: Open Source Pioneer vs Full Island (2026)

boring.notch is the free, open-source project that proved the Mac notch could be useful — media controls and a file shelf, code you can read. NotchBay builds the full island on the same idea: calendar with meeting join, Zoom/Meet call controls, a searchable clipboard tray, on-device dictation and drop-to-share. Want auditable and free? boring.notch. Want the notch to run your workday? NotchBay.

Respect first

This comparison is written by NotchBay's builder, so let's start with what must be said: boring.notch made this category exist. Its team proved people want the notch to do things, worked out the spring physics that make a fake island feel like hardware, and did it all in public. NotchBay's own design research openly studied its geometry constants alongside Apple's HIG. If you take one thing from this page: both apps are honest local-first software, and the Mac is better for both existing.

Where they actually differ

Dimension	NotchBay	boring.notch
Model	Commercial product	Free, open source (GitHub)
Media controls	✓ full Now Playing card	✓ full Now Playing
Calendar	✓ agenda + one-tap Join	—
Calls	✓ Zoom + Google Meet mute/leave/share from the notch	—
Clipboard	✓ tray: history, types, OCR search, pin, drag out	file shelf (drop files, drag out)
Dictation	✓ on-device, types into any app	—
Sharing	✓ AirDrop + link via your own Google Drive	AirDrop from shelf
Privacy indicators	✓ camera/mic in-use chip	—
Lock screen presence	✓	—
Auditability	Developer ID signed, closed source	every line public

Feature sets as of July 2026 — both apps update often; check both before deciding.

The philosophy split

boring.notch optimizes for transparency: a community project you can read, fork and extend. Its scope grows where contributors take it.

NotchBay optimizes for depth on a few workflows: meetings, capture, speech. Those features are hard precisely because they touch other apps — driving Zoom's buttons through the accessibility APIs, reading Meet's state through a browser bridge, on-device transcription through Apple's SpeechAnalyzer. That work is why it's a paid product rather than a weekend fork.

The privacy positions are identical where it matters: both apps process everything locally. NotchBay's one network feature — Drive sharing — is explicit, per-file, and goes to your Google account, never our servers.

The honest verdict

Pick boring.notch if open source is your requirement, if you want media + shelf and nothing else, or if you like software you can patch yourself.

Pick NotchBay if your day runs through meetings, copied things and voice notes — the calendar Join button and in-call mute alone tend to decide this for meeting-heavy people.

And genuinely: try boring.notch first if you're unsure. If it's enough, you saved money. If you find yourself wishing the island did more, that wish list is roughly NotchBay's feature set — see the full 2026 roundup for the wider field.

Frequently asked questions

Is boring.notch really free?

Yes — it's an open-source project on GitHub under the TheBoredTeam organization. You can build it yourself or download releases.

Can NotchBay and boring.notch run at the same time?

No — both draw in the same notch region and will overlap. Quit one before running the other.

Does either app send data to the cloud?

Both are local-first. NotchBay's only network feature is optional drop-to-share, which uploads the file you choose to your own Google Drive. Dictation, tray contents and media data never leave the Mac in either app.

Every number here comes from measuring real hardware while building NotchBay. Found an error? Tell me and I’ll fix it — accuracy beats winning.

Sources