Peninsula and other notch apps
There are good notch apps, free and paid. Here is how Peninsula compares with four of them, using what each one says about itself.
| Question | Peninsula$9.99 once | NotchyFree | Boring NotchFree, open source | NotchNookNot published | CrestFree, or $19.99 once |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 once. No subscription | Free. Donations optional | Free and open source (GPL 3.0) | Not published | Free tier. Pro is $19.99 once; Pro with Take and Minutes is $24.99 once |
| Try before paying | No trial. Email within 14 days for a full refund | Nothing to pay | Nothing to pay | Not published | 7 days of Pro after you sign in, no card |
| Macs per license | 2 | No license | No license | Not published | 2 |
| What it does | Four tools: notes, clipboard history, a file shelf and music controls | 74 features, including quick notes, clipboard history, a file shelf, Now Playing, timers, AI usage tracking and system HUDs | Music controls with a visualizer, calendar, a file shelf with AirDrop, and volume and brightness HUDs. Notes and clipboard history are not listed | Not published | 19 modules, including Now Playing, calendar, todos, notes, a shelf with clipboard history, and Claude Code and Codex approvals |
| Account | None. Enter your license key once | None | Not published | Not published | None for the free tier. You sign in to start a trial or to buy |
| Opens without a security warning | Yes. Signed and notarized by Apple | Its site says donations pay for Apple notarization | No. The README says macOS may warn about an unidentified developer, and gives a Terminal workaround | Not published | Yes. Signed and notarized by Apple |
| What leaves your Mac | License and update checks. Crash reports only if you say yes. No analytics | A daily anonymous “still active” ping, update check results and a few feedback signals (its privacy page) | Not published | Not published | “Nothing you do is sent to us.” No analytics |
| macOS | 14 Sonoma or later | 13 Ventura or later, Intel or Apple silicon | 14 Sonoma or later | Not published | 14 Sonoma or later |
| Macs without a notch | No. Made for MacBooks with a notch | Yes, as a floating pill | Not published | Not published | Yes, as a small pill at the top of the screen |
| Updates | Free and automatic. Latest release September 13, 2026 | Free and automatic. Updated September 23, 2026 | Latest release November 24, 2025 | Not published | Included for the life of the app |
| Support and maker | Email Siddharth Karia, who makes it | Email and a GitHub feedback board. Made by Vishva Variya | GitHub issues and Discord. Made by TheBoredTeam on GitHub | Not published | Email. Made by Zakaria Swaidan |
Checked September 23, 2026. Sources: Notchy from notchy.dev and its privacy page. Boring Notch from its GitHub README and releases. Crest from crestnotch.app. NotchNook’s own page, lo.cafe/notchnook, did not load when we checked, so we have left it blank rather than repeat what other sites say about it. Peninsula from this site and its privacy page. Spotted something out of date? Email support@getpeninsula.com and it gets fixed.
Pick Peninsula if…
- you want notes, clipboard history, a file shelf and music controls, and nothing else in the way
- you would rather pay once than make an account or keep a subscription
- you want an app that is notarized by Apple and keeps everything on your Mac
- you want to email the person who made it when something is wrong
Pick something else if…
- you want dozens of widgets, lyrics, timers or system HUDs. Notchy is free and does far more
- you want calendar, todos or AI agent approvals in the notch. Crest is built around those
- you want code you can read and build yourself. Boring Notch is open source
- your Mac has no notch, or runs macOS 13. Peninsula needs a notch and macOS 14
- you do not want to pay anything. Notchy and Boring Notch are free
Refund within 14 days if it is not for you. Requires a MacBook with a notch and macOS 14 or later.