altillo
Coming from NotchNook?
A free NotchNook alternative.
Altillo is a native notch app for macOS 26 and later. It’s free, MIT-licensed and needs no account or licence key. If NotchNook works well for you, keep it — this page is here so you can compare both honestly.
Facts checked on 19 October 2026. Prices and terms can change: check each site before you buy.
Where NotchNook stands today
NotchNook is a paid app by lo.cafe. Its website currently says “NotchNook is back”, and lists:
- A lifetime licence listed at US$25, shown on 19 October 2026 with a special price of US$15, plus a monthly plan.1
- A 48-hour free trial and a 7-day refund window.1
- Licences activate on up to two Macs, and the app validates its licence with lo.cafe’s server; it keeps working offline for up to 30 days after a check.23
- Automatic in-app activation covers licences bought through the new checkout from 24 September 2026. Older lifetime keys don’t activate automatically — lo.cafe offers a manual review or a new licence — and older monthly subscriptions don’t carry over.2
In September 2026, the Brazilian outlet Ponto de Hoje reported a shareholder dispute at lo.cafe, with card payments suspended and the app removed from Setapp at the time.4 We haven’t verified that report ourselves; NotchNook’s own help page is the best place to check the status of an existing licence.
Side by side
Based on each app’s own website and documentation. “Not listed” means we couldn’t find it on NotchNook’s site, not that it can’t do it.
| Altillo | NotchNook | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Lifetime licence (US$25 list, US$15 offer on 19 Oct 2026) or monthly plan1 |
| Source code | Open source, MIT licence | Proprietary licence3 |
| Account or licence key | None. No licence server | Licence key, validated online; up to 2 Macs23 |
| Requirements | macOS 26 or later | macOS 14.6 or later; Apple silicon and Intel1 |
| Maturity | Pre-1.0: actively developed, expect rough edges | Commercial app |
| File shelf with AirDrop | Yes | Yes (Tray)1 |
| Music controls | Yes, with on-demand synced lyrics | Yes1 |
| Calendar with join button | Yes | Yes1 |
| Notes and to-dos | Quick note, plus Apple Reminders | Notes and to-dos1 |
| Timers | Named timers and Pomodoro | Yes1 |
| Camera mirror | Yes | Yes1 |
| Apple Shortcuts | Yes | Yes1 |
| AI usage limits (Claude, Codex…) | Yes | Not listed |
| Approve or deny coding agents | Yes (Claude Code, Codex and others) | Not listed |
| On-device assistant | Ask, with Apple Intelligence | Not listed |
| Menu bar icon drawer | Yes | Not listed |
| Clipboard history | Yes, optional | Not listed |
When NotchNook may suit you better
- Your Mac runs macOS 14.6 or 15: Altillo needs macOS 26.
- You’d rather pay for a commercial app with vendor support than use a pre-1.0 open-source project.
- You rely on its built-in to-do list or other NotchNook-only features.
Trying Altillo
Download the signed, notarised .dmg from GitHub, drag Altillo to Applications and open it. It isn’t on the Mac App Store, and it updates itself with Sparkle. Run one notch app at a time so their panels don’t overlap. On displays without a notch, Altillo shows a small virtual island instead.
Want to know what it reads and sends? The privacy policy lists every network destination.
Sources
- NotchNook website, getnotchnook.com (accessed 19 Oct 2026).
- NotchNook help, getnotchnook.com/help (accessed 19 Oct 2026).
- NotchNook terms, effective 15 Oct 2026, getnotchnook.com/terms.
- Ponto de Hoje, 16 Sep 2026, pontodehoje.com (Portuguese).
- Altillo README, github.com/XusBadia/altillo.
NotchNook is a trademark of its owner. Altillo isn’t affiliated with lo.cafe. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on GitHub and we’ll fix it.