Crest vs NotchOTP: which notch authenticator should you pick?
By the makers of Crest · updated 15 October 2026 · full disclosure
| Crest | NotchOTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | In Crest Pro: $24.99 once, or $2.99 a month, after 7 free days | Free |
| Open source | No | Yes, MIT licence |
| Requirements | macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel | macOS 13 or later; the release download is for Apple Silicon |
| Opening your codes | In the notch, or Control-Option-K from any app | Control-Option-Space drops a panel from the notch |
| When a site asks for a code | Offered in the notch in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave or Edge, and typed in | Enter copies it, and you paste it |
| Adding a site | Setup key, the QR code on your screen, a picture or an otpauth:// link | Setup key, an otpauth:// link or a QR image file |
| Kinds of code | Time-based, counter-based and Steam | Time-based only |
| Import from another app | Google Authenticator export, 2FAS, Aegis (unencrypted) and 2Stable | Its page says Google Authenticator migration is not implemented |
| Lock | Touch ID or your password, again after a lock, sleep or 30 minutes | macOS Keychain; its page says no Touch ID approval for each code |
| Sync between Macs | Optional, end-to-end encrypted | Not implemented |
| Export your codes | A password-locked backup or plain otpauth:// links | Not implemented |
| Network | Codes are made on your Mac; sync, if you turn it on, sends them encrypted | No network requests and no analytics |
| Languages | English | English, Russian, Chinese, German, French and Hindi |
| The rest of the notch | Music, the Shelf, the Clipboard, your calendar, coding agents and 19 widgets | Codes only, by design |
Why Crest is better
- It types the code in. Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave and Edge: the code comes up in the notch when a site asks, and Crest types it.
- One import to move in. Google Authenticator's export, 2FAS, Aegis and 2Stable. NotchOTP adds each site by hand.
- Sync and export. Your codes on every Mac, end-to-end encrypted, and a backup you can take with you.
- Touch ID, and more codes. Codes stay behind Touch ID; counter-based and Steam codes work too.
Full comparison and details
Both put your two-factor codes in the MacBook notch. NotchOTP is a small free app that does one thing: press Control-Option-Space, a panel drops from the notch, and Enter copies the code. Crest is a full notch app whose Pro tier includes an authenticator that offers the code when a site asks for it and types it in for you. Here is where each one is the better pick.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Crest. NotchOTP's prices and limits below are taken from NotchOTP's own pages, checked on 15 October 2026.
The short version
Pick Crest if you want the code typed into the page instead of pasted, you are moving from Google Authenticator, 2FAS or Aegis and don't want to set up every site again, you have more than one Mac, or you want music, files, your calendar and your coding agents in the same notch.
Pick NotchOTP if you want a free, open source authenticator that never touches the network, you are on macOS 13, or all you want from the notch is your codes.
Side by side
The comparison table is at the top of this page.
Where Crest is better
- It types the code in. In Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave and Edge, when the page asks for a code, the notch offers it. Click Fill in and Crest types it into the page; Copy is there too. Two accounts on one site? It asks which one and remembers. NotchOTP copies the code for you to paste.
- Moving in takes one import. Crest reads Google Authenticator's export QR codes, 2FAS backups, Aegis and 2Stable exports, or a list of otpauth:// links. NotchOTP's page says Google Authenticator migration is not implemented, so you add each site again.
- It adds a site from your screen. Leave the site's QR code open and Crest finds it, or drop in a screenshot or a photo. Counter-based and Steam codes work as well as time-based ones.
- Your codes on every Mac, and a way out. Turn on sync and your codes go to your other Macs end-to-end encrypted, so we can't see them. Export makes a password-locked backup or plain setup links. NotchOTP has no sync and no export yet.
- Behind Touch ID. Codes stay hidden until you unlock them with Touch ID or your password, and lock again when your Mac sleeps or locks.
Where NotchOTP fits
- It's free and open source. MIT licence, the code on GitHub, and you can build it yourself with Xcode. The Authenticator is part of Crest Pro.
- It never goes online. Its page says it makes no network requests and has no analytics. Nothing about it needs an account.
- It runs on macOS 13. Crest needs macOS 14. Note its release download is built for Apple Silicon.
- It speaks six languages. English, Russian, Simplified Chinese, German, French and Hindi. Crest is in English.
- It's codes and nothing else. If you don't want a notch app, just an authenticator that lives there, that is the point of it.
The pricing math
NotchOTP is free, under the MIT licence, from its GitHub releases or with Homebrew (brew install --cask photon94/tap/notchotp). Its page calls it an early version, not an independently audited security product, and lists what it does not do yet: counter-based codes, Steam, Google Authenticator migration, cloud sync and export.
Crest is free to download and its free tier never expires, but the Authenticator is part of Crest Pro. Sign in for 7 days of Pro with no card. After that, Crest Pro comes with Take and Minutes, our recorder and notetaker: $24.99 once for two Macs with updates through Crest 7, or $2.99 a month. If Pro ends, your codes keep working and you can export them; adding or changing codes needs Pro again.
If all you want is a code to paste, NotchOTP costs nothing and that is a real difference. Crest is worth paying for when you sign in on your Mac all day and want the code typed in, your old app imported and your codes on more than one Mac.
How the code gets into the page
NotchOTP is built around the keyboard. Press Control-Option-Space, type to search, Tab to the next account, Enter to copy the code and go back to your app, then paste. The clipboard is cleared when the code expires.
Crest watches for the moment a site asks. To know which site you are on, it reads only the address of the page in front, on your Mac, and only while Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave or Edge is the front app. The notch says the site asks for a code; Fill in types it one key at a time, which needs the Accessibility permission. Anywhere else, including Firefox, Control-Option-K opens your codes and a click copies one. How Crest’s Authenticator works.
FAQ
What is NotchOTP?
A free, open source two-factor authenticator for macOS 13 and later. Press Control-Option-Space and a panel drops from the notch with your current code; Enter copies it. It keeps your secrets in the macOS Keychain and makes no network requests. From its GitHub page, read 15 October 2026.
Does NotchOTP type the code in for you?
No. Enter or a click copies the code and you paste it. Crest offers the code in the notch when a site asks for one in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Brave or Edge and types it in.
Can I move my codes from Google Authenticator into NotchOTP?
Not in one go. Its page says Google Authenticator migration batches are not implemented, so you add each account with its setup key or QR code. Crest reads Google Authenticator's export QR codes, and 2FAS, Aegis and 2Stable exports.
Is the Authenticator in Crest free?
It is part of Crest Pro, with 7 free days when you sign in and no card. Pro is $24.99 once with Take and Minutes, or $2.99 a month. Crest’s free tier (music, the Shelf, the Clipboard, window snapping and answering your coding agents) never expires.
Does either have an iPhone app?
No. Both are Mac only. Crest syncs between your Macs; NotchOTP doesn't sync.
Can I run Crest and NotchOTP at the same time?
They don't share a shortcut, so you can, but both drop a panel from the notch. Most people will want one place for their codes.
Try the Authenticator free for 7 days
Your two-factor codes in the notch, typed in when a site asks, imported from your old app and synced between your Macs. No card for the trial.
Download Crest for macOS Get all three apps, $24.99In the official Homebrew cask
macOS 14 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon & Intel) · 7-day Pro trial, no card up front
Keep reading: Crest’s Authenticator · Best authenticator apps for Mac · Google Authenticator on a Mac · Authy Desktop alternatives · Best Mac notch apps in 2026 · Crest overview