Crest vs Perch: which notch shelf holds what you need?
By the makers of Crest · updated July 2026 · full disclosure
macOS 14 or later. Open Crest for 7 free days, no account or card.
| Crest | Perch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Crest Pro $14.99 once for two Macs | Free with in-app purchases: $2.99/mo, $17.99/yr, lifetime from $19.99 |
| Calendar and meetings | Next meeting, one-tap join, and a pre-call camera check | Calendar |
| Music | Now Playing with lyrics and the queue | |
| System stats | CPU, memory, disk, network, battery | |
| Developer tools | GitHub pull requests and CI, Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI sessions | |
| Agent approvals | Allow or Deny a Claude Code prompt from the notch |
Why Crest is better
- Less to pay up front. Crest Pro is $14.99 once, less than Perch's lifetime unlock.
- It covers more of the day. Music with lyrics, your next meeting, todos, system stats and the clipboard share one panel.
- It answers your agents. When Claude Code asks for permission, you press Allow or Deny right on the notch.
- Try everything free for 7 days, no card. Use Now Playing, the file shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping, then decide.
Full comparison and details
If you keep dragging files to the desktop just to find them again, or flipping to a clipboard manager every few minutes, you already know why people put things in the notch. Perch hangs a light shelf up there. Crest hangs a whole control room: music, your next meeting, the clipboard, the file shelf and Claude Code asking permission. You can try all of it free for 7 days. Here is what each one actually puts up there.
Last updated: July 2026
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Crest. Perch's prices and limits below are taken from Perch's own pages, checked in July 2026.
The short version
Pick Crest if you are tired of opening a window just to check something: what is playing, the meeting you are about to miss, your todos, CPU and battery, Passwords with Touch ID, the Authenticator (your two-factor codes, typed in for you), Drop for encrypted files, and Claude Code waiting on permission. Crest answers all of that from the notch, it is a native Mac app that stays light on battery, and you pay for it once after a 7-day trial with no card.
Where Perch stops. Perch has no music controls, system stats, developer tools, agent approvals, password manager or two-factor codes, and even its lifetime unlock costs more than Crest's $14.99 once.
Side by side
The comparison table is at the top of this page.
Where Crest is better
- Cheaper up front. Crest Pro is $14.99 once and covers two Macs. That is less than Perch's lifetime unlock, which starts at $19.99.
- It covers more of the day. Music with lyrics, the meeting you are late for, todos, system stats and the clipboard all sit in one panel, so the notch saves you several trips to several windows instead of one.
- It answers your agents. When Claude Code asks permission, the prompt pins to the notch until you allow or deny it, on whatever display you are looking at. Nothing else in this category does that.
- Seven days of everything, no card. Now Playing, the file shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping are all in the 7-day trial and in every paid plan. After the trial, the Pro features pause until you buy Crest, and Now Playing, the file shelf and the clipboard keep working.
The pricing math
Perch is free to download, then $2.99 a month, $17.99 a year, or a lifetime unlock starting at $19.99. Crest Pro costs less than that lifetime unlock, $14.99 once, and you get 7 days of everything first with no card.
We would rather you buy the app once and stop thinking about it, so that is how we sell Crest. For less than Perch's lifetime unlock you get a notch that covers far more of the day. The Price row in the table above sets the two prices side by side.
FAQ
Is Perch free?
It is a free download with in-app purchases: $2.99 a month, $17.99 a year, or a lifetime unlock starting at $19.99.
Can I run Perch and Crest at the same time?
Not comfortably. Both hang a panel from the notch and both react when your cursor arrives there, so they end up fighting over the same space. Try them one at a time.
Does Crest have a free version?
Partly. Crest is free to download, Now Playing, the file shelf, the clipboard and receiving files with Drop stay free, and there is a 7-day trial of everything with no card. After that the Pro features pause until you buy Crest. Crest is $14.99 once, on 2 Macs.
Which is better for developers?
Crest. It shows your GitHub pull requests and CI status in the notch, plus live Claude Code, Codex and Copilot CLI sessions, and you answer their permission prompts without leaving what you are doing.
Does Crest work on a Mac without a notch?
Yes. On a Mac or a display without a notch, Crest sits in a small pill at the top of the screen and opens the same panel.
Put the notch to work
Music, the next meeting, todos, system stats, your clipboard and Claude Code approvals, one glance up. Try all of it free for 7 days, no card.
Download Crest for macOS Buy Crest, $14.99macOS 14 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon & Intel) · 7-day Pro trial, no card up front
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