Crest vs TopNotch: hide the notch, or use it?
These two apps want opposite things from the same piece of your screen. TopNotch makes the notch disappear into your wallpaper, for free. Crest hangs a working control panel from it for $19.99 once. Here is what each actually does, and why running both is a real answer.
Last updated: July 2026
Full disclosure: this page is published by the makers of Crest. TopNotch is a well made free app from the CleanShot team and we have described it from its own website rather than from memory, so this is useful whichever way you go.
The short version
Get TopNotch if the notch simply bothers you. It costs nothing, it does one job, and it does it without asking anything of you afterwards.
Get Crest if you would rather the notch earned its space: what is playing, the meeting you are about to be late for, your todos, CPU and battery, your clipboard, and Claude Code asking permission. One glance up, no window.
Get both if you want the notch invisible while you work and useful when you reach for it. They do not fight over the same pixels.
Side by side
| Crest | TopNotch | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does with the notch | Hangs a panel from it | Blends it into your wallpaper |
| Price | $19.99 one-time | Free |
| Free option | Free tier forever, plus a 7-day Pro trial | The whole app is free |
| Media controls | Now Playing with lyrics and the queue | Not what it is for |
| Calendar, todos, stats, clipboard | All of it, as modules | None |
| Wallpaper handling | Leaves your wallpaper alone | Adapts it, dynamic wallpapers included, optional round corners |
| macOS requirement | macOS 14+ | macOS 11+ |
| Made by | An independent developer | MTW, the CleanShot team |
Where TopNotch is better
- It is free, and it stays free. There is no tier, no trial and no upsell waiting for you.
- It solves the actual complaint. If what you want is for the notch to stop existing, an app that puts a panel under it has not helped you at all.
- It runs older Macs. macOS 11 and up, against Crest's macOS 14.
- It knows when to be invisible. It watches for wallpaper changes and handles multiple displays and spaces, then gets out of the way. That restraint is the whole design.
Where Crest is better
- It gives you something back. The notch is the one part of the screen your eyes already know how to find. Crest puts what is playing, your next meeting, your todos, CPU, battery, and your clipboard history there, so you stop opening windows to check things.
- It answers Claude Code. When an agent asks permission, the request pins to the notch until you allow or deny it, on whatever display you are looking at. No other notch app does this.
- It has a real free tier. Now Playing, the Shelf with clipboard history, window snapping and the pinned home glance stay free, so you only pay if it earns it.
- It behaves on battery. Animations pause on battery and the panel sleeps when your Mac does.
Why you can run both
Two notch apps usually collide, because both want to own the same strip. This pair does not. TopNotch changes how your wallpaper meets the menu bar, which is a wallpaper job. Crest hangs a panel below the notch when you reach for it, which is a panel job. Nothing about either one needs the other to stop.
That combination is genuinely nice: the notch disappears while you write, and turns into a control room when you go looking for it.
The pricing math
TopNotch is free. Crest is $19.99 once, with a free tier underneath it and a 7 day trial of everything else. There is no subscription in either app, which in this category is worth saying out loud.
FAQ
Is TopNotch free?
Yes. It is a free download from MTW, the team behind CleanShot, and it needs macOS 11.0 or newer.
What is the difference between TopNotch and Crest?
TopNotch conceals the notch by adapting your wallpaper. Crest hangs a control panel from it. One removes the notch from your attention, the other makes it worth your attention.
Can I run TopNotch and Crest at the same time?
Yes. They touch different things: TopNotch works on the wallpaper, Crest works below the notch.
Does Crest hide the notch?
No, and it is not trying to. If hiding it is what you want, TopNotch does that well and costs nothing.
Is there a free way to use Crest?
Yes. Now Playing with lyrics, the file Shelf with clipboard history, window snapping and the pinned home glance are free forever. Pro is $19.99 once.
Want the notch to do something?
Music, the next meeting, todos, system stats, your clipboard and Claude Code approvals, one glance up. The free tier is a real app, not a demo.
Download Crest for macOS Get Crest Pro, $19.99macOS 14 or later · Universal (Apple Silicon & Intel) · 7-day Pro trial, no card up front
More comparisons: Best Mac notch apps in 2026 · vs NotchNook · vs The Boring Notch · vs Perch · vs Notchmeister · vs Alcove · vs MediaMate · Crest overview