Super Notch vs Alcove

Both apps live in the Mac notch. Alcove puts Live Activities, notifications, and widgets there. Super Notch puts your Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor sessions there, plus Type and Talk, for $20 once.

What Super Notch does

Session cards for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor (including Cursor cloud agents), grouped by project. Pick a card and you're back in that session in its original tool.
Orbiting spheres show which sessions are detected as working. When one stops being detected as working, it pops briefly. That pop doesn't mean the result has been verified.
Claude, Codex, Cursor, and Grok usage sits in the notch next to your Mac's CPU, memory, and disk.
Hold Right Option for Type, on-device English dictation. Hold Right Command for Talk, a voice companion in the notch.
A floating HUD lets you ask about the window in front of you.

What Alcove does

tryalcove.com lists macOS 15 or later. It lists Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs, and Lock Screen widgets. The purchase price shown is $13.99. We didn't see agent sessions, Type dictation, or Talk listed when we checked on Oct 16, 2026.

At a glance

	Super Notch	Alcove
What it is	MacBook notch AI agent session manager, with Type and Talk	Mac notch app for Live Activities, notifications, and widgets
Agents in the notch	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor (incl. Cursor cloud agents)	Not listed on tryalcove.com
Dictation	Type: Phonon 2, on-device, English	Not listed
Voice assistant	Talk with Grok, OpenAI, or Apple Intelligence	Not listed
HUD	Yes. Ask about the window in front of you	Customizable HUDs
Notifications and widgets	Not listed on supernotch.ai	Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, Lock Screen widgets
Price	$20 first Mac, $10 each additional, one-time	$13.99
Requirements	Apple silicon, macOS 14+	macOS 15 or later.

Alcove details from tryalcove.com, checked Oct 16, 2026. Super Notch details from supernotch.ai.

Requirements and price

Super Notch runs on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or newer. Voice features need microphone and accessibility permissions. You pay once: $20 for your first Mac and $10 for each additional Mac. There's no monthly subscription. Type dictation is $0/mo after you buy and spends no model tokens. Talk and Chat use your Grok or OpenAI plan, or Apple Intelligence on supported Macs.

When to pick Alcove instead

You want Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs, or Lock Screen widgets.
Your Mac is on macOS 15 or later, which Alcove lists as its requirement.
You'd rather pay the $13.99 purchase price and you don't need agent session cards.

FAQ

Is Super Notch an Alcove alternative?

Both use the Mac notch. Alcove lists Live Activities, notifications, swipe gestures, customizable HUDs, and Lock Screen widgets. Super Notch lists AI agent sessions, Type, and Talk.

How much does Alcove cost?

tryalcove.com shows a purchase price of $13.99, checked Oct 16, 2026.

What macOS does Alcove require?

macOS 15 or later. Super Notch needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or newer.

Does Alcove list Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor sessions?

Not listed on tryalcove.com in the facts checked Oct 16, 2026.

Does Super Notch replace your coding agents?

No. Super Notch sits beside Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor and leaves them in place.