Alcove Mac App: Price, Trial and Which macOS It Needs (2026)
You heard about Alcove, the Dynamic Island app for Mac, and you want 3 things: what it costs, whether it runs on your Mac, and where to get it.
Short answer: Alcove is $12.99 once, with every future update included. One license covers up to 3 Macs, and there’s a 72-hour free trial. It needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Download it from tryalcove.com, the developer’s own site. If you’re on macOS 14 Sonoma, it won’t run, and you want a different app.
The price: $12.99 once
| What | Alcove |
|---|---|
| Price | $12.99, one time |
| Updates | All future updates included |
| Macs per license | Up to 3 at once |
| Free trial | 72 hours |
| Refund | Full refund within 14 days, no reason needed |
That’s from Alcove’s home page and FAQ, read on 3 November 2026. Write-ups from October said $14.99, so the price has come down. There’s no subscription and no free tier: after 72 hours you buy it or it stops.
For scale, that’s less than NotchNook Classic at $15 once or NotchNook Pro at $19 once, and it covers one more Mac than either.
It needs macOS 15 Sequoia
The download page says macOS 15 Sequoia minimum. That’s the line that rules people out. A Mac you’re keeping on Sonoma for work can’t run it.
The site doesn’t say whether Alcove draws an island on a Mac with no notch, like an iMac, a Mac mini or an external display. It’s built around the MacBook notch. If that’s your setup, the 72-hour trial is the way to find out before you pay.
Installing it
- Open tryalcove.com/download. The current build is version 1.7.7, a 15 MB DMG.
- Open the DMG and move Alcove into your Applications folder.
- Launch it from Applications. The site asks you to move it there first, not to run it from the DMG.
- Use the trial, then buy a license and enter it in the app’s settings.
Moving to a new Mac? The FAQ says you can remove a device from the license tab in settings, and recover a lost license on its recovery page.
The features
Alcove does fewer things than most notch apps, and it’s honest about it. The home page lists:
- Fluid transitions that look like the iPhone’s Dynamic Island
- Notifications and Live Activities in the notch
- Swipe gestures
- Custom volume and brightness HUDs
- Lock screen widgets
- A native app, built to stay fast
The FAQ adds that Alcove collects no data, and that since macOS Tahoe you can hide its menu bar icon in System Settings.
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No file shelf, timer or dictation
Its feature list has no file shelf, no timer and no dictation. If you want the notch to hold files on their way somewhere, or run a focus session, Alcove isn’t that app.
There’s also a line in its FAQ worth reading before you buy. Alcove relies on private macOS APIs, and if Apple changes or removes them, features can break. So Alcove is sold “as is”, with no guarantee it keeps working forever. To be fair, every notch app leans on the same parts of macOS. Alcove is just the one that says so plainly. The 14-day refund covers you if an update breaks it early.
Alcove vs Seam
Seam is our app, so read this table with that in mind.
| Alcove | Seam | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99 once | $19.90 once |
| Macs per license | 3 | 2 |
| Trial | 72 hours | 48 hours, no credit card |
| Refund | 14 days | 14 days |
| macOS | 15 Sequoia or later | 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon |
| Macs without a notch | Not stated on its site | Floating island |
| Now playing | Yes | Yes |
| Live Activities | Yes | Yes |
| Lock screen widgets | Yes | No |
| File shelf | Not on its feature list | Yes (drop zones) |
| Focus timer | Not on its feature list | Yes (Flow) |
| Dictation | Not on its feature list | Yes, on-device |
Our pick
Pick Alcove if you’re on macOS 15 or later and you mostly want the notch to look and move like an iPhone. It’s cheaper than it was, and one license covers 3 Macs. Try it for 72 hours first. If it’s not for you, you’ve paid nothing.
Look elsewhere if:
- If you’re on macOS 14 Sonoma, Boring Notch is free and runs there. Our Alcove alternatives list covers 4 more.
- If you want the notch to do work, Seam is ours. It’s $19.90 once for 2 Macs, with on-device dictation, a focus timer, calendar and drop zones, and it runs as a floating island on Macs with no notch. The trial is 48 hours with no credit card.
Already weighing those two? Seam vs Alcove goes feature by feature, and Alcove vs Boring Notch puts it next to the free one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alcove free?
No. It has a 72-hour free trial, then it’s $12.99 once. There’s no free tier and no subscription.
How many Macs can I use Alcove on?
Up to 3 at the same time, per its FAQ. You can remove a Mac from the license tab in settings.
Does Alcove work on macOS 14 Sonoma?
No. Its download page lists macOS 15 Sequoia as the minimum.
Can I get a refund on Alcove?
Yes. Its FAQ offers a full refund within 14 days of purchase, with no reason needed.
Where do I download Alcove?
From tryalcove.com/download. It’s a DMG you open and drag into Applications.
Related reading
Put Your Notch To Work
That black bar already takes up space. Give it music, timers, and voice typing.
Download for free