This autumn two YouTubers sat down with every Mac notch app they could find and ranked them. Neither was sponsored by us. Both put Droppy in S tier, and one called it the only notch app he would genuinely pay for. Here is what they said, where the other apps landed, and where they pushed back, with timestamps so you can check every word.
In 2026 Droppy was ranked S tier in both major YouTube tier lists of Mac notch apps: by Wesley Power, who called it the only one he would genuinely pay for, and by Yabluko, who called it the most feature rich Dynamic Island app he had seen.
Wesley Power: "S-tier without a question"
The MacBook Notch Tier List went up on September 11, 2026 and has passed 143,000 views. Wesley Power counted more than 87 notch apps, installed the ten that looked worth it, and graded each on five things: does it work on an external monitor, does it do something the others do not, does he actually reach for it, how polished is it, and how heavy is it to leave running. The description says it plainly: no sponsor, no affiliate links. He used the paid apps on their free trials.
Droppy's turn starts at 8:49. His first reaction, a few seconds in: "I think this one is the real S tier." What won him over was choice. Droppy has what he called a mini app store inside it, so you pick which features the notch gets instead of having all of them forced on you. He singled out system stats, iOS-style notifications in the notch or the Dynamic Island, and the Obsidian droplet for quick notes.
He spent 20 minutes on Droppy, more than any other app, "not because it was broken". His verdict at 9:51: "This is S-tier without a question." And in the wrap-up at 11:18, after three apps had made S tier, he narrowed it to one: "The only one I would genuinely pay for is Droppy."
Yabluko: "the most feature rich Dynamic Island app"
I Tried Every Mac Notch App So You Don't Have To followed on October 4, 2026. Yabluko ranked the notch apps he tried from F to S. At 3:21 he calls Droppy the most feature rich Dynamic Island app he has ever seen, points at the droplets as a store of free extensions, and notes that at about $9 it is relatively cheap. His ruling at 3:48: "in my opinion, it's still an S-tier app."
It is a shared S, and we will not pretend otherwise. Asked which is better, he picked Alcove as the best Mac notch app when judging them purely as Dynamic Island apps and nothing else. That is a fair call: Alcove is the most native-looking app in the category and does deliberately less. Our own Droppy vs Alcove comparison says the same thing.
Where they pushed back
- "Way too many features." Yabluko's complaint, at 3:43, was that he does not need a terminal in his notch. Neither does anyone else, which is why the terminal is a droplet, TermiNotch, that never appears unless you install it. It is the same design Wesley Power praised: features are opt in.
- NotchNook and Seam made S tier too. Wesley Power called NotchNook the best app he had used by far, and gave Seam S for polish. He was not sure he would pay for either. At the $25 he quoted, NotchNook was the most expensive app in his list.
- The notch itself. His closing line is worth keeping in mind: even the S tiers are, at heart, polished music players and shelves, and the notch is still looking for a reason to exist. Droppy's answer is that the notch should be a workspace, not a widget, which is why it carries a clipboard, Droppy Cloud links, Transform and a launcher.
What other creators said
Three more videos covered Droppy on its own rather than in a ranking. We note where a creator had a link or licenses from us.
| Creator | Video | Date | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley Power | The MacBook Notch Tier List | September 11, 2026 | S tier, the only app he would pay for |
| Yabluko | I Tried Every Mac Notch App So You Don't Have To | October 4, 2026 | S tier, with Alcove |
| reziee | The Only macOS Utility App You Ever Need!! | September 29, 2026 | Replaces four or five menu bar utilities |
| Fensy | I Found the Best Notch App for Mac | September 22, 2026 | One of the best he has used (referral link) |
| Tech For Life | 10 macOS Apps You NEED in July 2026 | July 21, 2026 | First pick (licenses given for viewers) |
- reziee tried the droplets one by one and summed Droppy up as an app that "basically replaces four or five separate menu bar utilities".
- Fensy called it one of the best notch apps he has used and much cheaper than many of its alternatives. His description carries a Droppy referral link.
- Tech For Life put Droppy first in his July app roundup and praised how much of it you can customize. We gave him license codes for his viewers, which he disclosed.
What it costs, since every video mentioned it
Reviewers quoted prices between about 7 and 9 euros or dollars, depending on when and where they bought. Today Droppy is $9.99 once in the US, for two Macs, and costs less in 126 countries, set for you at checkout. There is no subscription, every update is included, the trial is 3 days with every feature, and a refund is available within 14 days.
The takeaway
- Two independent tier lists, two S tiers. Neither creator was sponsored by Droppy.
- The reason was the same both times: more useful features than anything else, and you choose which ones you get.
- The honest caveats: Alcove is the purer Dynamic Island, and NotchNook shared Wesley Power's S tier.
Frequently asked questions
What tier did YouTubers rank Droppy?
S tier, twice. Wesley Power's MacBook Notch Tier List (September 11, 2026) put Droppy in S tier with NotchNook and Seam, and Yabluko's comparison of every Mac notch app (October 4, 2026) put it in S tier with Alcove.
Is Droppy worth paying for?
Wesley Power, who tested ten notch apps without a sponsor, called Droppy the only one he would genuinely pay for. It costs $9.99 once for 2 Macs, less in 126 countries, with a 3-day free trial and a refund within 14 days.
What is the best notch app for Mac in 2026?
It depends on what you want from the notch. In the two biggest YouTube tier lists, Droppy reached S tier both times; Yabluko picked Alcove as the overall winner when judging only the Dynamic Island itself, while Droppy was the most feature rich app he had seen.
Is Droppy better than NotchNook?
Both were S tier in Wesley Power's list. He called NotchNook the best app he had used, but was unsure he would pay for it, and named Droppy the only one he would genuinely buy. NotchNook costs $15 or more; Droppy costs $9.99 once.
Does Droppy have too many features?
That was Yabluko's one complaint. Most of Droppy's extras are droplets that stay off until you turn them on, which is the part Wesley Power praised: you pick the features instead of having them all forced on you.
Does Droppy work on an external monitor or a Mac without a notch?
Yes. On an external display, an iMac or a Mac mini, Droppy draws its own Dynamic Island at the top of the screen. Every app in Wesley Power's list passed his external monitor test.