Notchify for WindowsDynamic Island apps for Windows, compared.
Apple's Dynamic Island lives on the iPhone, and MacBook users have notch apps. On Windows you need a third-party app. Here are the options side by side.
Last checked: October 2026
Feature comparison
| Feature | NotchifyKingpindev | Dynamic EdgeEyuel Engida | Smart NotchDev_avinash | Halo DynamicWinBoy Labs | BuildNotchTudor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | |||||
| Windows versions | 10 (1809 or later) and 11 | 10 and 11 | 10 (1809 or later) and 11 | 10 (2004 or later) and 11 | 10 (2004 or later) and 11, x64 |
| On the Microsoft Store since | April 2026 | August 2026 | May 2026 | August 2026 | |
| Where to get it | Microsoft Store | Microsoft Store | Microsoft Store | Microsoft Store | Direct installer, not code-signed yet (per its FAQ) |
| Price | Paid, with a free trial | Free | Free | Free, open source (MIT) | Paid, one-time license |
| Languages | 10 | 8 | English | 8 | |
| Rendering | Native, GPU-accelerated, 60 to 240 Hz | WinUI 3 | GPU-accelerated animations | ||
| Music | |||||
| Media controls with album art | |||||
| Seek bar | Progress display | ||||
| Synced lyrics | On the island, in the player and in a pinnable widget. Click a line to jump | Live synced lyrics | |||
| Audio visualizer | 6-bar equalizer | Live waveform | |||
| Inside the island | |||||
| Windows notifications | Popups plus a panel: stack, swipe away, open the app | Mirrored notifications | |||
| Clipboard history | Text, links, images and files. Pin, delete, drag out | In its GitHub description | Text, code, links and images. Remove entries | ||
| File tray | Drop files in, drag them out later | File shelf with drag and drop | Since version 1.1.0 (September 2026) | ||
| Bluetooth battery | Yes, including BLE devices | Battery rings for Bluetooth audio | |||
| Mic and camera indicators | |||||
| System monitor | CPU, memory, disk and network | CPU, memory and network | Network latency graph | CPU, memory, network and battery | |
| Volume and brightness | Control Center widget | Volume flyout | Volume and brightness popups | ||
| Timers | Countdown, stopwatch, alarm and Pomodoro. A running timer stays on the island | Countdown timer with sound alert, stopwatch | Focus timer and stopwatch | Pomodoro with seven timer styles | |
| Weather and calendar | Weather, calendar with your next event | Weather | |||
| To-do and notes | Task list in the focus timer | ||||
| App shortcuts | Apps, folders, files and websites | 3 launcher slots | Calculator, Snipping Tool, Task Manager | Favorite apps, projects and detected AI apps | |
| Also has | Quick actions: lock, sleep, mute, theme, snip | Image text extraction (OCR), Quiet Feed mode, virtual pet | Memory optimizer, Night light, Do not disturb | Download progress, Claude Code and Codex panels | GitHub activity, AI usage limits, code playground |
| Look and placement | |||||
| Themes | 14 themes plus a theme editor | Dark and light, accent color | Materials, background effects, accent color | Timer styles, profile image | |
| Position | Eight positions: top, bottom, left or right edge, or any corner. Notch or Island style | Top, or the left or right edge | Top, or the left or right edge | Top of the screen | Top of the screen |
| Show on hover only | Edge reveal | Opens on hover, click to pin | |||
| Multiple monitors | Pick a display or follow the cursor | Pick a display or follow the cursor | |||
| Fullscreen apps | Hides by default, can stay visible | ||||
Who brought it to Windows first
Notchify shipped these first. The other apps added them later, or still do not have them.
| Feature | Notchify had it | The others |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Island app on the Microsoft Store | April 2026 | Smart Notch: May 2026. Halo DynamicWin and Dynamic Edge: August 2026. BuildNotch: not on the Store. |
| File tray with drag and drop | April 2026, first release (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | Halo DynamicWin: August 2026. BuildNotch: September 2026, version 1.1.0. Dynamic Edge: October 2026, version 2.7.34. Smart Notch: none. |
| Clipboard history inside the island | Early August 2026 (Windows Central) | Dynamic Edge: late August 2026. BuildNotch: September 2026. Smart Notch and Halo DynamicWin: none. |
| Drag clipboard items out into other apps | September 2026 (Windows Central) | None of them. |
| Notification panel with swipe to dismiss | September 2026 (Windows Central) | None of them. |
| Frame rate up to 240 Hz | August 2026, version 5.0 (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | None of them. |
Added later by other apps
These Notchify features showed up in other apps afterwards.
| Feature | Notchify had it | Added later by |
|---|---|---|
| Timers in the island | April 2026, first release (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | Dynamic Edge: late August 2026. |
| Choose which monitor the island appears on | By August 10, 2026 (Windows Central) | Dynamic Edge: September 2026, version 2.7.18. |
| Choose which widgets appear | April 2026, first release (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | Dynamic Edge: September 2026, version 2.7.18 (Custom Island Tabs). |
| Interface in 10 languages | April 2026, first release (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | Dynamic Edge: English only in early September 2026, 5 languages later that month, 8 in October 2026. |
| Bluetooth battery level | August 2026, version 5.0 (Store page, archived August 25, 2026) | Dynamic Edge: not in its September 24, 2026 feature list. First listed in version 2.7.34, October 2026. |
| Live synced lyrics | October 3, 2026, version 5.5 (Reddit, October 3, 2026) | Dynamic Edge: October 4, 2026, version 2.7.34 (Reddit, October 4, 2026) |
Coming from a Mac?
Popular MacBook notch apps are made for macOS only. If you use one on your Mac and want the same idea on your PC:
| Mac app | What it is | Runs on | On Windows |
|---|---|---|---|
| NotchNook | A macOS app that turns the MacBook notch into an interactive area for media controls, a file tray and quick actions | macOS only | Notchify for Windows |
| Alcove | A macOS app that brings a Dynamic Island-style experience to the MacBook notch, focused on live activities such as media and device status | macOS only | Notchify for Windows |
| Boring Notch | An open-source macOS app that adds music controls, a file shelf and other utilities to the MacBook notch | macOS only | Notchify for Windows |
| Notchy | A macOS app that turns the notch into a Dynamic Island with music, clipboard, timers and more | macOS only | Notchify for Windows |
Questions
What is the best Dynamic Island app for Windows?
For most people, Notchify. It was the first of these apps on the Microsoft Store, in April 2026, and it still sets the pace: a drag and drop file tray (since its first release) and clipboard history inside the island were in Notchify before any of the other apps here offered them, and its Bluetooth battery level showed up in Dynamic Edge only later. Today it has the widest feature set in one island: media with synced lyrics, notifications with a panel, clipboard history, a file tray, Bluetooth battery, quick actions and 20+ widgets, in a native GPU-accelerated app. Smart Notch, Halo DynamicWin and Dynamic Edge arrived later as free apps with a smaller scope, and BuildNotch is a paid direct download focused on developer tools.
Can I get a Dynamic Island on Windows 11?
Yes. Apps such as Notchify add a Dynamic Island-style control center to the top of the screen on Windows 10 and Windows 11. No special hardware is needed.
Which Dynamic Island app for Windows has clipboard history and a file tray?
Notchify has both, and had them first: the file tray since its first release in April 2026 and clipboard history since early August 2026, with images and files and drag out into other apps. Among the other apps compared here, BuildNotch lists both (its file tray arrived in September 2026), Halo DynamicWin lists a file tray, Dynamic Edge added a file shelf in October 2026 and mentions a clipboard in its GitHub description, and Smart Notch offers neither.
Bring the island to your desktop.
Get Notchify from the Microsoft Store. A free trial is available, so you can try it first.