Dropover and Toolnotch both give you a shelf: a place to drop files while you move between folders and apps, then drag them out where they need to go. Dropover is built for that one job and does it in depth: a shake of the pointer opens a shelf, you can keep several named shelves, upload to the cloud and get a link, and build your own actions. Toolnotch's shelf is part of its clipboard history, Pasteback, and lives under the MacBook notch. It's simpler, it keeps new screenshots for you automatically, and it can compress, convert or clean an image in one drop. And it comes with Toolnotch's other tools, a clipboard history, a window manager, eye breaks and keep-awake, for one price.
I make Toolnotch, so weigh that. Dropover's details come from dropoverapp.com, its FAQ and its Mac App Store listing, checked on 20 October 2026.
What each app does
| Dropover | Toolnotch (Pasteback shelf) | |
|---|---|---|
| Collect files, then drag them out together | Yes | Yes, one or several at once |
| How you open it | Shake the pointer while dragging, drop on the notch or menu bar icon, or a shortcut | Drag a file to the notch (or the middle of the menu bar) and drop it on « Keep on the shelf » |
| Several shelves at once, named and coloured | Yes | No, one shelf |
| Links, text and web images on the shelf | Yes | Files; text and links go to the clipboard history |
| New screenshots appear by themselves | Watched folders show a shelf when files arrive | Yes, on their own row for 24 hours |
| Resize or compress images | Resize | Compress (shows the size before and after), keeps PNG transparency |
| Convert image format | Not mentioned | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, AVIF |
| Remove location and camera data | Not mentioned | Yes, and lists what it removed |
| Extract text | Yes | Yes, ⇧⌘2 on screen and search inside images in the history |
| ZIP archives | Yes | No |
| Cloud upload with a share link | Yes: Dropover Cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, S3, Imgur | No |
| AirDrop and the Share menu | Yes | AirDrop |
| Custom actions, scripts, Shortcuts, widgets, Alfred and Raycast | Yes | No |
| Your original files stay where they are | Yes, it keeps a reference | Yes, never moved or deleted |
| How long files stay | Not stated; the last 10 closed shelves can be reopened | 7 days unless pinned (changeable) |
| Clipboard history, window manager, eye breaks, keep-awake | No | Yes |
"Not mentioned" means Dropover's site doesn't list it.
Price and licence
| Dropover | Toolnotch | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free download; Dropover Pro $7.99 once (in-app) | $19.99 ($4.99 for the first 10 buyers, then $9.99 for the next 100) |
| Free use | 14-day full trial, then free with a 3-second wait before the shelf responds | No trial build; 14-day refund, no questions |
| Where | Mac App Store only | toolnotch.app |
| Macs | Every Mac on your iCloud account | 3 Macs |
| Future tools | Dropover updates | Every future Toolnotch tool included |
| macOS | 13 Ventura or later | 15 Sequoia or later |
Dropover is cheaper and you can use it free with a short delay. Toolnotch costs more because the shelf is one feature among several tools.
The everyday flow
Dropover. Start dragging, shake the pointer, and a shelf appears where you are. Drop, go find the destination, drag everything out. Shelves can be named, colour-coded, pinned in the menu bar or docked at the screen edge. Drop files on an Instant Action to run it at once, such as uploading to the cloud and copying the link.
Toolnotch. Drag a file toward the notch and drop it on « Keep on the shelf ». A small tab under the notch shows what's waiting; click it and drag the files back out into Mail, Slack or Finder. Drop an image on Compress or Remove metadata instead, and the result is on your clipboard ready to paste. Screenshots need no drag at all: every new one waits on its own row for a day, so you can drag it into a chat without opening the Desktop. See drag screenshots into apps.
What Dropover does better
Almost everything about shelves. Several shelves at a time, names and colours, the shake gesture, cloud uploads with a public link (Dropover Cloud is free and anonymous), ZIP archives, watched folders, custom actions and scripts, Shortcuts, desktop widgets, Alfred and Raycast extensions. It holds links and text snippets too. It runs on macOS 13 Ventura, it's free to try for 14 days and to use afterwards with a short delay, and Pro is $7.99. Its App Store rating is 4.9 from 7,700 ratings. If you move a lot of files and share them by link, Dropover is the specialist.
What Toolnotch adds
Image actions in the drop. Compress, Convert and Remove metadata with receipts: Compress shows the size before and after, Remove metadata lists what it stripped and checks the written file.
Screenshots handled for you. The 24-hour row under the notch, with no folder to watch or set up.
The rest of Toolnotch. Pasteback's clipboard history with search inside screenshots and masked secrets; Wyndow, which puts windows back when you replug a display; Bodybreak, eye breaks that wait for calls; Staywake, keep-awake for terminal jobs. One licence covers three Macs and every tool Toolnotch adds later.
Can you run both?
Yes, with one setting. Both can react when you drop a file on the notch. If you prefer Dropover's shelves, turn off Toolnotch's shelf in Settings › Pasteback › Shelf; you can keep the screenshots row or turn it off there too.
Which one to choose
Choose Dropover if files are your main job: many shelves, cloud links, custom actions.
Choose Toolnotch if a single shelf is enough, you want screenshots and image clean-up handled under the notch, and you'd use the clipboard history, window manager and eye breaks too.
Looking at notch apps more broadly? See Toolnotch vs NotchNook, which also has a file tray, and NotchNook alternatives. Try the demos on toolnotch.app, or see pricing.
FAQ
Is Dropover free?
Its download is free with a 14-day full trial. After that it keeps working with a 3-second wait before the shelf responds, unless you buy Dropover Pro for $7.99, a one-time in-app purchase.
Does Toolnotch's shelf move or copy my files?
Neither changes your originals: they're never moved or deleted. Files leave the shelf after 7 days unless you pin them.
Does the shelf work on a Mac without a notch?
Yes. On a display without a notch, drag to the middle of the menu bar; the tab hangs under the menu bar instead.
Can I share a file by link from Toolnotch?
No. Toolnotch offers AirDrop. For cloud links, Dropover does that.