Pulse Island
Pulse transforms the dead space around your Mac's notch into a living, interactive island.
Our verdict
Who it's for
Interactive widgets that bring your Mac's notch to life
Who should look elsewhere
Only available for macOS 14 Sonoma or later, excluding older macOS versions and other platforms.
Pros
- +Local-first architecture ensures all data stays on your Mac, with no accounts or cloud sync required.
- +Extremely lightweight, under 1% idle CPU usage and only polls stats when the island is visible.
- +Gesture-driven interface eliminates the need for keyboard shortcuts or window management.
Cons
- −Only available for macOS 14 Sonoma or later, excluding older macOS versions and other platforms.
- −Future paid plan after beta; current free access is temporary.
Key features
- ✓Universal now playing widget supporting Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, and browser tabs with artwork, scrubbing, and volume control.
- ✓One-click meeting join with automatic detection of Teams, Zoom, Meet, and Webex links and a live countdown.
- ✓Smart clipboard history that shows previews for hex colors, screenshots, links (with host and tracking removal), and filters by type.
- ✓Weather widget with current conditions, hourly and 4-day forecast, and a privacy toggle to disable network access.
- ✓Live system stats monitor for CPU, GPU, memory pressure, network, and disk throughput with customizable tiles.
- ✓Focus sessions (Pomodoro timer) with session tracking and a breathing ring animation.
- ✓Todos and reminders synced from Apple Reminders, checkable directly from the notch.
- ✓Quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, Focus, and other system switches.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Beta) | $0 | month | Universal now playing; One-click meeting join; Clipboard history |