VIBRESIA

Creative tools compared

TouchDesigner vs Notch: one runs on a Mac, the other cannot

By Syd Lawrence, a visual artist and developer who makes Vibresia. Facts last checked 2 November 2026; updated 3 November 2026.

If you are on a Mac, pick TouchDesigner, because Notch cannot run on macOS at all. If you are on Windows and want real-time 3D made for concerts, live events and broadcast, pick Notch, whose VFX licence is US$1,399 a year. Both drive a graph of nodes while something else is happening. The licences part company, because TouchDesigner has a free Non-Commercial licence and the free option from Notch is a 60-day trial.

TouchDesignerNotch
What it isDerivative's node-based visual programming environment for real-time interactive media.Notch is the 3D motion design tool that brings your imagination to life in real time.
PriceFree version; paid from US$300US$279 a year
Runs onWindows, MacWindows
RequirementsmacOS 13 or later on a 2020-or-later Mac (Apple silicon highly recommended); Windows 10 or 11Windows 10 or later, 64-bit, with a discrete GPU, minimum NVIDIA RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon VII, and 4GB of VRAM for 4K output
Free versionNon-Commercial is free but capped at 1280x1280 output and not for paid work.The trial is free for 60 days with the same functionality as Indie, requires a Notch account login, and projects saved with the trial cannot be opened in VFX or RFX without a paid conversion.
Known forA free Non-Commercial licence for personal use and learningFour physically based GPU renderers under NURA that can be switched between in real time without changing the scene, lighting or materials.
Best forArtists and developers building interactive installations, live visuals and generative work.Professional real-time 3D motion design for concerts and live events, interactive installations, broadcast and delivery to media servers.

Control and connections

TouchDesignerNotch
MIDIYes: TouchDesigner reads MIDI with the MIDI In CHOP and sends MIDI with the MIDI Out CHOP, which can address any available MIDI device.Yes: Notch reads control change and note data from a selected MIDI device to drive modifier values.
OSCYes: TouchDesigner supports Open Sound Control through four operators, the OSC In CHOP and OSC Out CHOP for CHOP channels and the OSC In DAT and OSC Out DAT for raw messages, all over UDP.Yes: Notch sends and receives OSC over the network to control project values and, in standalone, the play head.
SyphonYes: Syphon is supported on macOS by the Syphon Spout In TOP and Syphon Spout Out TOP, which share textures with other applications through shared memory, with Syphon restricted to 8-bit RGBA.Not that we could find
SpoutYes: Spout is supported on Windows by the same two operators, and requires an Nvidia or AMD GPU because Intel does not work, with Spout limited by default to 10 active senders per computer.Yes: Notch can act as a Spout sender or receiver to share textures with other programs on the same GPU.
NDIYes: NDI is built in as native operators, the NDI In TOP, NDI Out TOP and NDI DAT, using the NDI SDK bundled with each build, with no documented limit on frame rate or resolution beyond the hardware, while multi-cast configuration is done outside TouchDesigner with the separate NDI Access Manager tool.Yes: Notch can bring NDI sources into the nodegraph and can output an NDI stream from the viewport or from an NDI Output node.
DMXYes: The DMX Out CHOP sends channels to DMX, Art-Net, sACN, KiNET and FTDI devices, and a DMX In CHOP receives DMX, with DMX512 hardware limited to a 44Hz refresh rate.Yes: Notch receives DMX over ArtNet to control exposed parameters and transport, though ArtNet does not operate inside a media server.
Video in and outYes: Video input comes from the Video Device In TOP for external cameras, capture cards, capture dongles, IP cameras and decoders, with several devices able to stream at once, while output goes to the screen, to SDI and HDMI cards via the Video Device Out TOP, or to TouchPlayer for standalone playback; the Non-Commercial licence caps image resolution at 1280x1280.Yes: Notch outputs video to displays, to media servers as Notch Blocks and to standalone executables, and can also stream over NDI, Spout, RTMP and a virtual webcam.

Every row comes from the app's own documentation, on the date shown in the sources below. "Not that we could find" means we could not find it documented, not that the app cannot do it.

Pick TouchDesigner if

you are on a Mac, or you want to learn on a node environment without paying for it, or you want MIDI, OSC, DMX, Syphon, Spout and NDI in the box with nothing to install. The Non-Commercial licence is Free and caps output at 1280x1280, and Commercial is US$600, one time.

Pick Notch if

you are on Windows and want real-time 3D made for concerts and live events, or you need the show to travel as a self-contained block or executable that a media server can run. The Indie licence is US$279 a year for hobbyists and non-commercial work, and the VFX licence is US$1,399 a year.

Why people compare them

They get compared because they are being asked to do the same job: real-time 3D that keeps running while a show or an installation is going on. Notch is the 3D motion design tool that brings your imagination to life in real time. TouchDesigner is Derivative's node-based visual programming environment for real-time interactive media.

What each one is built to deliver is different. Notch is for professional real-time 3D motion design at concerts and live events, for interactive installations, for broadcast and for delivery to media servers. TouchDesigner is for artists and developers building interactive installations, live visuals and generative work.

One fact settles most of these comparisons before any feature list does. Notch is listed for Windows only. TouchDesigner runs on Windows, Mac.

Where TouchDesigner wins

It runs on the computer you already have. TouchDesigner runs on Windows, Mac, and Notch is listed for Windows only, so on a Mac TouchDesigner is the one of the two that runs on your own hardware.

The connections are in the box. TouchDesigner reads MIDI with the MIDI In CHOP and sends MIDI with the MIDI Out CHOP, which can address any available MIDI device. TouchDesigner supports Open Sound Control through four operators, the OSC In CHOP and OSC Out CHOP for CHOP channels and the OSC In DAT and OSC Out DAT for raw messages, all over UDP. NDI is built in as native operators, the NDI In TOP, NDI Out TOP and NDI DAT, using the NDI SDK bundled with each build, with no documented limit on frame rate or resolution beyond the hardware, while multi-cast configuration is done outside TouchDesigner with the separate NDI Access Manager tool.

Shared textures come with it. Syphon is supported on macOS by the Syphon Spout In TOP and Syphon Spout Out TOP, which share textures with other applications through shared memory, with Syphon restricted to 8-bit RGBA. Spout is supported on Windows by the same two operators, and requires an Nvidia or AMD GPU because Intel does not work, with Spout limited by default to 10 active senders per computer.

It sends lighting data out of the box. The DMX Out CHOP sends channels to DMX, Art-Net, sACN, KiNET and FTDI devices, and a DMX In CHOP receives DMX, with DMX512 hardware limited to a 44Hz refresh rate.

You can learn on it without paying. A free Non-Commercial licence for personal use and learning Non-Commercial is free but capped at 1280x1280 output and not for paid work.

The picture can leave the machine. Video input comes from the Video Device In TOP for external cameras, capture cards, capture dongles, IP cameras and decoders, with several devices able to stream at once, while output goes to the screen, to SDI and HDMI cards via the Video Device Out TOP, or to TouchPlayer for standalone playback; the Non-Commercial licence caps image resolution at 1280x1280.

Where Notch wins

The 3D is the product, not a by-product. Four physically based GPU renderers under NURA that can be switched between in real time without changing the scene, lighting or materials.

It ships as something a media server can run. Self-contained Notch Blocks and standalone executables that run in all major media servers for live events and installations. That export sits in the RFX licence, which is US$2,589 a year, and the VFX licence excludes Notch Blocks and standalone EXE export.

It composites video and renders it out. Real-time video compositing and VFX including background removal and keying, with offline render output up to 16k by 16k on the VFX licence.

It takes live control from the room. Live control from OSC, MIDI, Artnet, NDI and Spout, plus depth cameras, Kinect and tracking systems such as Blacktrax and OptiTrack.

Paid work is allowed once you buy the right licence. The VFX licence adds support and no commercial revenue limit, and it costs US$1,399 a year.

Video is a first-class output. Notch outputs video to displays, to media servers as Notch Blocks and to standalone executables, and can also stream over NDI, Spout, RTMP and a virtual webcam.

Where both fall short

Neither one plays by itself. Both are tools you build in, and the result is only as good as the work you put into it.

Both take something back in the free version. Non-Commercial is free but capped at 1280x1280 output and not for paid work. The Indie licence is for hobbyists and non-commercial work. Indie excludes NDI and Spout, as well as Notch Blocks and standalone EXE export.

Each licence leaves a gap you have to plan for. The Non-Commercial licence excludes a subset of Pro and Commercial operators, including the Shared Memory OPs and DirectX OPs, and its keys are single use with 10 keys per account. Notch states one exclusion on the RFX licence: Software-only licence, a portable USB dongle licence is required.

A Notch trial project cannot be carried forward. Projects saved with the trial cannot be opened in VFX or RFX unless they are converted.

Both want a recent machine. TouchDesigner needs macOS 13 or later on a 2020-or-later Mac (Apple silicon highly recommended); Windows 10 or 11. Notch needs Windows 10 or later, 64-bit, with a discrete GPU, minimum NVIDIA RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon VII, and 4GB of VRAM for 4K output.

Both cap what can leave the tool. Syphon and Spout transfer textures through shared memory, so they work only on the computer TouchDesigner is running on and cannot send textures to another computer. Indie exports of video and stills are limited to MP4/H.264/H.265 at 1080p.

What it costs

TouchDesigner sells licences you keep. The Non-Commercial licence is Free for personal use and learning, capped at 1280x1280 output. Educational is US$300, one-time and rules out paid work, Commercial is US$600, one-time for paid projects, and Pro is US$2,200, one-time, which adds six hours of Pro Support. Derivative lists those as from prices, and a licence includes a year of updates.

Notch now sells subscriptions rather than licences: Indie, VFX and RFX are available monthly or annually, with separate paid playback licences for playing Notch content in media servers and paid render node licences. The Indie licence is US$279 a year, and it is the tier for hobbyists and non-commercial work. The VFX licence is US$1,399 a year, or US$139 a month, and it adds support and no commercial revenue limit. The RFX licence is US$2,589 a year, and it is the tier that exports Notch Blocks, Standalone and VR executables for media servers. A Render Node is US$249 a year, or US$50 a month.

So the two price lists do not meet. The route to paid work in TouchDesigner is a one-off US$600. The route to paid work in Notch is US$1,399 every year, or US$2,589 every year if you need the media server delivery.

Questions people ask

Does Notch run on a Mac?

No. Notch is listed for Windows only, and it cannot run on macOS at all. Its stated requirements are Windows 10 or later, 64-bit, with a discrete GPU, minimum NVIDIA RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon VII, and 4GB of VRAM for 4K output. TouchDesigner runs on Windows, Mac, so on a Mac TouchDesigner is the one of the two that runs on your own hardware.

Can I use Notch for paid work?

Only on the VFX licence or above. The Indie licence is for hobbyists and non-commercial work. The VFX licence adds support and no commercial revenue limit, and it is US$1,399 a year.

Which one is cheaper?

TouchDesigner has a free Non-Commercial licence for learning, and a Commercial licence is US$600 once. Notch starts at US$279 a year for the Indie licence, and the licence you would need for paid work is US$1,399 a year.

Do they both handle MIDI, OSC and NDI?

TouchDesigner has MIDI, OSC, Syphon, Spout, NDI and DMX built in, with no add-on to install. Notch documents MIDI, OSC, NDI, Spout and DMX over ArtNet, but its Syphon status is unknown, and the Indie licence excludes NDI and Spout.

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Sources

Every fact about another app on this page comes from the source listed for it, on the date shown. We make Vibresia, so we've tried to say where each of the others is the better choice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.