# Dropover alternative: Shelfy vs Dropover > Dropover opens a shelf when you shake the pointer, and has a free version. Shelfy keeps one shelf beside your Dock with your newest files already on it. URL: https://shelfydock.com/vs/dropover/ Author: Ayesha Gagan (https://shelfydock.com/about/) Published: 2026-11-04 · Updated: 2026-11-08 The short answer Pick Dropover if… you want a free shelf, like opening shelves right where your pointer is, keep several named shelves, or need to upload a file and share a link. Pick Shelfy if… you want one shelf that is always in the same place beside the Dock, with your newest screenshots and downloads waiting, no gesture to learn, and nothing to set up. ## Shelfy vs Dropover at a glance Shelfy and Dropover compared, November 4, 2026 | Feature | Shelfy | Dropover | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | **$9.99**, once | Free, or Pro for $7.99 once | | Free version | No (live demo instead) | Yes, with a 3-second wait after 14 days | | Where to buy | shelfydock.com | Mac App Store only | | Needs | macOS 14 Sonoma | macOS 13 Ventura | | How the shelf appears | Always beside the Dock, or shake the pointer | Shake the pointer, a shortcut or the menu bar | | Several shelves at once | One shelf and a recents strip | Yes, named and color-coded | | Newest screenshots and downloads | Ten of each, always on a strip | Can collect screenshots into a shelf | | Search with one shortcut | Yes | See their site | | Resize or convert images, copy text, zip | Yes | Yes | | Remove a photo’s location and camera info | Yes | See their site | | Remove a photo’s background | Yes | See their site | | Upload and copy a share link | No | Yes | | Your own actions, scripts and Shortcuts | No | Yes | Dropover facts are from [its website](https://dropoverapp.com), its FAQ and its Mac App Store listing, checked November 4, 2026. “See their site” means its pages don’t say either way, so we won’t guess. ## What Dropover is, and why people like it Dropover, by Tappable Software, puts a shelf wherever you need one. Start dragging, give the pointer a quick shake, and a small floating shelf appears right there. Drop your files, go where they need to go, and drag them out. You can also open a shelf with a keyboard shortcut, from the menu bar or the MacBook notch, and dock shelves at the edge of the screen. It goes well beyond holding files. Shelves can be named, colored and pinned, and you can reopen recent ones. Built-in actions resize and convert images, pull out text and make ZIP files, and you can add your own actions, scripts and Shortcuts. It can watch folders, collect screenshots, and upload a file to your choice of cloud service and copy the link. The free version is genuinely usable, and Pro is a one-time $7.99. ## Where Dropover is better - **It’s free to start.** After the 14-day trial the free version keeps working, with a short wait each time. Shelfy has no free version. - **Shelves right where you are.** A shake of the pointer opens a shelf at the spot you’re dragging from, and you can keep several, named and colored. Shelfy’s shake brings out a drop target for its one shelf beside the Dock. - **Many shelves.** Keep separate, named, color-coded shelves for different jobs. - **Sharing.** Upload a file and copy a link in one step. Shelfy never uploads anything. - **Automation.** Custom actions, scripts and Shortcuts, plus watched folders. - **macOS 13 and the Mac App Store.** It runs on Ventura, and it installs and updates through the App Store. ## Where Shelfy is better - **Nothing to remember.** No gesture and no new shelf each time: your files are always beside the Dock, exactly where you left them, and pinned items stay put. - **Your newest screenshots and downloads, already there.** Ten of each, on the other side of the Dock, plus screenshots you only copied to the clipboard. Unfinished downloads stay hidden until they’re done. - **⇧⌘Space searches it all** in one panel, with Quick Look on Space. And ⌃⌥V pastes your newest screenshot straight into a message. - **Privacy-first fixes.** Remove a photo’s location, camera and date, or cut out its background, right on your Mac, as a new file. The original is never changed. - **Careful with your files.** Items follow files you rename or move, say so if one goes missing, and every removal can be undone. > According to Shelfy, every file action runs on your Mac and makes a new file next to the original, so a photo you compress or strip of its location is never changed or uploaded. — Shelfy’s own documentation for version 0.2.2. See [the privacy policy](https://shelfydock.com/privacy/) for what the app sends over the internet (only license and update checks). ## Which should you pick? **If you want free, pick Dropover.** Its free version is a fair deal, and Pro is inexpensive if the wait bothers you. It’s also the one for you if you share files by link, run your own actions, or like making a fresh shelf wherever you are. **If you keep losing the file you just saved, pick Shelfy.** It isn’t a shelf you summon; it’s a place that’s always there, with the screenshot you just took and the file you just downloaded already on it. One shelf, one strip, one shortcut. Dropover’s trial costs nothing and Shelfy’s demo runs right here in your browser, so you can try both today. ## Questions about Shelfy and Dropover **Is Shelfy a good Dropover alternative?** Yes, if you want your shelf in one fixed place instead of opening a new one each time. Shelfy sits beside the Dock and also shows your ten newest screenshots and downloads. Shelfy also brings a shelf to the pointer when you shake it while dragging, but if you want several named shelves, or cloud links, stay with Dropover. **Is Dropover free?** Dropover is a free download with a 14-day trial of everything. After that the free version keeps working, but the shelf makes you wait 3 seconds before you can use it. Dropover Pro removes the wait for $7.99, once, as an in-app purchase on the Mac App Store. **Do I have to shake the mouse to use Shelfy?** No. Shelfy’s shelf is always beside the Dock, so you just drop files on it. When the Dock is far away, shaking the pointer while you drag brings a shelf right under it (since version 0.3; you can turn it off). You can also choose Add to Shelfy in Finder’s right-click menu, drop files on Shelfy’s menu bar icon, or press ⌘V in its panel. **Can Shelfy upload a file and give me a share link?** No. Shelfy keeps everything on your Mac and never uploads files. Dropover can upload to its own cloud, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, S3 or Imgur and copy a link for you. **Which one runs on macOS 13 Ventura?** Dropover does: it needs macOS 13 or later. Shelfy needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. ## Sources - [Dropover](https://dropoverapp.com), checked November 4, 2026 - [Dropover FAQ](https://dropoverapp.com/faq), checked November 4, 2026 - [Dropover on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1355679052), checked November 4, 2026 - [Shelfy’s own facts](https://shelfydock.com/), version 0.3.0