Start with the Memory pane
Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities and select Memory. Find the app process and record the App Memory column, then note the system-wide Memory Pressure graph, Compressed, and Swap Used values. Apple describes memory pressure as a system measure based on free memory, swap, wired memory, and cached files; it is not the same as an app’s memory column. See Apple’s Activity Monitor memory guide.
Compare like with like
- Write down the Mac model and installed memory, macOS version, app build, and the process name shown in Activity Monitor.
- Choose one workload: for example, the app idle, one widget open, or a defined repeated action. Record which widgets and other apps are running.
- Wait for the same warm-up period, then capture several readings at fixed intervals. Repeat after quitting and reopening the app.
- Keep the raw observations with their timestamps. If comparing versions or apps, use the same machine, workload, and settings for each run.
Interpret the result carefully
Activity Monitor reports a snapshot. Memory can change with cached images, open widgets, operating-system work, and the length of the session. A single process value does not show total system pressure, and a low app value does not by itself prove better responsiveness. Look at the app’s readings alongside the pressure graph and swap activity.
The earlier fixed RAM figures for NotchDock are not supported by a reproducible measurement record, so this page makes no NotchDock memory-size or comparison claim. If you publish a result later, include the exact release, Mac, macOS, workload, sample times, and raw values.