The Best Alfred AlternativesTop Application Launchers & File Search Utilities like Alfred

Alfred is described as 'Productivity application for macOS, which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords and text expansion. Search your Mac and the web, and control your Mac using custom actions with the Powerpack' and is a very popular application launcher in the os & utilities category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Alfred for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, File Explorer and Safari apps. The best Alfred alternative is Wox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Alfred are Listary, Microsoft PowerToys, Keypirinha and Cerebro.

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Alfred alternatives are mainly Application Launchers but may also be File Search Utilities or Clipboard Managers.  Other popular filters includes Windows + Open Source. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Alfred.
Alfred iconAlfred
  293
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Alfred is a productivity application for macOS, which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords and text expansion. Search your Mac and the web, and control your Mac using custom actions with the Powerpack.

More about Alfred
More about Alfred
Alfred alternatives page was last updated Dec 5, 2024
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  1. Wox icon
    Wox icon

    Wox

     189 likes
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    Wox is a full-featured plugin-powered launcher that supports file and web searching.

    48 Wox alternatives
    Wox screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Wox Features

    1.  Application Launchers
    2.  Integrated Search
    Wox screenshot 1
    Wox screenshot 2
    +1
    Wox screenshot 3
    Wox iconAlfred Icon

    Wox VS Alfred

    Is Wox a good alternative to Alfred?
     
    Comments about Wox as an Alternative to Alfred
     
    Guest

    The polish isn't there, looks like it was made 10 years ago. Kinda slow.

    Negative comment •May 27, 2020
    3
    Guest

    Windows exclusively. Alfred is a Mac-only program.

    Negative comment •Aug 22, 2019
    -54
    Alfred Icon
    Wox icon

    • Most users think Wox is a great Alfred alternative.

    • Wox is the most popular Windows alternative to Alfred.

    • Wox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Alfred.

    • Wox is Free and Open SourceAlfred is Freemium and Proprietary
  2. Listary icon
    Listary icon

    Listary

     273 likes
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    Listary is a revolutionary search utility for Windows that makes finding your files and launching applications blazing fast, for casual and power users alike!.

    110 Listary alternatives
    Global Search

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    • File Explorer
    Web Search
    Listary screenshot 2
    +1
    General Settings

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Fast file and folder search
    2.  Windows Explorer Extension
    3.  Integrated Search
    4.  File Search
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Full-Text Search
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Quick Switch
    9.  Content Searching
    10.  Fuzzy Finder
    11.  Portable
    12.  Export to Excel
    Listary iconAlfred Icon

    Listary VS Alfred

    Is Listary a good alternative to Alfred?
     
    Comments about Listary as an Alternative to Alfred
     
    ProfessionalGeek

    Missing lots of critical features.

    Negative comment •Mar 26, 2022
    0
    Guest

    Fast and extensive configuration making it easy to find and use it everywhere.

    Positive comment •Aug 21, 2019
    3
    Guest

    Support for app switching via switcheroo is terrible.

    Negative comment •Mar 25, 2019
    -4
    Alfred Icon
    Listary icon

    • Most users think Listary is a great Alfred alternative.

    • Listary is Freemium and ProprietaryAlfred is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • Listary is LightweightAlfred is not according to our users
  4. Microsoft PowerToys icon
    Microsoft PowerToys icon

    Microsoft PowerToys

     192 likes
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    Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users aimed at enhancing Windows productivity. The available utilities include:

    55 Microsoft PowerToys alternatives
    Microsoft PowerToys screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Microsoft PowerToys screenshot 1
    Microsoft PowerToys screenshot 2
    +4
    Microsoft PowerToys screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  File Search
    2.  Tiling Window Manager
    3.  Key Mapping
    4.  Color Picker
    5.  SVG Preview
    6.  Application Launchers
    7.  Windows Explorer Extension
    8.  Batch Rename Files
    9.  On top
    10.  Snap windows
    11.  OCR
    12.  Ad-free
    13.  Works Offline
    14.  Snapping
    15.  No registration required
    16.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    17.  Dark Mode
    18.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    Microsoft PowerToys iconAlfred Icon

    Microsoft PowerToys VS Alfred

    Is Microsoft PowerToys a good alternative to Alfred?
     
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    Screenshot
    Raycast icon

    Raycast

    Raycast lets you control your tools with a few keystrokes. It’s designed to keep you focused.

    https://raycast.com
    Learn More
  6. Keypirinha icon
    Keypirinha icon

    Keypirinha

     209 likes
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    A lightning fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows. No installation required (portable). Extensible with Python3 plugins.

    155 Keypirinha alternatives
    smart search

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    customizable interface
    math expressions evaluator
    +2
    base converter

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Launcher
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Application Launchers
    5.  File Search
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Support for scripting
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Calculus solving
    Keypirinha iconAlfred Icon

    Keypirinha VS Alfred

    Is Keypirinha a good alternative to Alfred?
     
  7. Cerebro icon
    Cerebro icon

    Cerebro

     54 likes
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    Cerebro is an open source and free electron-based productivity software alternative to Alfred and Spotlight. It is focused on speed and good UI and UX. In most cases you don't even need to open another application, because you can see results right in Cerebro, like google...

    52 Cerebro alternatives
    Cerebro screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Cerebro screenshot 1
    Cerebro screenshot 2
    +2
    Cerebro screenshot 3

    Cerebro Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Theme changing
    3.  Launcher
    4.  Electron based
    5.  Calculus solving
    6.  Multiplatform Export
    Cerebro iconAlfred Icon

    Cerebro VS Alfred

    Is Cerebro a good alternative to Alfred?
     
    Comments about Cerebro as an Alternative to Alfred
     
    jtflynnz

    Customizable, nice collection of plugins, and cross platform. Some rough edges, but has advanced nicely onward.

    Positive comment •Apr 25, 2018
    0
    Alfred Icon
    Cerebro icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Cerebro is a great Alfred alternative.

    • Cerebro is the most popular Mac & Linux alternative to Alfred.

    • Cerebro is Free and Open SourceAlfred is Freemium and Proprietary
  8. Flow Launcher icon
    Flow Launcher icon

    Flow Launcher

     51 likes
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    Dedicated to make your workflow flow more seamlessly. Aimed at being more than an app launcher, it searches, integrates and expands on functionalities. Flow will continue to evolve, designed to be open and built with the community at heart.

    34 Flow Launcher alternatives
    Flow Launcher screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Flow Launcher screenshot 1
    Flow Launcher screenshot 2
    +2
    Flow Launcher screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Application Launchers
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  File Search
    4.  Portable
    5.  Indexed search
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Built-in viewer
    11.  No Tracking
    Flow Launcher iconAlfred Icon

    Flow Launcher VS Alfred

    Is Flow Launcher a good alternative to Alfred?
     
  10. Albert icon
    Albert icon

    Albert

     69 likes
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    Albert is a C++/Qt based desktop agnostic keyboard launcher that helps you to accomplish your workflows in a breeze. Its goals are usability and beauty, performance and extensibility.

    55 Albert alternatives
    Apps

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Arch wiki
    Calculator (Qalculate)
    +9
    Clipboard history

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Coding Required
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Currency Conversion
    8.  No Tracking
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Support for scripting
    12.  Firefox bookmarks
    13.  Search Bar
    14.  Launcher
    15.  QT Based
    Albert iconAlfred Icon

    Albert VS Alfred

    Is Albert a good alternative to Alfred?
     
  11. ueli icon
    ueli icon

    ueli

     63 likes
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    Developed with the Electron framework, ueli is the type of tool that adopts simplicity, leaving out any unnecessary options and configuration settings. It creates an icon in the system tray at startup, where it sits silently throughout its runtime, without disturbing you with...

    77 ueli alternatives
    ueli screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    ueli screenshot 1
    ueli screenshot 2
    +6
    ueli screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Application Launchers
    2.  File Search
    3.  Custom commands
    4.  Portable
    5.  Fast file and folder search
    6.  Launcher
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    ueli iconAlfred Icon

    ueli VS Alfred

    Is ueli a good alternative to Alfred?
     
  12. Raycast icon
    Raycast icon

    Raycast

     38 likes
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    Raycast lets you control your tools with a few keystrokes. It’s designed to keep you focused.

    61 Raycast alternatives
    Raycast screenshot 1

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    Raycast screenshot 1
    Raycast screenshot 2
    +1
    Raycast screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Application Launchers
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  File Search
    4.  Keyboard Shortcuts
    5.  Support for scripting
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Built-in viewer
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  No Tracking
    Raycast iconAlfred Icon

    Raycast VS Alfred

    Is Raycast a good alternative to Alfred?
     
    Comments about Raycast as an Alternative to Alfred
     
    Mauricio B. Holguin

    Raycast’s biggest advantage over Alfred has to be its super extensive and powerful marketplace of third-party plugins that integrate directly into the launcher, letting you do things like manage your Notion notebooks. Plus, its AI features are really well done. In my opinion, it’s not just the best alternative to Alfred—it actually beats it in many ways.

    Positive comment •Dec 5, 2024
    0
    Alfred Icon
    Raycast icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Raycast is a great Alfred alternative.

    • Raycast is Freemium and ProprietaryAlfred is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • Raycast is Privacy focused and LightweightAlfred is not according to our users
  13. Ulauncher icon
    Ulauncher icon

    Ulauncher

     47 likes
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    • Ulauncher provides instant search results. It also remembers your previous choices and automatically selects the best option for you.
    55 Ulauncher alternatives
    Dark theme

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    File browser
    White theme

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Application Launchers
    3.  Integrated Search
    4.  File Search
    5.  Launcher
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Smooth
    12.  Legacy addons support
    Ulauncher iconAlfred Icon

    Ulauncher VS Alfred

    Is Ulauncher a good alternative to Alfred?
     
    Comments about Ulauncher as an Alternative to Alfred
     
    Guest

    Nice tool, love it! Perfect for Fedora users.

    Positive comment •Nov 23, 2019
    -1
    Alfred Icon
    Ulauncher icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Ulauncher is a great Alfred alternative.

    • Ulauncher is Free and Open SourceAlfred is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Ulauncher is LightweightAlfred is not according to our users
10 of 116 Alfred alternatives