dmenu Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to dmenu for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is Albert, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to dmenu and 18 are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to dmenu are Ulauncher, Gnome Do, Rofi and Mutate.

dmenu alternatives are mainly Application Launchers but may also be File Search Utilities or Web Search Engines. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of dmenu.

dmenu alternatives page was last updated

dmenu

Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux

dmenu is a dynamic menu for X, originally designed for dwm. It manages large numbers of user-defined menu items efficiently.

Learn more about dmenu

Albert
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
File Search Utility
Web Search Engine
Linux
42 Albert alternatives
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.
- - Albert is the most popular Linux alternative to dmenu.
- - Albert is the most popular Open Source alternative to dmenu.
Suggest and vote on features
Albert Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsAlbert can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
2. No Coding RequiredAlbert can be used without an coding or programming skills.
3. Command line interfaceAlbert either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
4. AutocompletionAlbert can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
5. Ad-freeAlbert doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
6. Works OfflineAlbert can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
7. Currency ConversionAlbert lets you convert different currencies based on the latest exchange rates.
8. LightweightAlbert consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
9. No TrackingAlbert will not track you or use your personal data.
Firefox bookmarks
Search Bar
Launcher
No registration required
Dark Mode
Support for scripting
Support for Themes
Customizable
QT Based
Ulauncher
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
File Search Utility
Linux
44 Ulauncher alternatives
- Ulauncher provides instant search results. It also remembers your previous choices and automatically selects the best option for you.
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Ulauncher Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsUlauncher can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Integrated Search
Launcher
Legacy addons support
Smooth
Comments about Ulauncher as a Alternative to dmenu
pros, cons and recent comments
Lucas Eduardo
Its like keypirinha but for linux, very nice to use and have nice modules to extend.
Positive comment•
0
Gnome Do
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
79 Gnome Do alternatives
GNOME Do allows you to quickly search for many items present on your desktop or the web, and perform useful actions on those items.
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Gnome Do Features
1. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsGnome Do can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Discontinued
The program seems to be no longer updated. Last version, 0.95.3, released on November 2014, can be still downloaded from Launchpad.
Rofi
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
File Search Utility
Linux
18 Rofi alternatives
Rofi started as clone of simpleswitcher, written by Sean Pringle a popup window switcher roughly based on superswitcher. Simpleswitcher laid the foundations and therefor Sean Pringle deserves most of the credit for this tool.
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Rofi Features
Window Switching
Comments about Rofi as a Alternative to dmenu
Almost everyone thinks Rofi is a great dmenu alternative.
Guest
It's just like UI component to show filterable list without much other logic, it's possible to simply create launcher with custom behavior.
Positive comment•
1

Guest
it's more exstensible and more powerful, yet light
Positive comment•
0
Mutate
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
File Search Utility
Linux
56 Mutate alternatives
Mutate is a simple launcher inspired by Alfred for Ubuntu.
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Mutate Features
Launcher
Discontinued
The last commit to the GitHub repo was on November 5th, 2015.
Application Finder
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
Xfce
36 Application Finder alternatives
The Application Finder is a program to find and launch installed applications on your system, and quickly execute commands.
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Application Finder Features
Dashboard
bemenu
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Linux
2 bemenu alternatives
Dynamic menu library and client program inspired by dmenu.
Suggest and vote on features
bemenu Features
1. Lightweightbemenu consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Wayland Support
Launcher
Gnome-Pie
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
16 Gnome-Pie alternatives
Gnome-Pie is a circular application launcher for Linux. It is made of several pies, each consisting of multiple slices. The user presses a key stroke which opens the desired pie. By activating one of its slices, applications may be launched, key presses may be simulated or files...
Gnome-Pie has no features, suggest some!
xlunch
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
4 xlunch alternatives
Welcome! This is xlunch, the coolest graphical app launcher for Xorg/X11. It requires only pure Xlib and Imlib2. It allows you to run programs, commands, or simply select something out of a list using your mouse, keyboard, or both!
xlunch has no features, suggest some!
Gnome Completion-Run Utility
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
18 Gnome Completion-Run Utility alternatives
Application launcher with bash-like completion. It's a simple program which provides a "run program" window, featuring a bash-like TAB completion. It uses GTK+ interface. Also, supports CTRL-R / CTRL-S / "!" for searching through history. Running commands.
Gnome Completion-Run Utility has no features, suggest some!
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j4-dmenu-desktop
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
11 j4-dmenu-desktop alternatives
j4-dmenu-desktop is a replacement for i3-dmenu-desktop. It's purpose is to find .desktop files and offer you a menu to start an application using dmenu. Since r2.7 j4-dmenu-desktop doesn't require i3wm anymore and should work just fine on about any desktop environment.
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j4-dmenu-desktop Features
Launcher
Add a screenshot

Comments about j4-dmenu-desktop as a Alternative to dmenu
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
Consider dmenu as also loading desktop files, so you can find your applications easily. j4-dmenu-desktop is the best alternative to dmenu.
Positive comment•
0
grun
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Application Launcher
Linux
20 grun alternatives
gRun is a GTK based Run dialog that closely resembles the Windows Run dialog, just like xexec. It has a intelligent history mechanism and a dual level fork() mechanism for launching the application in its own process.
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grun Features
Launcher
Gtk