Plank AlternativesApplication Launchers and other similar apps like Plank

Plank is described as 'Is meant to be the simplest dock on the planet. The goal is to provide just what a dock needs and absolutely nothing more. It is, however, a library which can be extended to create other dock programs with more advanced features' and is a application launcher in the os & utilities category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Plank for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, KDE Plasma, GNOME and Xfce apps. The best Plank alternative is RocketDock, which is free. Other great apps like Plank are Cairo-Dock, ObjectDock, Docky and Eww.

Plank iconPlank
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Plank is meant to be the simplest dock on the planet. The goal is to provide just what a dock needs and absolutely nothing...

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Plank alternatives page was last updated Nov 23, 2024
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Alternatives
  1. RocketDock icon

    RocketDock

     291 likes
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    RocketDock is a Mac OS X dock clone. It provides a nice clean interface to drop shortcuts on for easy access and organization. With each item completely customizable there is no end to what you can add and launch from the dock.

    68 RocketDock alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    RocketDock screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The program is no longer updated, but last version, 1.3.5, released in September 2008, can be still downloaded from the official website. "It is true, RocketDock has been discontinued. [...] The app remains available on https://rocketdock.com, but is unsupported."

    RocketDock Features

    1.  Dock
    2.  Launcher

    RocketDock VS Plank

     

    • RocketDock is the most popular Windows alternative to Plank.

    • RocketDock is the most popular free alternative to Plank.

    • RocketDock is Free and ProprietaryPlank is Free and Open Source
  2. Cairo-Dock icon

    Cairo-Dock

     79 likes
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    Cairo-Dock is an animated application launch bar for the desktop, comparable to the dock in Mac OS X or Rocket Dock (for Windows).

    49 Cairo-Dock alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Xfce
    • Wayland
    Cairo-Dock screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Dock
    4.  Launcher

    Cairo-Dock VS Plank

     

    • Cairo-Dock is the most popular Linux alternative to Plank.

    • Cairo-Dock is the most popular Open Source alternative to Plank.

    • Cairo-Dock is Free and Open SourcePlank is also Free and Open Source
  4. ObjectDock icon

    ObjectDock

     62 likes
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    ObjectDock is an animated dock for Windows that enables you to quickly access and launch your favorite applications, files and shortcuts.

    55 ObjectDock alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ObjectDock screenshot 1

    ObjectDock Features

    1.  Launcher
    2.  Dock

    ObjectDock VS Plank

     

    • ObjectDock is the most popular commercial alternative to Plank.

    • ObjectDock is Paid and ProprietaryPlank is Free and Open Source
  5. Docky icon

    Docky

     129 likes
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    Docky is a full fledged dock application that makes opening common applications and managing windows easier and quicker. Docky is fully integrated into the GNOME Desktop and features a no non-sense approach to configuration and usage. It just works.

    52 Docky alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Banshee Application Controls
    Discontinued

    Last commit and last available version from 2015-09-02

    Docky Features

    1.  Dock
    2.  Window docking
    3.  Launcher

    Docky VS Plank

     
  6. Eww icon

    Eww

     11 likes
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    Elkowars Wacky Widgets is a standalone widget system made in Rust that allows you to implement your own, custom widgets in any window manager.

    53 Eww alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Eww screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Support for scripting
    2.  Widgets
    3.  Custom widgets
    4.  Gtk
    5.  Rust

    Eww VS Plank

     
  7. Sidebar icon

    Sidebar

     2 likes
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    Sidebar transforms the macOS Dock experience, offering multi-screen support, customizable preferences, live previews on Ventura, and window management with WindowSnap. It reserves screen space to optimize display usage and supports storing multiple window configurations for flexible setups.

    56 Sidebar alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Sidebar screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    3.  Live Preview
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Multi-Screen
    7.  Snap windows
    8.  Dock
    9.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    10.  Sidebar

    Sidebar VS Plank

     

    • Sidebar is the most popular Mac alternative to Plank.

    • Sidebar is Paid and ProprietaryPlank is Free and Open Source
  9. Latte Dock icon

    Latte Dock

     11 likes
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    Latte is a dock based on plasma frameworks that provides an elegant and intuitive experience for your tasks and plasmoids. It animates its contents by using parabolic zoom effect and trys to be there only when it is needed.

    22 Latte Dock alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • KDE
    Latte Dock screenshot 1

    Latte Dock Features

    1.  Dock

    Latte Dock VS Plank

     
  10. CLaunch icon

    CLaunch

     13 likes
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    You are free to choose double-click on the desktop and move mouse to the corner of the screen, such as a hot key, how to display more than 100.

    56 CLaunch alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    CLaunch screenshot 1
    Warning

    VirusTotal categorizes it as a trojan when uploaded to the site: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/16c7a291d2fceda4942a17bdeef55ae34fd9db781a18e4d43dfcb8f79d13e957

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  No registration required
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Portable
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Support for Gestures

    CLaunch VS Plank

     
  11. Avant Window Navigator icon

    Avant Window Navigator

     63 likes
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    Avant Window Navigator (AWN/Awn) is a dock-like navigation bar for the linux desktop that positions itself at the bottom of the screen. It can be used to keep track of open windows and behaves like a normal window list.

    67 Avant Window Navigator alternatives

    License model

    • Free Personal • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Avant Window Navigator screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Doesn't seem to be activaly maintained anymore. Last update was in 2017.

    Avant Window Navigator Features

    1.  Window docking
    2.  Launcher
    3.  Dock

    Avant Window Navigator VS Plank

     
  12. Clipman icon

    Clipman

     15 likes
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    Clipman is a clipboard manager for Xfce. It keeps the clipboard contents around while it is usually lost when you close an application. It is able to handle text and images, and has a feature to execute actions on specific text selections by matching them against regular...

    100 Clipman alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Xfce
    Clipman in use as a panel plug-in

    Clipman Features

    1.  Standalone

    Clipman VS Plank

     

  13. nwg-dock

     1 like
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    Fully configurable (w/ command line arguments and css) dock, written in Go, aimed exclusively at sway Wayland compositor. It features pinned buttons, task buttons, the workspace switcher and the launcher button.

    49 nwg-dock alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • PL flagPoland
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    nwg-dock screenshot 1

    nwg-dock Features

    1.  Dock
    2.  Golang

    nwg-dock VS Plank

     
  14. Dash to Panel icon

    Dash to Panel

     3 likes
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    An icon taskbar for the GNOME Shell. This extension moves the dash into the GNOME main panel so that the application launchers and system tray are combined into a single panel, similar to that found in KDE Plasma and Windows 7+.

    10 Dash to Panel alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • GNOME
    Dash to Panel screenshot 1

    Dash to Panel VS Plank

     
12 of 18 Plank alternatives