Spotlight AlternativesApplication Launchers & File Search Utilities like Spotlight

Spotlight is described as 'The system-wide desktop search feature built into Apple's OS X operating system since version 10.4 (Tiger). Backed by an index of all items and files on the system, it's designed to allow the user to quickly locate a wide variety of items on the computer' and is a application launcher in the file management category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Spotlight for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based and Google Chrome apps. The best Spotlight alternative is Everything, which is free. Other great apps like Spotlight are Flow Launcher, Keypirinha, Alfred and DocFetcher.

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Spotlight alternatives are mainly Application Launchers but may also be File Search Utilities or Web Search Engines.  Other popular filters includes Linux + File Search. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Spotlight.
Spotlight iconSpotlight
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Spotlight is the system-wide desktop search feature built into Apple's OS X operating system since version 10.4 (Tiger). Backed by an index of all items and files on the system, it's designed to allow the user to...

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Spotlight alternatives page was last updated Dec 5, 2024
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  1. Everything icon
    Everything icon

    Everything

     1177 likes
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    An administrative tool that finds files and folders by filename instantly, displaying all files on local or network drives. Supports filters, 19 languages, portable usage, lightweight resource consumption, no tracking, and dark mode.

    109 Everything alternatives
    Locate files and folders by name instantly.

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Clean design
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  File Search
    2.  Instant results
    3.  Fast file and folder search
    4.  Support for regular expressions
    5.  Quick search
    6.  Monitor File Changes
    7.  Portable
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Exclude files and folders
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Search-in-files
    12.  No registration required
    Everything iconSpotlight Icon

    Everything VS Spotlight

    Is Everything a good alternative to Spotlight?
     

    • Everything is the most popular Windows alternative to Spotlight.

    • Everything is the most popular free alternative to Spotlight.

    • Everything is Free and ProprietarySpotlight is also Free and Proprietary
    • Everything is LightweightSpotlight is not according to our users
  2. Flow Launcher icon
    Flow Launcher icon

    Flow Launcher

     59 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.

    36 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.  Ad-free
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Built-in viewer
    11.  No Tracking
    Flow Launcher iconSpotlight Icon

    Flow Launcher VS Spotlight

    Is Flow Launcher a good alternative to Spotlight?
     

    • Flow Launcher is the most popular Open Source alternative to Spotlight.

    • Flow Launcher is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • Flow Launcher is Customizable and LightweightSpotlight is not according to our users
  4. Keypirinha icon
    Keypirinha icon

    Keypirinha

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

    154 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 iconSpotlight Icon

    Keypirinha VS Spotlight

    Is Keypirinha a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Copernic Desktop Search icon

    Copernic Desktop Search

    Instantly find documents, e-mails(full text), attachments, videos, pictures, music(metadata), and other types of files(file names). The size limit of the index of the free version is 75,000.

    https://www.copernic.com
    Learn More
  6. Alfred icon
    Alfred icon

    Alfred

     294 likes
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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.

    120 Alfred alternatives
    Alfred screenshot 1

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Alfred screenshot 1
    Alfred screenshot 2
    +1
    Alfred screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Application Launchers
    2.  Launcher
    3.  Workflow Automation
    4.  File Search
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Full-Text Search
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  Cloud Sync
    Alfred iconSpotlight Icon

    Alfred VS Spotlight

    Is Alfred a good alternative to Spotlight?
     

    • Most users think Alfred is a great Spotlight alternative.

    • Alfred is the most popular Mac, iPhone & iPad alternative to Spotlight.

    • Alfred is Freemium and ProprietarySpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  7. DocFetcher icon
    DocFetcher icon

    DocFetcher

     124 likes
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    DocFetcher is a portable German/English open source desktop search application. It allows you search the contents of documents on your computer. - You can think of it as Google for your local document repository.

    123 DocFetcher alternatives
    Filter panel and preview panel enabled

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Filter panel and preview panel enabled
    No extra fluff
    +2
    Preview panel enabled

    Top DocFetcher Features

    1.  Search-in-files
    2.  File content indexing
    3.  Indexed search
    4.  Full-Text Search
    5.  Content Searching
    6.  Portable
    7.  Built-in viewer
    8.  Shared Folders
    9.  Reads odt files
    10.  Network Scanner
    11.  Search in Archives
    DocFetcher iconSpotlight Icon

    DocFetcher VS Spotlight

    Is DocFetcher a good alternative to Spotlight?
     

    • Most users think DocFetcher is a great Spotlight alternative.

    • DocFetcher is the most popular Linux alternative to Spotlight.

    • DocFetcher is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  8. Raycast icon
    Raycast icon

    Raycast

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

    63 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.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

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

    Raycast VS Spotlight

    Is Raycast a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
    Comments about Raycast as an Alternative to Spotlight
     
    Florian Wendelborn

    It’s much more predictable, powerful, fast, and beautiful than Spotlight. Raycast has a big focus on extensions and new ones are coming every day. If you have a little bit of programming experience, you can even develop your own extension very easily. Their documentation, tooling, and code examples are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

    Positive comment •Sep 10, 2022
    0
    Spotlight Icon
    Raycast icon
    • Raycast is Freemium and ProprietarySpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • Raycast is Lightweight and Privacy focusedSpotlight is not according to our users
  10. Ulauncher icon
    Ulauncher icon

    Ulauncher

     51 likes
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    • Ulauncher provides instant search results. It also remembers your previous choices and automatically selects the best option for you.
    57 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.  Launcher
    5.  File Search
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Smooth
    12.  Legacy addons support
    Ulauncher iconSpotlight Icon

    Ulauncher VS Spotlight

    Is Ulauncher a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
    Comments about Ulauncher as an Alternative to Spotlight
     
    ThunderFox

    It's a great alternative for Linux users

    Positive comment •Oct 4, 2021
    0
    Spotlight Icon
    Ulauncher icon
    • Ulauncher is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • Ulauncher is LightweightSpotlight is not according to our users
  11. Fluent Search icon
    Fluent Search icon

    Fluent Search

     40 likes
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    Fluent Search is a fast and easy-to-use search application that lets you search for running applications, browser tabs, bookmarks, files, and more. Unlike Windows Start Menu, Fluent Search focuses on continuing existing work, it let you jump easily between running application...

    100 Fluent Search alternatives
    Search for browser tabs

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Fluent Search main window - shows open applications
    Search for any file on your computer based on the program that can open it
    +9
    Search Tags filters result based on their properties, here the tag is the parent folder of these files

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  File Search
    2.  Application Launchers
    3.  Custom search
    4.  Custom commands
    5.  Indexed search
    6.  Consistent UI
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Portable
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required
    Fluent Search iconSpotlight Icon

    Fluent Search VS Spotlight

    Is Fluent Search a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
  12. ueli icon
    ueli icon

    ueli

     65 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...

    78 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 iconSpotlight Icon

    ueli VS Spotlight

    Is ueli a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
    Comments about ueli as an Alternative to Spotlight
     
    lonke

    As the words "Electron framework" would imply, it's a surprisingly large download at 100-150MB (install size may be larger still) and since it's essentially a web browser running in the background; it may not be a good choice for those short on disk space or trying to squeeze all the performance out of their system.

    Negative comment •Nov 4, 2023
    0
    Spotlight Icon
    ueli icon
    • ueli is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  13. QuickFind icon
    QuickFind icon

    QuickFind

     9 likes
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    QuickFind is a unified search tool providing instant access to files, apps, and web pages. It supports major search engines such as Google and Bing. Seamlessly switch between local and online content, and categorize searches into files, photos, music, and videos.

    26 QuickFind alternatives
    QuickFind screenshot 1

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    QuickFind screenshot 1
    QuickFind screenshot 2
    +6
    QuickFind screenshot 3

    QuickFind Features

    1.  Built-in AI Assistant
    2. ChatGPT icon  ChatGPT integration
    3.  Voice Search
    4.  Unified search
    5.  Widgets
    6.  AI-Powered
    QuickFind iconSpotlight Icon

    QuickFind VS Spotlight

    Is QuickFind a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
  14. 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.

    57 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
    Albert iconSpotlight Icon

    Albert VS Spotlight

    Is Albert a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
  15. Cerebro icon
    Cerebro icon

    Cerebro

     55 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...

    54 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 iconSpotlight Icon

    Cerebro VS Spotlight

    Is Cerebro a good alternative to Spotlight?
     
12 of 81 Spotlight alternatives