Spotlight AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Web Search Engines

The best Web Search Engine alternative to Spotlight is Keypirinha, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Spotlight and six of them are Web Search Engines so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Web Search Engine alternatives to Spotlight are ueli, Fluent Search, Albert and iBar.

filter to find the best alternatives

Spotlight alternatives are mainly Web Search Engines, but if you're looking for File Search Utilities or Application Launchers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Mac and Linux + File Search. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Spotlight.
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Alternatives list

  1. Keypirinha icon
     217 likes

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

    158 Keypirinha alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    7
  2. ueli icon
     72 likes

    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...

    84 ueli alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about ueli as an Alternative to Spotlight
    lonke
    Negative
    0

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ueli icon
    ueli icon
    • ueli is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  3. Fluent Search icon
     43 likes

    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...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  4. Albert icon
     70 likes

    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.

    64 Albert alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Mac
     
    |
    9
  5. iBar icon
     Like

    iBar is like Spotlight but for the web — jump to any page in your browser history in a couple of keystrokes.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  6. Yal icon
     6 likes

    Access your files, programs, browser bookmarks, search engines and windows with a few key presses.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
6 of 6 Spotlight alternatives