



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 100 alternatives to Spotlight for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad apps. The best Spotlight alternative is Everything, which is free. Other great apps like Spotlight are Flow Launcher, Vicinae, Raycast and Alfred.




Enables rapid file search by name or content, intuitive keyboard navigation, integrated file actions, direct Finder window and tab management, instant results, saved recent searches, data privacy with no tracking, and Apple Notarized safety for secure macOS use.




If you ever liked tools like Raycast and Alfred, but wanted to own them and tweak them yourself, then SOL is the tool for you. All the affordances of complex tools now made open source.

Indexes and quickly searches over 170 file types and emails, including attachments and multimedia files, on desktops, external and network drives, as well as cloud environments, offering sub-second results and a 75,000 file index size limit in the free version.



Open-source macOS launcher featuring direct Raycast extension compatibility, voice dictation, AI actions, inline suggestions, text-to-speech, clipboard manager, snippet vault, quick links, file search, notes, freeform canvas, window tiling, system controls, and localization.




Designed for beginners and professionals alike, Monarch is a command center that makes it easier than ever to switch apps, run calculations, search clipboard history, take notes and more with only a single hotkey. No complicated setup or configuration required.




Mage, originally a Raycast clone, is a lightweight and fast app launcher for Windows, built with Electron, Vite, and Vue 3. It features custom applications, live activities, a modern UI and a batteries-included SDK for developers.




SupaSidebar is a macOS app that brings Arc's sidebar to every browser - one sidebar for tabs, bookmarks, files, and apps across Safari, Chrome, and even Finder.




EasyFind is an alternative to (or supplement of) Spotlight to find files, folders, or contents in any file without indexing.

TextSeek is a professional full-text desktop search tool for Windows and MacOS. It supports PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, RTF and other formats.




Lacona is a docker app for Mac OSX that accepts natural language commands. Call up Lacona with a keyboard shortcut and type whatever you want to do. It gives intelligent suggestions as you type and then follows your orders.



Performs high-speed file searches using a proprietary engine across built-in, portable, and network drives, including hidden and non-indexed files, supports detailed result filtering, provides file comparison, hex editing, autosave, advanced sorting, and multitasking.




Quite comfortable to use if you install KDE's Plasma.