Spotlight Alternatives for Mac
There are many alternatives to Spotlight for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is Alfred, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Spotlight and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Spotlight are Raycast, DocFetcher, Cling Fuzzy Finder and ueli.
filter to find the best alternatives
Spotlight alternatives are mainly File Search Utilities, but if you're looking for Application Launchers or Clipboard Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include 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.- Application Launcher
- Free • Proprietary
- 127 Alfred alternatives
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.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
- 63 Raycast alternatives
Raycast revolutionizes Mac productivity with AI-driven task automation, command shortcuts, and customizable workflows. Create snippets, manage clipboard history, translate text, and maintain sync across devices. Discover day planning, distraction-free focus, and versatile virtual assistance.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
- Google Chrome
- Safari
- Windows
Comments about Raycast as an Alternative to Spotlight
- 125 DocFetcher alternatives
DocFetcher is an Open Source desktop search application: It allows you to search the contents of files on your computer. — You can think of it as Google for your local files. The application runs on Windows, Linux and OS X, and is made available under the Eclipse Public License.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Top DocFetcher Features
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
- International
Platforms
- Mac
- 78 ueli alternatives
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...
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
Comments about ueli as an Alternative to Spotlight
lonkeAs 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.
- 57 Cerebro alternatives
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...
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Cerebro Features
- 90 Quicksilver alternatives
Quicksilver is a fast and free macOS productivity application that gives you the power to control your Mac quickly and elegantly.
Quicksilver Features
Comments about Quicksilver as an Alternative to Spotlight
saves your recent/commonly used apps for quicker searches
This macOS tool leverages fighting game style key combinations to expedite app launches, execute commands, or even activate fun features like confetti, providing a faster alternative to launchers like Spotlight, Alfred, and Raycast. It supports customization and seamless integration with existing tools.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Denmark
EU
Platforms
- Mac
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.
Work smarter with files on macOS with fast search, easy navigation, and integrated file actions all in one apps.
Top FileMinutes Features
- 57 SOL alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Mac
Desktop Docs Features
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.