Comparison of application launchers
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[edit] Windows
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8start Launcher | Andy Goh | 1.5 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Freeware | No | ? |
| AppLauncher (part of ac'tivAid) | c't Magazine | 1.21 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Freeware | No | No |
| ASuite | SalvadorSoftware | 1.5.1.2 | Microsoft Windows | Free | GPL | Yes | No |
| Colibri | Michael Walter | 17α | Microsoft Windows | Free | Freeware | No | Yes |
| Dash Command | MenteMagica | 0.95 | Microsoft Windows | $19.95 | Shareware | No | ? |
| DOMercury | Dominick O'Dierno | 2.7 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Freeware | Yes | Yes |
| ENSO | Humanized Software | ? | Microsoft Windows | Free | BSD license | Yes | Yes |
| Find and Run Robot | DonationCoder | 2.00.144 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Donationware | No | Yes |
| Keybreeze Personal Edition | Keybreeze Software | 3.1 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Shareware | No | Yes |
| Launchy | Josh Karlin | 2.0 | Microsoft Windows | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| Open Menu+ | SciActive | 1.5.4 | Microsoft Windows | Free | GPL | Yes | ? |
| PortableApps Menu | PortableApps.com | 1.0 | Microsoft Windows | Free | GPL | Yes | No |
| QiiNinja | LittleBigTomatoes | 0.3.8.3 | Microsoft Windows | $19.95 | Shareware | No | ? |
| RunFast | Idiogen Software | 1.25 | Microsoft Windows | Free | Freeware | No | ? |
| slimKEYS | slimCODE Software | 1.2.8069 | Microsoft Windows | $20 | Shareware | No | Yes |
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support |
[edit] Linux
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dmenu | Anselm Garbe | 3.4 | Linux | Free | MIT License | Yes | No |
| gmrun | Mishoo | 0.9 | Linux | Free | GPL | Yes | ? |
| GNOME Do | David Siegel, Core team, and Plugins team. | 0.5.0 | Linux | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| GNOME Launch Box | Anders Carlsson, Mikael Hallendal, Michael Natterer and Richard Hult | 0.2 | Linux with GNOME | Free | GPL | Yes | ? |
| Katapult | Katapult Developers | 0.3.2.1 | Linux with KDE | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| KRunner | Plasma Developers | 0.1 (coming with KDE 4.0) | Linux with KDE | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support |
[edit] MacOS
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | Peter Maurer | 4.1.2 | Mac OS X | Free | Donationware | No | Yes |
| LaunchBar | Objective Development Software GmbH | 4.3.5 | Mac OS X | $19.95 | Shareware | No | ? |
| Quicksilver | Blacktree Software | 1.0β53 | Mac OS X | Free | Apache License | Yes | Yes |
| Creator | Latest stable version | OS | Cost (US$) | Software license | Open source | Plugin Support |
Other application launchers include AppRocket (No longer supported), SkyLight (AppRocket was the predecessor to Skylight), ActiveWords, Dave’s Quick Search Bar, SlickRun and SmartStartMenu (Windows only).
Although arguable, some consider desktop search tools to be application launchers as well, given their ability to quickly find and launch indexed applications. Such desktop search tools able to launch applications as well include Spotlight or Google Desktop. For a more broad list see Desktop Search tools.
Some applications, such as DOMercury, Keybreeze, and Quicksilver, fall into a gray area of application launchers and desktop search engines, as they do more than just find and launch files and applications.
- Deskbar applet for Gnome
- SlickRun, another keystroke-based application launcher for Microsoft Windows
- Introduction to Application Launchers blog article
- SmartStartMenu, launcher with indexing for Microsoft Windows
