When comparing Launchy vs Fluent Search, the Slant community recommends Launchy for most people. In the question“What are the best app launchers for Windows?” Launchy is ranked 5th while Fluent Search is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose Launchy is:
For those using Debian based distros Launchy is very easy to install as their website has 32 and 64bit .deb files available. For all other diistros Launchy will have to be compiled from source.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro .deb files available for Debian based distros
For those using Debian based distros Launchy is very easy to install as their website has 32 and 64bit .deb files available. For all other diistros Launchy will have to be compiled from source.
Pro Easily themed with many available on the web
Launchy can be easily themedby placing themes into the Launchy theme folder and then selecting that theme from within the apps settings. There are also many user created themes available which is great for those that want their launcher to match the rest of their OS's theme.
Pro Customizable
Most things can be tweaked, including the interface, the default search engines, the prioritization of search results, the search tags, and more.
Pro Modern
The developer works for Microsoft and is already developing with an eye toward Windows 11 (while maintaining functionality under Windows 10)
Pro Powerful filename search
It has a built-in indexer, but can also use others (including Everything)
Pro Active development
The developer is very responsive to the community, and releases new versions on a regular basis
Pro Free
There are no ads, and no paid version
Pro Plugin system
Users can develop their own plugins to extend the functionality
Cons
Con Small selection of plugins
The official plugin page on Launchy's homepage hosts just 11 plugins.
Con Abandoned
Launchy was last updated in 2010.