When comparing Zazu vs Launchy, the Slant community recommends Launchy for most people. In the question“What are the best app launchers for UNIX-like systems?” Launchy is ranked 11th while Zazu is ranked 28th. 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.
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Pros
Pro It looks pretty
Pro Extensible
List of plugins: http://zazuapp.org/plugins/
Pro Free & open source
Pro File system search
Pro Look/feel like macOS's Spotlight
Pro Clipboard history
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.
Cons
Con Finicky json config file without decent documentation on the process.
Con Tiny library of plugins
Con Inactive development
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.