Nova Launcher Prime vs Action Launcher Plus

Nova Launcher provides an experience that's similar to stock Android, but adds multiple customization options. Customization ranges in ways that interactions and the user interface can be changed both aesthetically and functionally.

Speed of Nova Launcher is one of the app's key points. Even with a lot of widgets Nova Launcher performs speedy.

Options include horizontal pages, vertical scrolling or list. The user is also able to adjust the background transparency. This way the users drawer can look unique while also offering more or less apps on the page depending on their preference.

From the Nova Settings menu, users can create a custom grid size for their desktop and app drawer, up to a maximum of 12 columns and rows. Discriminating users can also adjust the size of the margins on the top, bottom, left and right. This allows for users to set how many widgets and apps can fit on these screens.

Not all custom launchers allow custom icon packs. Nova supports most custom icon packs that are in the Play Store.

Turning on infinite scrolling allows the user to move seamlessly among all of their home screens, rather than having to scroll backward when the last page is reached. This proves particularly useful if the user has a large number of homescreens. Infinite scrolling can also be enabled in the app drawer.

There are extra bottom row dock pages accessible when swiping left or right on the dock. In Nova's settings there is support for a maximum of five dock pages and a minimum of one.

This way you can set up to 25 shortcuts in the dock that can be scrolled though, leaving plenty of room on the home screen for widgets and other apps.

Nova has the ability to add an assortment of action shortcuts to the home-screen which can be performed when swiping on particular areas or icons (as opposed to when tapping).

Nova Launcher has the ability to add folders into the app drawer making for easy sorting of many apps.

The user can sort their folders in the drawer and home-screen alphabetically.

The app drawer and widgets take full advantage of a tablets extra screen real estate.

With the custom grids, most widgets can be sized to specifications which give added control over Android home screens.

Within Nova's setting the user can set the notification bar to stay hidden, allowing for more screen real estate.

It has an option to lock the icons and widgets in place as well as locks out the ability to delete apps, preventing accidental rearranging or deletions.

1. Create a folder in the drawer.
2. Drag the folder from the drawer to a home screen.
3. Add more items to the drawer folder.
4. The item gets added automatically to the home screen folder (because it is the same folder).

In addition, the user can set a custom icon for the folder (or for each shortcut).

Use gestures (swipe up, double tap, etc.) to easily launch apps.

Solid performance for getting work (and play) done, no crashes, no slow downs.

Allows you to customize scroll effects, scroll speeds, animation speed, app animations, gestures.

All of these options allow for very individualistic differences in how the launcher performs and looks, making for a great way to set ones phone apart from others.

A free version, Nova Launcher is available, but it lacks gestures, unread counts, custom drawer groups, ability to hide apps from the app drawer, icon swipes and additional scroll effects.

Users can save their configuration in a backup file and quickly restore it.

Nova Launcher Prime offers unread counts for all supported apps, a feature not available on all launchers. Although it requires the free installation of TeslaUnread.

What TeslaUnread does is add unread count numbers to certain application icons in ones application drawer and home screen, giving a quick overview of how many unread notifications they have in that supported application.

A more powerful alternative to folders, Covers allows the user to disguise what would normally be a folder as an app one of the apps in the folder. One tap opens the app normally, but swiping up on the icon reveals the folder that the icon is covering. The use of covers is also optional for those that would rather use a regular folder.

The action bar and search bar change colors according to the wallpaper, making for a great way to have a consistent color theme.

The dev constantly releases betas and trials new features. Bugs are found and sorted out quickly. App innovations are often ahead of the curve -- e.g., quickdrawer, instant theming, pixel integration before Nova, gesture integration. When upgraded from AL2 to AL3, the dev also explained the rationale behind the move to a whole new app and payment, and discounted supporters.

Use swipes, pinches, and multi-finger gestures on the homescreen as shortcuts to your favorite features. A favorite is a down swipe anywhere on the homescreen, to bring down the notification tray so users don't have to reach up to the top of their screen. Additionally customise double- and triple-taps on the homescreen to launch a variety of options.

Use the Pixel theme to add a dock background, and add a Google pill button instead of the search bar. this way users can mimic the look of the Pixels launcher.

With a companion app Action Launcher, you gain access to the Google Now page.

The quick drawer allows for quick access to apps, from anywhere on the device. This way users do not have to go to the home screen in order to open the app drawer.

Shutters is a feature that allows the user to swipe up on an icon to load the app's widget in a small window, and then hide when done. Saves tons of screenspace without losing the functionality of your favorite widgets.

Action Launcher 3 supports Google Now "Ok Google" voice search allowing users to voice search from the home screen.

Action Launcher has the option to enable a vertical grid app tray that acts like most menus that slide out from the left of the phone's screen. Apps are organized alphabetically, and touching a letter will take you to apps that start with that letter.

Action Launcher 3 feels like it was made for curved displays, like the Galaxy S6/7 Edge, BlackBerry Priv, and Nexus 4. Swiping in from the edge for the vertical app drawer or quickpage feels even more natural on these phones.