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.
Germany
EU
Spotlight Alternatives
Spotlight is described as 'The system-wide desktop search feature built into Apple's OS X operating system since version 10.4 (Tiger). Backed by an index of all items and files on the system, it's designed to allow the user to quickly locate a wide variety of items on the computer' and is a application launcher in the file management category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Spotlight for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and iPad apps. The best Spotlight alternative is Everything, which is free. Other great apps like Spotlight are Flow Launcher, Vicinae, Alfred and Raycast.
filter to find the best alternatives
Spotlight alternatives are mainly File Search Utilities, but if you're looking for Application Launchers or File Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Mac and 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.
Alternatives list
67 Monarch Launcher alternativesDesigned 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.
+6
83 Copernic Desktop Search alternativesIndexes and quickly searches over 170 file types and emails, including attachments and multimedia files, on desktops, external and network drives, as well as cloud environments, offering sub-second results and a 75,000 file index size limit in the free version.
Mage, originally a Raycast clone, is a lightweight and fast app launcher for Windows, built with Electron, Vite, and Vue 3. It features custom applications, live activities, a modern UI and a batteries-included SDK for developers.
+1
57 FileMinutes alternativesEnables rapid file search by name or content, intuitive keyboard navigation, integrated file actions, direct Finder window and tab management, instant results, saved recent searches, data privacy with no tracking, and Apple Notarized safety for secure macOS use.
+5
Lightning-fast sidebar for macOS. Access your files, folders, and websites instantly with keyboard shortcuts and smart organization.
+2
Create customizable launch modes to group apps and websites on macOS, launch them instantly with shortcuts or menu bar access, open multiple browser tabs at once, streamline workflows for different contexts like work, design, or study, all in a minimal interface.
+2
104 TextSeek alternativesTextSeek is a professional full-text desktop search tool for Windows and MacOS. It supports PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, RTF and other formats.
Cost / License
- Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
- Proprietary
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
+2
60 EasyFind alternativesEasyFind is an alternative to (or supplement of) Spotlight to find files, folders, or contents in any file without indexing.
Comments about EasyFind as an Alternative to Spotlight
- EasyFind is Free and Proprietary
- EasyFind is Lightweight
Productivity tool that allows to launch everything (e.g. switch the next song, connect Bluetooth device, set a timer, etc.) so you can stay focused on your current task.
+2
Lacona is a docker app for Mac OSX that accepts natural language commands. Call up Lacona with a keyboard shortcut and type whatever you want to do. It gives intelligent suggestions as you type and then follows your orders.
Canada
New Zealand
United States
... because it finally finds stuff Spotlight doesn't! You can also use wildcards like *.jpg, and similar. (although you have to first choose "wildcard mode" with the radio buttons) It works and searches quite fast, too, I wonder if it uses Spotlight's index database with a much better interface a search results list. Recommended.