Launchpad alternatives, side by side
Since macOS 26 dropped Launchpad, plenty of replacements have appeared. Here is how LaunchUS compares with six popular ones, using facts from each vendor’s own site.
| Feature | LaunchUS | LaunchOS | Launchie | BuhoLaunchpad | AppGrid | Quark Launchpad | LaunchNext |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no Pro tier | Basic free; Pro lifetime from $11.99 | Free; Pro $14.99 once or subscription | Paid, about $7.99 lifetime (list $19.99), 7-day trial | Free core; Pro $25 once (5 Macs) or App Store subscription | Free, part of the Quark app | Free |
| Source code | Open source (MIT) | Closed source | Closed source | Closed source | Closed source | Closed source | Open source (GPL-3.0) |
| Global shortcut | ✓ ⌥Space | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | Limited | — |
| F4 key | ✓ | Pro | — | — | — | — | — |
| Trackpad pinch | ✓ 3, 4 or 5 fingers | Pro | Pro | ✓ 4 or 5 fingers | Pro | — | Experimental, 4 or 5 fingers |
| Hot corner | ✓ | Pro | Pro | ✓ | Pro | Limited | ✓ |
| Imports your Launchpad layout | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ also from LaunchOS, LaunchNext | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pinyin search | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Widgets | ✓ 17 kinds, or write your own | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ring layout | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Live backgrounds (sky, weather, video) | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Open with mouse-button clicks | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AI | ✓ Your own key | — | — | — | Pro: AI rearranging | — | — |
| MCP (let Claude and other AI use it) | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Get it from | Website, GitHub | Website | Mac App Store, website, Homebrew | Website | Mac App Store, website | Quark / Quark Drive app | GitHub |
| Requires | macOS 26+, Apple silicon and Intel | macOS 26+ | macOS 26+ | macOS 15+ | macOS 14.6+ | — | macOS 26+, Apple silicon and Intel |
Facts come from each vendor’s own site, checked on 2026-11-08; prices and features may have changed since. “—” means the site doesn’t say. Sources：LaunchOS · Launchie · BuhoLaunchpad · AppGrid · Quark Launchpad · LaunchNext
LaunchUS vs LaunchOS
Basic free; Pro lifetime from $11.99
Compare →LaunchUS vs Launchie
Free; Pro $14.99 once or subscription
Compare →LaunchUS vs BuhoLaunchpad
Paid, about $7.99 lifetime (list $19.99), 7-day trial
Compare →LaunchUS vs AppGrid
Free core; Pro $25 once (5 Macs) or App Store subscription
Compare →LaunchUS vs Quark Launchpad
Free, part of the Quark app
Compare →LaunchUS vs LaunchNext
Free
Compare →
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