LaunchUS vs LaunchNext

Both bring Launchpad back on macOS 26+. They differ in price, ways to open and a few details.

Pick LaunchUS if you

want F4, trackpad pinch and hot corners for free
search in Pinyin or by initials
care about open source (MIT), no accounts and no ads
want to ask AI right from the launcher
want widgets, a ring layout and live backgrounds with real weather

Pick LaunchNext if you

prefer the GPL license

Feature by feature

Feature	LaunchUS	LaunchNext
Price	Free, no Pro tier	Free
Source code	Open source (MIT)	Open source (GPL-3.0)
Global shortcut	✓ ⌥Space	—
F4 key	✓	—
Trackpad pinch	✓ 3, 4 or 5 fingers	Experimental, 4 or 5 fingers
Hot corner	✓	✓
Imports your Launchpad layout	✓	✓
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	—
MCP (let Claude and other AI use it)	✓	—
Get it from	Website, GitHub	GitHub
Requires	macOS 26+, Apple silicon and Intel	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：LaunchNext