DocFetcher vs mlocate

DocFetcher — DocFetcher is an open source desktop search application for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X that indexes documents on your computer and allows fast keyword searching.

mlocate — mlocate is a command line utility in Linux for quickly locating files based on their name or a regular expression. It maintains a database of files and directories to allow fast lookups compared to se

DocFetcher offers Full text search, Indexing of common file types, Fast keyword searching, Support for multiple platforms, Open source codebase, while mlocate provides Fast file lookup using filename database, Supports regular expressions for flexible searches, Database updated automatically in background, Handles files moved or deleted after database update, Ignores binary files by default to avoid slow searches.

DocFetcher stands out for Free and open source, Easy to use interface, Fast and accurate search results; mlocate is known for Very fast compared to searching filesystem directly, Powerful regex support for complex queries, Keeps index updated automatically.

Feature	DocFetcher	mlocate
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Os & Utilities

Product Overview

DocFetcher

Description: DocFetcher is an open source desktop search application for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X that indexes documents on your computer and allows fast keyword searching.

mlocate

Description: mlocate is a command line utility in Linux for quickly locating files based on their name or a regular expression. It maintains a database of files and directories to allow fast lookups compared to searching the whole file system.

Key Features Comparison

DocFetcher Features

• Full text search
• Indexing of common file types
• Fast keyword searching
• Support for multiple platforms
• Open source codebase

mlocate Features

• Fast file lookup using filename database
• Supports regular expressions for flexible searches
• Database updated automatically in background
• Handles files moved or deleted after database update
• Ignores binary files by default to avoid slow searches
• Indexes paths as well as filenames for more targeted results

Pros & Cons Analysis

DocFetcher

Pros

• Free and open source
• Easy to use interface
• Fast and accurate search results
• Lightweight and low resource usage
• Customizable to user needs

Cons

• Limited file type support
• No online sync or collaboration features
• Requires manual indexing
• Basic interface lacking visual appeal

mlocate

Pros

• Very fast compared to searching filesystem directly
• Powerful regex support for complex queries
• Keeps index updated automatically
• Finds files even if moved/renamed after indexing
• Lightweight and low system resource usage

Cons

• Not useful if filename unknown
• Database can get large for huge filesystems
• Must update database manually after major filesystem changes
• Not designed for interactive browsing of files

Pricing Comparison

DocFetcher

• Open Source

mlocate

• Open Source