Launchy vs Microsoft PowerToys

Struggling to choose between Launchy and Microsoft PowerToys? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Launchy is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like launcher, search, keyboard, shortcut, productivity.

It boasts features such as Quick launch applications by typing a few characters, Search local drives and network shares, Plugin architecture allows extensibility, Lightweight and fast, Keyboard driven interface, Customizable hotkeys and skins, Indexing for fast searches, Supports wildcards and regular expressions in searches and pros including Very fast application launcher, Highly customizable and extensible, Keyboard centric for power users, Lightweight resource usage, Active development and support.

On the other hand, Microsoft PowerToys is a Os & Utilities product tagged with window-management, bulk-file-renaming, application-launcher.

Its standout features include FancyZones - window manager to easily organize and manage windows, PowerRename - bulk rename files and folders, PowerToys Run - quick launcher for apps and files, Image Resizer - resize images without losing quality, Keyboard Manager - remap keys and create custom keyboard shortcuts, Color Picker - pick colors from screen, File Explorer Add-ons - preview markdown files, SVG thumbnails, open command prompt, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Customizable and extensible, Improves productivity and efficiency, Seamless integration with Windows, Active development and updates.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Launchy

Launchy

Launchy is a free open source utility for Windows that allows you to quickly launch applications and files. It provides a fast searchable interface to access anything on your computer with just a few keystrokes.

Categories:
launcher search keyboard shortcut productivity

Launchy Features

  1. Quick launch applications by typing a few characters
  2. Search local drives and network shares
  3. Plugin architecture allows extensibility
  4. Lightweight and fast
  5. Keyboard driven interface
  6. Customizable hotkeys and skins
  7. Indexing for fast searches
  8. Supports wildcards and regular expressions in searches

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Very fast application launcher

Highly customizable and extensible

Keyboard centric for power users

Lightweight resource usage

Active development and support

Cons

Limited to Windows only

Steep learning curve for advanced features

Potential stability issues with some plugins

No mobile or web interface


Microsoft PowerToys

Microsoft PowerToys

Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to customize and streamline their Windows experience. It includes tools like FancyZones for window management, PowerRename for bulk renaming files, and PowerToys Run to quickly launch apps and files.

Categories:
window-management bulk-file-renaming application-launcher

Microsoft PowerToys Features

  1. FancyZones - window manager to easily organize and manage windows
  2. PowerRename - bulk rename files and folders
  3. PowerToys Run - quick launcher for apps and files
  4. Image Resizer - resize images without losing quality
  5. Keyboard Manager - remap keys and create custom keyboard shortcuts
  6. Color Picker - pick colors from screen
  7. File Explorer Add-ons - preview markdown files, SVG thumbnails, open command prompt

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Customizable and extensible

Improves productivity and efficiency

Seamless integration with Windows

Active development and updates

Cons

Some tools are experimental or buggy

Steep learning curve for some advanced features

Limited documentation and support

Requires manual installation/update

May cause conflicts with some programs