# Alternatives to Alfred
The Mac launcher veteran with workflows.
Alfred ranks #3 of 8 in App launchers, with an Alt Score of 68. It is proprietary, sold as a one-time purchase from £34 and available on macOS. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/alfred/
Category: App launchers
## Where Alfred stands out
- **One-time purchase option** — 2 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Clipboard history** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Snippets** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this
## Overview
- **Who it's for**: Alfred is for Mac power users and professionals who want to work faster from the keyboard instead of the mouse and Finder.
- **What you get**: A fast app and file launcher, web search with custom keywords, clipboard history, and text snippets that expand from abbreviations. With the paid Powerpack, you also get Workflows, which chain hotkeys, keywords, and actions into custom automations without coding.
- **How it works**: Trigger Alfred with a hotkey, then type a keyword or query to launch apps, find files, or run a command; Alfred learns your usage to rank results, and Workflows let you extend it with multi-step automations.
## Profile
- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Pricing model**: One-time (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Starts at**: £34 (verified 2026-07-09)
- **Platforms**: macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-09)
## Ranked alternatives
| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [LaunchBar](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/launchbar.md) | 73 | ? | macOS |
| 2 | [Raycast](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/raycast.md) | 73 | ? | macOS, Windows, iOS, Browser extension |
| 3 | [Albert](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/albert.md) | 64 | ? | macOS, Linux |
| 4 | [Flow Launcher](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/flow-launcher.md) | 64 | MIT | Windows |
| 5 | [ueli](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ueli.md) | 60 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [PowerToys Run](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/powertoys-run.md) | 55 | MIT | Windows |
| 7 | [Ulauncher](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ulauncher.md) | 55 | GPL-3.0 | Linux |
Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/
## Feature comparison
Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).
| App launchers checklist | Alfred | LaunchBar | Raycast | Albert | Flow Launcher | ueli |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time | One-time | Freemium | Free | Free | Free |
| Starts at | £34 | ? | $8/mo | Free | Free | Free |
| License | Proprietary | ? | ? | ? | MIT | MIT |
| Platforms | macOS | macOS | macOS, Windows, iOS, Browser extension | macOS, Linux | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Extensions / plugins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Clipboard history | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No |
| Snippets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | No |
| Calculator & conversions | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Window management | ? | ? | Yes | ? | ? | No |
| Themes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Open source | No | ? | ? | No | Yes | Yes |
| One-time purchase option | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Cross-platform | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
## Sources
Sources for Alfred. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
- **Starts at**: £34 — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Single License £34”
- **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “You may not redistribute or modify the software without permission from Running with Crayons Ltd.”
- **Pricing model**: One-time — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Powerpack licences are perpetual; a Mega Supporter tier adds free lifetime upgrades. No subscription is offered.
- Quote: “Single License £34 Single User v5 License”
- **Platforms**: macOS — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Alfred 5 is supported on macOS 10.14+.”
- **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Alfred 5.7.3”
- **Extensions / plugins**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Use workflows to extend Alfred and get things done in your own way.”
- **Clipboard history**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “With Alfred's Clipboard History, you don't need to worry about text, images and file links you've copied but forgot to paste earlier; It's all there in your searchable history.”
- **Snippets**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Boost your productivity by using snippets to save your frequently used text clips. Expand them automatically using a keyword or browse for the right clip in the Snippets Viewer.”
- **Calculator & conversions**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Note: Built-in calculator covers maths; full unit/currency conversion needs separate Workflows.
- Quote: “If you're making calculations involving currency symbols (Dollar, Pound, Euro signs for example), Alfred will ignore the symbols”
- **File search**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “File Search is an essential part of Alfred's search functionality. It allows you to expand your search, navigate your Mac's directories and take action on files you find.”
- **Themes**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Powerpack users can also create or import custom themes, allowing you to match Alfred to your desktop or to your mood!”
- **Open source**: No — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “The copyright holder retains all rights over the software, and no third-party or agency is entitled to sell, modify or repackage the software without prior consent.”
- **One-time purchase option**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Mega Supporter £59 Single User Free Lifetime Upgrades”
- **Cross-platform**: No — (verified 2026-07-09)
- Quote: “Alfred 5 is supported on macOS 10.14+.”
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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/