We’ve Updated Our Review of the Best macOS Launcher Apps

If there’s one way to really bend the Mac to your will, it’s by using a keyboard launcher app. Apps like Alfred, LaunchBar, and the built-in Spotlight make opening apps faster, make finding and opening files a breeze, and make short work of tedious tasks with automations.

We’ve long held that Alfred is the best launcher for OS X and now macOS, and we’re not making any changes to our pick today. But since the last time we updated our review, Alfred has undergone two major releases — Alfred has now reached version 4, and has brought with it a plethora of new ways to whisk through tasks on your Mac.

Alfred 4’s clipboard history, custom themes, snippets and text expansion, built-in 1Password support, and heavy duty workflows make Alfred a must-have app on any Mac.

One of the coolest new workflows I’ve discovered is Soulver 3 support — if you’ve bought and installed the Soulver 3 workflow in Alfred 4, a simple u keystroke, your calculation, and pressing Return are all it takes to copy the result to your clipboard to paste anywhere else in macOS. This Soulver 3 integration in Alfred 4 is slick and is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to integrated Alfred 4 workflows.

You can even control your Philips Hue lights right from Alfred with this Philips Hue Controller workflow.

Our new review has been rewritten from the ground up, includes a deep dive into the latest competitors in this field, includes new photography, screenshots, and mockups, and a range of downloadable workflows to get your started with Alfred 4.

If you’re looking to push your Mac’s power and automation to the next level, Alfred 4 is your best option.