List of Android launchers

This is a list of Android launchers, which present the main view of the device and are responsible for starting other apps and hosting live widgets.

Application name	Developer	Availability			License	Cost	API	Nr. of store installs	Note
		Google Play	F-Droid	Amazon Appstore
Action Launcher	Chris Lacy	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.1+	1,000,000+	[1][2][3][4]
ADW Launcher	AnderWeb	Yes	Yes	?	Proprietary (Last open source release was version 1.3.6)[5]	Free	1.6+	10,000,000+	[3]
CMM Launcher	CMM Launcher	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free/Paid	5.0+	10,000,000+
ADWLauncher EX	AnderWeb	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	1.6+		[6]
Apex Launcher	Android Does	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.0+	10,000,000+	[7][1][2][3][4][8]
APUS Launcher	APUS Group	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	4.0.3+		[2][4][1]
Atom Launcher	dlto	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.0.2+		[4][9]
Aviate	Yahoo	No	No	?	Proprietary (support ends 3/8/2018)	Free	2.3+		[7][2][10]
Before Launcher	Before Labs	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	7.0+	25,000+	[11]
BIG Launcher	BIG dev. team	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.1+		Launcher suitable for seniors and visually impaired users.[12]
Buzz Launcher	Buzz dev. team	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.0.3+		[7][1][2][3][4][8]
C Launcher	C dev. team	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	4.0+	10,000,000+	[13]
C Launcher 3D	Moboapps team	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	4.0+	100,000+	^[citation needed]
Catapult Launcher	Kane O'Riley	Yes	Yes	?	Apache License 2.0	Free	5.0+	10,000+	[14]
Chameleon Launcher	Teknision	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	3.2+		[15]
CM Launcher	Cheetah Mobile	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	4.0+		[4]
Espier Launcher	Espier Studios	No	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.2+		[16]
EverythingMe	Fly Apps	Yes[17]	No	No	Proprietary	Free	2.2+	10,000,000+	Contextual launcher with extensive search capabilities and customization options
Evie Launcher	Evie Labs	No	No	No	Proprietary	Free	4.4+	1,000,000+	[18] Minimal launcher that focuses on fast search across apps
Facebook Home	Meta	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.0+
GO Launcher	GO dev. team	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.0+	100,000,000+	[3][4][1][7]
Google Now Launcher	Google	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.1+	50,000,000+	[8] Default on Nexus devices.
HayaiLauncher	seizonsenryaku	Yes	Yes	?	Apache License 2.0	Free	4.0.3+	1,000+	Source available on GitHub. Minimal and small, with no permissions. For quick browsing and search.
Hola Launcher	Holaverse	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	2.3.3+	100,000,000+	[1]
Pixel Launcher	Google	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	5.0+
Infinity Launcher	TankheSoft	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	4.4+		[19]
Kids Place - Parental Control	Kiddoware	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	2.1+		[20]
KISS Launcher	Neamar	Yes	Yes	?	MIT License[21]	Free	2.3.3+	100,000+	[22] Source available on GitHub.
Kvaesitso	MM2-0	No	Yes	No	GNU General Public License	Free	8.0+		Source available on GitHub.
LauncherPro	Frederico Carnales	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.0+		[23]
Microsoft Launcher	Microsoft	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	5.0+	50,000,000+	[1] Formerly known as Arrow Launcher [24]
Launcher <3	Jason Kung	Yes	?	?	Apache License 2.0	Free	4.2+ (17-26)	1,000,000+	[25]
LaunchTime	Quaap	Yes	Yes	No	GNU General Public License	Free	4.3+		Source available on GitHub.
Lawnchair Launcher	paphonb, Patryk Michalik, Amogh Lele, David Sn	Yes	Yes	No	GNU General Public License	Free	5.0+	1,000,000+	[26][27][28][29][30]
LessPhone Launcher	Aswin Mohan	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	5.0+	50,000+	[31]
Librechair Launcher	Po Lu	No	No	No	GNU General Public License	Free	5.0+		^[citation needed][32][33][34][35][36][37]
Lightning Launcher	PierroX	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	2.0+		[38]
LINE Launcher	LINE & Camp Mobile	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.0.3+		[3][4][1] Previously named Dodol Launcher.
Nemus Launcher	Nemustech	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	2.1+		[39]
Nova Launcher	TeslaCoil Software	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.0+	50,000,000+[40]	[7][1][2][3][4][8]
Nova Launcher Prime	TeslaCoil Software	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	4.0+		[41][42]
Nothing OS launcher	Nothing	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	8.0+	10,000+	Released on April 27, 2022. Currently on Beta. Currently works on Samsung Galaxy S21, S22, and Google Pixel 5 and 6 series devices. Support on OnePlus Devices to be made available soon. Default on the Nothing Phone 1.[43][44][45]
Niagara Launcher	Peter Huber	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	5.0+	5,000,000+	[46]
OpenLauncher	OL dev. team	Yes	Yes	?	Apache License 2.0	Free	4.1+	1,000+	Source available on GitHub. Focus on community and features. Note: No longer maintained[47]
Pear Launcher	Yajat Kumar	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free/Paid	5.0+	500,000+	Pear Launcher is a Launcher designed for performance and customization. [48]
Pear Launcher Pro	Yajat Kumar	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Paid	5.0+		Pear Launcher Pro is license to unlock paid features in Pear Launcher.
Peek Launcher	Waffle Ware Apps	Yes	?	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.1+	50,000	Primary feature is an always-visible T9 keyboard to search for apps and contacts.
Phonotto	DuckMa Srl	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.0.3+		Launcher suitable for seniors and visually impaired users.[49]
POCO Launcher	Xiaomi Inc.	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	8.0+	100,000,000+	POCO Launcher have app drawer with customizable categories. Stock launcher on POCO smartphones.
QM Launcher	Quantum Matrix Holdings LLC.	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.3+		[50]
Ratio	Blloc GmbH	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free	2.9+	100,000+	Minimal launcher with a messaging app called Tree and some cards e.g. A calculator and A Spotify card.
Showself Launcher	NQ Mobile	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.0+		[51][52][53]
Smart Launcher	Smart Launcher Team	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.2+	10,000,000+	[2][3][4][8][1]
Solo Launcher	NewBornTown	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	4.0+		[1][2][4][8][7]
SPB Shell 3D	SPB Software	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	2.0+		[54]
Square Home	ChYK the dev.	Yes	No	No	Proprietary	Free/Paid	4.0.3+		[55]
Themer	MyColorScreen	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.1+		[7]
Trebuchet Launcher	LineageOS / CyanogenMod team	No	No	?	Apache License 2.0[56]	Free	5.0+ (API level 21)[57]		[58] Source available on GitHub.
TSF Launcher 3D	Launcher 3D Pro	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	2.2+	5,000,000+	[59]
Linux CLI Launcher	Francesco Andreuzzi	Yes	Yes	No	GNU General Public License	Free	2.3+	500,000+	Linux CLI interface launcher. Source available on GitHub.
Tube Launcher	Adnan Malik (AJK)	Yes	No	Yes	Proprietary	Free	4.0.3+	500++	[60]
Turbo Launcher	Phonemetra	Yes	No	Yes	Apache License 2.0[61]	Free	1.0+	1,000,000+	[3] Source available on GitHub. Paid versions also available: called Turbo Launcher Plus, Turbo Launcher Prime, and Turbo Launcher Premium.
Vire Launcher	Vire Labs Ltd.	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free/Paid	2.2+		[62]
Wave Launcher	MobileMerit	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Paid	2.0+		[63]
WP Launcher	Xinyi Network	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	3.0+		[4][8] Formerly Launcher 8.
Yandex Launcher	Yandex	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	5.0+	5,000,000+
Z Launcher	Nokia	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.1+	500,000+	[2][7]
Zeam Launcher	Michael Bentz	Yes	No	?	Proprietary	Free	4.1+	1,000,000+	[64]
ZIM Launcher	Saul Henriquez	Yes	Yes	?	Apache License 2.0[65]	Free	5.0+

References

1. Carlon, Kris. "Best Android launchers: 12 to customize your smartphone and tablet". AndroidPIT. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
2. Corpuz, John (6 August 2015). "10 Best Android Launchers". Tom's guide. Purch. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
3. Maxham, Alexander (18 August 2013). "Top 10 Best Android Third-Party Launchers". Android Headlines. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
4. Billa (2 October 2014). "15 Best Launchers for Android to Shake Up Your Phone". JoyofAndroid. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
5. "ADW Launcher Google Code Page". Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
6. Nickinson, Phil (24 December 2010). "ADWLauncher EX brings a whole lot of awesome to your home screens". AndroidCentral. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
7. Martonik, Andrew (7 February 2015). "The best Android launchers of 2015". AndroidCentral. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
8. Williams, Andrew (5 August 2014). "Best Android Launcher Apps to Download 2015". Trusted Reviews. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
9. Zukerman, Erez (12 July 2013). "Atom Launcher, Reviewed: Your Next Android Launcher?". MakeUseOf. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
10. "An Update on Aviate". Retrieved 3 February 2018.
11. Ramírez, Iván (2019-03-21). "Before Launcher, un lanzador más minimalista en el que solo puedes añadir ocho apps". Xataka Android (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-05-20.
12. Rempel, John (November 2013). "A Review of BIG Launcher, the Android App with Seniors in Mind". AccessWorld. 14 (11). American Foundation for the Blind. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
13. Gitogo, George (29 July 2017). "10 Best Free Android Launcher Apps". MobiPicker. Archived from the original on 2017-01-20. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
14. "Catapult - Ein besserer AOSP-Launcher? – APPkosmos". APPkosmos (in German). 2016-01-16. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
15. Sage, Simon (24 September 2012). "Chameleon launcher review". AndroidCentral. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
16. Gordon, Whitson (10 October 2011). "Espier Launcher Makes Your Android Phone Look Just Like iOS". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
17. "EverythingMe Launcher". Archived from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
18. Schoon, Ben (27 June 2016). "Hands-on: 'Evie' launcher brings iOS-like search to the Android homescreen, and it's pretty great". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
19. P., Chris (15 May 2015). "Android customization monthly: Best new launchers, widgets, icon packs, and wallpapers (April)". PhoneArena. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
20. Billa (30 January 2014). "Best 10 Android Parental Control Apps to Check Up on Those Pesky Kids". JoyofAndroid. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
21. AltNico (9 August 2015). "KISS/LICENSE". GitHub. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
22. P., Daniel (3 July 2015). "5 cool new Android launchers and interface tools (July)". PhoneArena. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
23. Murphy, Michael (21 January 2011). "App Review: LauncherPro". TalkAndroid. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
24. "5 Fast Light Weight Android Launchers You should not miss - Tech KT". 5 Light Launcher for Android. 2017-10-19. Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
25. "Launcher". GitHub. 14 September 2021.
26. Sweeney, Martin (26 June 2017). "Lawnchair is a Customisable Pixel Launcher (No Root Necessary)". xda-developers. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
27. Hager, Ryne (17 October 2017). "Lawnchair Launcher, the Pixel-like homescreen replacement with Feed support, now on the Play Store". Android Police. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
28. Adams, Matt (17 October 2017). "Lawnchair Launcher hits the Play Store and with Pixel-like features". Android Authority. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
29. Wagoner, Ara (17 October 2017). "Lawnchair comes to Google Play with Pixel-y goodness". Android Central. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
30. Hayes, Jackson. "Lawnchair: No clever tagline needed". lawnchair.info. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
31. "5 New Best Android Launchers of 2019 | Don't Miss!". STECHM. 2018-10-18. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
32. "Librechair". Telegram. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
33. "r/Android - Librechair — The Lawnchair fork that aims to respect your freedom". reddit. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
34. "[MOD][TWRP] LOS16 Tweak script - Please share yours also![9.0][3/3T][24/07/19]". XDA Developers. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
35. "[STABLE] MSM Xtended XQ Release v3.0 [Q|Android 10.0] [November 10th, 2019]". XDA Developers. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
36. "~oldosfan/librechair - sourcehut git". git.sr.ht. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
37. "Po Lu / Librechair". GitLab. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
38. Martonik, Andrew (25 March 2013). "Lightning Launcher: More customizations than you can shake a stick at". AndroidCentral. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
39. East, Ken (17 April 2012). "Nemus Launcher: Combining performance and customizability". Android Authority. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
40. "Nova Launcher". Google Play. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
41. Munoz, Joshua (13 March 2012). "Nova Launcher Prime [Android App Review]". AndroidCentral. Mobile Nations. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
42. Diener, Derrik (10 February 2015). "Nova Launcher Prime for Android – Is It Worth Your Money?". Make Tech Easier. Uqnic Network. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
43. "Nothing phone (1) Coming Summer 2022" (Press release). Nothing Technology Limited. March 23, 2022.
44. Brown, C. Scott (March 23, 2022). "Nothing Phone 1 is company's first phone, landing with Android-based Nothing OS". Android Authority.
45. "Get a first taste of Nothing OS with Nothing Launcher (Beta)" (Press release). Nothing Technology Limited. 28 April 2022.
46. Ahmad, Istehsan (August 10, 2022). "Best Android Launchers in 2022 - Free Android launchers!". TechVengeance. Istehsan. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
47. "OpenLauncher README.md". github.com. OpenLauncher Team. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
48. Vivek (24 April 2018). "Pear Launcher Review: Best Pixel Launcher Alternative, Still not the Best Launcher". DroidViews. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
49. Matt (4 December 2012). "Phonotto: Simple Phone for Seniors". Androids4Seniors. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
50. Tim-o-tato (15 January 2013). "QM Launcher Adds a New Dimension to Your Homescreen". Droid Life. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
51. 上海朗趣软件科技有限公司 (May 29, 2015). "秀色桌面". wandoujia.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
52. Lowyat.net (June 20, 2014) (2014-06-20). "Hands-On with Ninetology U9Z1T, The Company's First Ever LTE Smartphone". lowyat.net. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
53. NQ Mobile (August 6, 2015) (6 August 2015). "Showself Launcher". Archived from the original on March 10, 2016 – via YouTube.
54. Lai, Richard (5 April 2011). "App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android". Engadget. AOL Inc. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
55. "SquareHome 2 is a Windows phone-like Android launcher you'll love". Windows Central. Mobile Nations. 9 Feb 2018.
56. "android_packages_apps_Trebuchet/NOTICE". GitHub. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
57. sebirdman (19 May 2015). "android_packages_apps_Trebuchet/AndroidManifest.xml". GitHub. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
58. Levi, Joe (30 May 2012). "Launcher Wars Part 6: Trebuchet, the New Launcher in CM9". Pocketnow. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
59. arya, vivekanand (2017-08-23). "best 3D launcher apps for Android". androidleo. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
60. bigMarket by, Adnan (7 December 2018). "best launcher to download from palystore".
61. roberto73c (27 March 2015). "TurboLauncher/LICENSE". GitHub. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
62. Levi, Joe (28 February 2013). "This Might Be the Most Visually Impressive Android Launcher Ever (Video)". Pocketnow. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
63. Wilks, Paul (26 March 2015). "Wave Launcher – the fastest Android Launcher add-on, is now available for free". AndroidTapp. NAMYNOT. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
64. Gordon, Whitson (10 January 2011). "Zeam Is the Fastest Android Launcher We've Seen Yet". Life Hacker (Blog). Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
65. "ZIM Launcher". Fdroid. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2020.