Alfred vs Homerow
We give Alfred a 3.0 GPA and Homerow a 2.6, out of 4.0. Alfred grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Alfred
Mac launcher with hotkeys, snippets and custom workflows
Homerow
Keyboard labels for clicking any button or link on macOS
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAlfredVery good | 2.6GPAHomerowGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe Powerpack is £34 once, with no subscription, and Mega Supporter at £59 adds free lifetime upgrades. Fair for how much it unlocks, though it's more than most pay-once utilities ask. Prices are in pounds sterling only, so there's no US dollar price to quote. | B$49.99 once covers all your own Macs, with future updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee. That's a little over a year of a typical paid utility here, for an app that does one thing. Students get 30% off. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe core of Alfred is free to use forever, at home, at school or at work: launching apps, finding files and searching the web. Plenty of people never need more. Clipboard history, snippets, workflows and file actions all wait behind the Powerpack. | CThere's no free plan. The trial is the full app with no time limit, though, which is generous. The price of not paying is a purchase reminder every 50 activations. |
| Features | AOne search bar launches apps, finds files and searches the web. The Powerpack adds clipboard history kept for up to 3 months, snippets that expand as you type, file actions, custom hotkeys and workflows built like blocks with no code. Thousands of community workflows can be imported. | AIt does one thing and does it fully. Labels on buttons, links and controls, search by an element's text, right, double and Command clicks, and a scroll mode on H, J, K and L. Version 1.5.0 added Mission Control. Apps with limited accessibility support may not work fully. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating is on record to go by, so a B. The launcher is a search bar, so you type and go. Workflows ask more of you, since you're connecting triggers to actions, but you can import ones other people have made. | BNo store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Press Command-Shift-Space, type a label, hit Return. It needs the Accessibility permission, and every shortcut can be changed if the defaults clash with yours. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only, on macOS 10.14 or later. Alfred Remote for iOS is a separate purchase on the App Store. It works with 1Password and Music.app, and the Powerpack runs Terminal commands and scripts. | DMac only, on macOS 13 or later. Inside the Mac it works across Chrome, Firefox, Arc, VS Code, Slack, Notion and Figma, and pairs with Karabiner-Elements. Nothing for Windows or Linux. |
| Best for | a Mac launcher you pay for once | clicking around a Mac without the mouse |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Alfred and Homerow. How we grade
Where they differ
- Alfred starts at £34 one-time purchase (Powerpack Single License). Homerow starts at $49.99 one-time purchase.
- Alfred has a free plan. Homerow does not, though it has a free trial.
- Alfred also covers workflow automation, launcher, clipboard manager and text expansion.
At a glance
| Alfred | Homerow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | £34 one-time purchase (Powerpack Single License) | $49.99 one-time purchase |
| Free plan | The core of Alfred is free to use forever, covering app, file and web search. Powerpack features such as workflows, clipboard history and snippets are not included. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial with full functionality and no time limit; a reminder appears every 50 activations |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Running with Crayons Ltd | Homerow |
| Price read from | alfredapp.com | homerow.app |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Alfred
- Mac users who want a keyboard launcher without a subscription
- People who automate repetitive tasks with their own workflows
- Buyers who want to pay once, with optional lifetime upgrades
Homerow
- Keyboard-focused Mac users who want to stop reaching for the mouse
- People used to Vimium-style link hints in the browser
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license covering several personal Macs
Worth knowing
Alfred
- macOS only (10.14 or later). Alfred Remote for iOS is a separate purchase on the App Store.
- Clipboard history, snippets, workflows and file actions all require the paid Powerpack.
- Prices are shown in pounds sterling only; the vendor's site gives no US dollar price.
- The Single License is tied to Alfred 5; moving to a later major version is a discounted paid upgrade unless you hold Mega Supporter.
Homerow
- macOS only; the download button on the website says macOS 13 or later is required.
- The license is for personal use on your own Macs, and each license has a maximum number of device activations.
- It depends on the macOS Accessibility permission, and the terms say apps with limited accessibility support may not work fully.
- The unlicensed app shows a purchase reminder every 50 activations; the student discount of 30% needs a verified student email.
Key features
Alfred
- App, file and web search
- Launch apps, find files on your Mac and search websites with default or custom search keywords, all from one search bar.
- Workflows
- A Powerpack feature that connects triggers and actions like building blocks to automate tasks without code. Thousands of community workflows can be imported.
- Clipboard History
- With the Powerpack, Alfred keeps the text, images and file links you copy for 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month or 3 months, so an earlier item can be found and pasted again.
- Snippets and text expansion
- With the Powerpack, saved snippets expand automatically when you type a short keyword.
- File actions and Terminal commands
- The Powerpack adds actions on files, such as emailing, moving, copying and revealing in Finder, and runs Terminal commands and scripts from Alfred.
- System commands and hotkeys
- Sleep the Mac, empty the Trash or start the screensaver with a keyword. The Powerpack adds custom hotkeys and keywords for apps and sites.
Homerow
- Labels on clickable elements
- An activation shortcut, Command-Shift-Space by default, shows a label beside each button, link and control. Typing the label moves focus to it and Return clicks it.
- Search by element name
- Typing part of an element's text narrows the labels to matches. A labels-only mode turns search off so labels can be typed without holding Shift.
- Right, double and Command clicks
- Shift-Return right-clicks, Return pressed twice double-clicks, and Command-Return performs a Command-click, which opens a link in a new tab.
- Scroll mode
- A second shortcut starts scrolling the active area with H, J, K and L, with faster dashes on Shift, half-screen jumps on D and U, and keys for top and bottom.
- Mission Control navigation
- Version 1.5.0, released in March 2026, added keyboard navigation of Mission Control, along with sound effects for clicks and a redesigned settings window.
- Custom shortcuts and Hyper key
- Every shortcut can be changed in preferences, modifier-only shortcuts are allowed, and Caps Lock can be remapped to a Hyper key for activation.
Plans
Alfred
Alfred (free)£0
The core launcher for searching your Mac and the web. Free to use in a personal, educational or business setting.
Powerpack Single License£34
one-time purchase, license for Alfred 5
Unlocks the Powerpack for one user on Alfred 5: workflows, clipboard history, snippets, file actions, themes and settings sync.
Powerpack Mega Supporter£59
one-time purchase, free lifetime upgrades
The same Powerpack features for one user, with free upgrades to future versions of Alfred.
Homerow
Homerow$49.99
one-time purchase
A personal license for all of your own Macs, with all future updates included and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ways to pay less
Alfred
- Lifetime license
Mega Supporter license with free lifetime upgrades
The £59 Mega Supporter license includes free upgrades to future versions of Alfred. The £34 Single License covers Alfred 5.
- Other savings
Upgrade discount for older licenses
Holders of a Single User or Family license for an earlier version of Alfred can upgrade to the current Powerpack at a discount.
Homerow
- Education
30% off for students
Homerow's FAQ says students get 30% off: entering a valid student email address on the pricing section sends a discount code.
