Alfred vs Quicksilver

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

Quicksilver

• Mac users who want to act on files, apps and contacts from the keyboard
• People who want a launcher with clipboard history and no paid tier
• Tinkerers who like plugins, triggers and AppleScript actions

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.

Quicksilver

• macOS only; the latest version runs on macOS 10.14 or later, with older releases kept for older systems.
• Many features come from plugins, which have to be installed and enabled before they show up.
• It is maintained by volunteer contributors and relies on donations for hosting and development costs.
• On startup it contacts qs0.qsapp.com to check for new versions, which the manual notes a network monitor may flag.

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.

Quicksilver

Object, action, argument commands

Commands are built in two or three panes: an object such as a file, an action such as E-mail To, and an argument when the action needs one.

Abbreviation matching that learns

An item matches when the typed letters appear in its name in order, and items you pick often rise in the results, so short abbreviations come to select them.

Its own catalog

Quicksilver builds a catalog of apps, files, bookmarks, contacts and more without depending on Spotlight, and rescans it in the background every 10 minutes by default.

Triggers

A command can be bound to a keyboard shortcut, a mouse action, a gesture or an event so that it runs without opening the command window.

Plugins

Optional plugins add objects and actions for apps such as Mail, Gmail, Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Calendar and Reminders. They are found, installed and updated from the Preferences.

Clipboard history and Shelf

The Clipboard and Shelf plugin keeps a history of what you copy and a Shelf for storing items you want within quick reach.

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.

Quicksilver

• Quicksilver$0

  The complete launcher with every feature and plugin, as a disk image download or a Homebrew cask. Donations are optional.

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.

Quicksilver

No public discounts listed.