Alfred vs Ueli
We give Alfred a 3.0 GPA and Ueli a 3.6, out of 4.0. Ueli grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
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
Free plan · from £34 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAAlfredVery good | 3.6GPAUeliExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AFree and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tier at all. The website has a Sponsor link if you want to support it, and that part is up to you. |
| 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. | AThe whole launcher is free, built-in extensions included, and its Microsoft Store listing is priced at 0. Nothing is kept back for a paid version. |
| 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 launches apps, searches files, does sums and conversions like 2 inch to cm, converts currencies, searches the web and your browser bookmarks, and runs commands like lock and sleep. That's the whole job of a launcher. One snag: file search on Windows needs Everything installed and running. |
| 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 Alt+Space, type, hit Enter. On Windows it installs from the Microsoft Store. Mac users get it from GitHub, where the build is unsigned and not notarized, so macOS blocks it until you allow it by hand. |
| 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. | BWindows, macOS and Linux, so three unrelated systems, and it hooks into Everything, DeepL, Visual Studio Code and JetBrains Toolbox. No phone apps. On Linux the hotkey may not work under Wayland. |
| Best for | a Mac launcher you pay for once | one free launcher across Windows, Mac and Linux |
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 Ueli. How we grade
Where they differ
- Alfred starts at £34 one-time purchase (Powerpack Single License). Ueli is free.
- Only Ueli lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Alfred can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Ueli is open source, according to its own site.
- Alfred also covers workflow automation, clipboard manager and text expansion.
- Ueli also covers calculator.
In commonFree planmacOSKeyboard-firstLauncher
At a glance
| Alfred | Ueli | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | £34 one-time purchase (Powerpack Single License) | Free |
| 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. | The whole app is free and open source under the MIT license, and its Microsoft Store listing is priced at 0. The website has a Sponsor link for supporting development. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Running with Crayons Ltd | Oliver Schwendener |
| Price read from | alfredapp.com | apps.microsoft.com |
| 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
Ueli
- People who want the same launcher on Windows, macOS and Linux
- Windows users who want a free keyboard launcher from the Microsoft Store
- Users who prefer open-source software with no paid tier
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.
Ueli
- The GitHub builds are unsigned, and not notarized on macOS, so Windows and macOS block them until the user allows the app manually.
- File search on Windows depends on Everything and its command-line interface being installed and running.
- Global hotkeys may not work under Wayland sessions on Linux; the README suggests binding a system shortcut to the ueli command.
- The DeepL Translator extension needs the user's own DeepL API key, which a free developer account provides.
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.
Ueli
- Application search
- Alt+Space shows or hides the search window. Type to filter, move through results with the arrow keys and press Enter to launch the selected item.
- Built-in extensions
- Extensions are switched on or off in the settings and include Browser Bookmarks, Web Search, Custom Web Search, DeepL Translator, Visual Studio Code, JetBrains Toolbox and System Settings.
- File search
- Searches files and folders using mdfind on macOS and Everything on Windows, where Everything and its command-line interface must be installed and running.
- Calculator and conversions
- Calculations and unit conversions such as 2 inch to cm run in the search field, and a currency extension converts amounts at current exchange rates. Enter copies the result.
- Favorites and additional actions
- Cmd+K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux opens further actions for a result, including Add to Favorites, which keeps that item first in the results.
- System commands
- Operating system commands such as shutdown, restart, sign out, lock and sleep can be searched for and run with Enter on Windows and macOS.
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.
Ueli
Ueli$0
The complete launcher with all built-in extensions, from the Microsoft Store or winget on Windows and from the GitHub releases page for macOS and Linux.
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.
Ueli
No public discounts listed.
