Copernic Desktop Search vs Listary (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Listary grades higher than Copernic Desktop Search: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Listary grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Copernic Desktop Search
Windows desktop search that indexes files, email and cloud drives
Listary
File search and app launcher for Windows with Quick Switch
Which one is for you
Pick Copernic Desktop Search if
- Fits if you keep years of files and email on a Windows PC and want one search box
- Works for people who need results offline
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use a Mac, since it runs only on Windows 10 and 11
- Skip it if you need Outlook search on the cheapest tier, which sits on Advanced
- Pricey if you want Teams, SharePoint, Gmail and OCR: Elite is $95.99 a year
- Watch out: the pricing page showed a note that live prices were unavailable and figures were illustrative
Pick Listary if
- Fits if you want file search and an app launcher in one box on Windows
- Works for home use at no cost, with $19.95 once if work needs it too
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, as it's Windows only (10 and 11, with an older Listary 5 for 7 and XP)
- Not for you if you need to search inside documents, which takes Gety, a separate app from the same team
- Tight if you're staying free at work, because any commercial use needs the $19.95 Pro license
- Watch out: dark theme, custom filters and actions, advanced search syntax and network drive indexing are Pro only
- Tight if you have more than 3 computers, the most one Pro license covers
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACopernic Desktop SearchFair | 2.6GPAListaryGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBasic is $28.99 a year, about $2.42 a month, the bottom of this category's cheaper quarter. Advanced is $44.99 and Elite $95.99. | APro is $19.95 once with lifetime updates, on up to 3 of your own computers. Utilities here sit at $2.99 a month in the middle, so that's about seven months of a subscription, paid once. It adds the commercial licence, dark theme, custom filters and actions and network drive indexing. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day trial and no free plan. The listing does not say whether the trial needs a card. | BFree forever for personal use, with file search, the launcher, filters, commands and Quick Save & Open. The caps: no commercial use, no dark theme, no custom actions and no shared network drives. |
| Features | CIndex search, many file types, cloud drives, AI search and offline use. The gap in the listing: Outlook and Thunderbird sit on Advanced, and Teams, SharePoint, Gmail and OCR on Elite. | CNames as you type with fuzzy matching, a launcher in the same bar, and Quick Switch to jump Open and Save dialogs where you want them. The gap is its own: it searches names, paths and formats, not what's inside your documents, which takes Gety, a separate app. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating is on record. Search starts only after an index is built, and you pick which extensions to turn on. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: the launcher searches apps and files as you type. Double-tap Ctrl and it switches to the larger File Search Window with your query still in it. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only: Windows 10 and 11. Nothing for Mac or phones. | DWindows only. The current release supports Windows 10 and 11, and an older Listary 5 is kept for Windows 7 and XP. It indexes folders on OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox. No Mac or Linux. |
| Best for | an index to search files, email and cloud drives on Windows | file search and quick folder jumps on Windows |
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: Copernic Desktop Search and Listary. How we grade
Where they differ
- Listary can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Listary also covers launcher.
At a glance
| Copernic Desktop Search | Listary | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $28.99 per year, billed annually | $19.95 one-time payment (Listary Pro) |
| Free plan | None | Free forever for personal use: basic file search, app launching, filters, commands and the basic UI theme. Commercial use is not allowed on the free plan. |
| Free trial | 30-day trial. | None listed |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Copernic, a division of N. Harris Computer Corporation | Little Carved |
| Price read from | copernic.com | listary.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Copernic Desktop Search
- Windows only; the vendor names Windows 10 and 11.
- The pricing page showed a note that the live checkout price was unavailable and that the displayed figures were illustrative, so confirm at checkout.
- Which extensions come with each edition determines what is searchable; Outlook and Teams support sit above Basic.
- Prices are per user per year; the plan selector offers 1, 2 and 3 year terms.
Listary
- Windows only; the current release supports Windows 10 and 11, and an older Listary 5 remains for Windows 7 and XP.
- The free plan is for personal use only. Any commercial use requires Listary Pro.
- It searches by name, path and format, not file contents. Full-text search needs Gety, a separate app from the same team.
- Dark theme, custom filters and actions, advanced search syntaxes and shared network drive indexing are Pro features.
Key features
Copernic Desktop Search
- Index-based search
- Builds a keyword index of the PC so results appear quickly after the first indexing pass.
- Many file types
- The vendor says it covers hundreds of file extensions and 11 languages, including PDF, Office files, PST and e-books.
- Cloud drives
- Indexes Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive content.
- AI search
- Semantic search, summaries and translation powered by Google Gemini or OpenAI are listed as an AI feature.
- Offline use
- Searches desktop files and emails without an internet connection.
- Business server edition
- A server and client pair for company-wide search with permissions.
Listary
- File search
- Finds files and folders by name as you type, with fuzzy matching and results ordered by your habits. Filters narrow by file type or date, and Alt+P previews a file.
- Launcher
- A minimal launcher searches apps and files together with no setup. Double-tapping Ctrl switches to the larger File Search Window and keeps your query.
- Quick Switch in file dialogs
- When saving or opening a file, click a suggested recent folder or search for one to jump the dialog there. It works with the standard Windows file dialog and some adapted apps.
- File Explorer type-to-search
- Typing in File Explorer locates files and folders in the current folder, and custom commands can be run from there.
- Cloud, network and external drives
- Indexes chosen folders on OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox, file servers, NAS and external drives with real-time updates. Indexing shared network drives needs Pro.
- Commands, actions and web search
- Run system commands, launch apps and search the web from the search bar, and act on results with actions such as copy or copy path. Custom actions need Pro.
Plans
Copernic Desktop Search
Basic$2.42
per month, billed annually ($28.99 per year, 1 user)
Desktop and cloud search; extensions listed for this plan include Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Microsoft Office.
Advanced$3.75
per month, billed annually ($44.99 per year, 1 user)
Adds extensions such as Outlook, Thunderbird and an AI Connector.
Elite$8.00
per month, billed annually ($95.99 per year, 1 user)
Adds Teams, SharePoint, Gmail and OCR extensions.
Business Server Search$999
per year for 1 to 3 users
Server product with multi-tier permissions; 4 to 9 users is $1,699 a year, and 1,000 or more users is quoted on request.
Listary
Free$0
Basic file search, app launch, filters and commands for personal use on your own PC. Quick Save & Open is included.
Pro$19.95
one-time payment, lifetime free updates
Commercial use license, dark theme, custom filters and actions, advanced search syntaxes and shared network drive indexing, on up to 3 of your own computers.
Ways to pay less
Copernic Desktop Search
No public discounts listed.
Listary
- Lifetime license
One-time payment with lifetime free updates
Listary Pro is a one-time $19.95 payment. Pro users get lifetime free updates, and existing licenses apply to the latest version.
- Education
Educational discount for students and teachers
Students and teachers are eligible for an educational discount on Listary Pro by emailing the vendor with proof of their status.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Copernic Desktop Search or Listary?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Copernic Desktop Search starts at $28.99 per year, billed annually, and Listary starts at $19.95 one-time payment (Listary Pro).
Which has a free plan, Copernic Desktop Search or Listary?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Listary has a free plan. Copernic Desktop Search does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.