Everything vs X1 Search (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Everything grades higher than X1 Search: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Everything grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. X1 Search grades higher on features. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
X1 Search
Windows search across local files, email, chats and cloud storage
Which one is for you
Pick Everything if
- Fits if you know roughly what a file is called but not where you put it
- Works for drives holding hundreds of thousands of files, or millions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, as it only runs on Windows
- Not for you if you mostly search for words inside documents, because contents aren't indexed and that search is slow
- Tight if you pick the Lite build, which drops the servers and stops the command-line tool and SDK working
- Watch out: NTFS indexing needs the Everything service or admin rights, and FAT drives and network shares are added by hand
Pick X1 Search if
- Fits if your work is spread across Outlook, Teams, Slack and cloud drives
- Works for people on Windows who want one place to look for old messages
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use a Mac or an Arm Windows PC, as neither is supported
- Pricey if you want one year only: it is $79 a year with no one-time purchase
- Skip it if you want to know trial terms first, as the pages read give no length
- Watch out: 50 or more licenses go through sales, and the eDiscovery platform is by quote
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAEverythingGood | 2.0GPAX1 SearchFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFreeware, a plain download, with no paid edition anywhere. The developer asks you to think about donating, and that's the whole sales pitch. | C$79 a year, or $189 for 3 years. That is above the dearer quarter of this category's subscriptions, though not in the dearest tenth. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free: the installer, the portable ZIP and the Lite build, in 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM. Nothing is held back for a paid version. | CA free trial is offered, but the pages read do not state its length or whether it needs a card. |
| Features | CFinding files by name is one job and Everything covers it: 250,000 files indexed in about 5 seconds, results that update as files change, wildcards, filters and regex, a command line and an SDK. But it indexes names, not contents, so searching inside files is slow. | BOne search across mail, chat, files and cloud sources, in-place indexing and a Claude connector in version 12. The listing names no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating is on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and start typing. Two fiddly bits sit in the listing, mind. NTFS indexing wants the Everything service or administrator rights, and network shares have to be added by hand. | CNo store rating is on record. Each mail, chat and cloud source has to be connected before it is searchable. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, a single operating system, from XP through Windows 11. Its HTTP server does let you search your files from a browser on a phone or another computer on the same network. No Mac or Linux version. | DWindows 10 and 11 only. Macs and Snapdragon Arm PCs are not supported. |
| Best for | finding any file by name on Windows | one search across email, files and chat 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: Everything and X1 Search. How we grade
Price against what you get
Everything has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. X1 Search starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Everything starts $6.58 a month lower. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Everything for less, and 39 score higher than X1 Search for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| Everything | X1 Search | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $79 per year |
| Free plan | Everything is freeware with no paid edition. The developer asks users to consider donating. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | A free trial is offered; its length is not stated on the pages read. |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | voidtools PTY LTD | X1 Discovery |
| Price read from | voidtools.com | x1.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Everything
- Windows only; the FAQ lists Windows XP through Windows 11.
- It indexes file and folder names, not contents. Searching inside files is possible but slow.
- NTFS indexing needs the Everything service or administrator rights, and FAT volumes and network shares must be added as folder indexes by hand.
- The Lite build removes the HTTP and ETP/FTP servers and IPC, so the command-line tool and SDK do not work with it.
X1 Search
- Windows 10 and 11 only; Macs and Snapdragon ARM Windows PCs are not supported.
- Sold by the term, not as a one-time purchase: 1 year or 3 years.
- Purchases of 50 or more licenses go through sales.
- A separate X1 Enterprise platform for eDiscovery is sold on a quote basis.
Key features
Everything
- Instant filename search
- Starts by listing every file and folder on the PC and narrows the list as you type. Only names are indexed: about 250,000 files on a fresh Windows 11 install take about 5 seconds.
- Real-time index updates
- Results update as files change. NTFS indexes are kept current through the USN Journal, so changes made while Everything was closed are picked up when it restarts.
- Search syntax
- Supports boolean operators, wildcards, file-type and location filters and optional regular expressions. A content: function searches inside files, but contents are not indexed, so it is slow.
- Low resource use
- The vendor quotes about 35 MB of RAM and under 14 MB of disk space for roughly 250,000 files, and about 100 MB of RAM for 1,000,000 files.
- HTTP and ETP/FTP servers
- Search and open your files from a web browser on another computer, phone or tablet on the local network. Version 1.4 includes the servers; for version 1.5 they are separate plugins.
- Command line and SDK
- The ES command-line tool queries a running copy of Everything, and the SDK gives other programs a DLL and Lib interface to it over IPC.
X1 Search
- One search across sources
- Covers email, local files, Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, Outlook), Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and Slack.
- Mail connectors
- Gmail, Outlook mail and Yahoo are supported; the Gmail connector is API-based.
- In-place indexing
- Indexes data where it sits instead of moving it.
- Claude MCP connector
- Version 12 and later purchases include an MCP connector so Claude can search the X1 index.
- Chat search
- Searches Teams chats and channels and Slack conversations alongside email and documents.
Plans
Everything
Everything$0
Freeware in installer, portable ZIP and Lite builds, with 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM downloads. Donations are optional.
X1 Search
1 Year Term$79
per license, for 1 year of support and updates
Bought online by credit card; the license is for one person.
3 Year Term$189
per license, for 3 years of support and updates
Listed as normally $237; the page shows the $189 price with no end date.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Everything or X1 Search?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Everything is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $6.58 a month when paid by the year for X1 Search. Everything is free, and X1 Search starts at $79 per year.
Which has a free plan, Everything or X1 Search?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Everything has a free plan. X1 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.