Find Any File vs LaunchBar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Find Any File and LaunchBar share a 2.6 GPA, and only LaunchBar has a free plan.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Find Any File grades higher on value for money. LaunchBar grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Find Any File
Mac file finder that searches by name, date, size and content
LaunchBar
Keyboard launcher for Mac with clipboard history and actions
Which one is for you
Pick Find Any File if
- Fits if Spotlight misses files you know are on your Mac
- Works for people who search by size, date or a pattern in the name
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use Windows or Linux, as there is no version for either
- Skip it if you want a clear trial, as no time limit is stated
- Too light for searching email and cloud services, since it searches volumes
- Watch out: the vendor says to try the download from its own site, not the App Store, first
Pick LaunchBar if
- Fits if you open apps, files and contacts on a Mac from the keyboard
- Works for people who'd rather pay 35 € once than a monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on Windows or Linux, or a Mac older than macOS Monterey
- Not for you if interruptions bug you and you won't pay, since unlicensed use brings break prompts
- Not for you if several people use it across several computers, which a Single license doesn't cover
- Watch out: the 59 € Family license is for one household and non-commercial use only
- Watch out: prices are in euros, and the shop gave no US dollar price when the listing was read
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAFind Any FileGood | 2.6GPALaunchBarGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$6 once as shareware by PayPal or card, far below a year of this category's middle subscription. The Mac App Store price is not stated. | B35 € once for a Single license, or 59 € for up to 5 computers in one household. Utilities here sit at $2.99 a month in the middle, so in dollars that's a year or so of a subscription, paid once. The shop gave no dollar price when the listing was read. |
| Free plan and trial | CShareware you can try before paying, but the page states no time limit and no free plan, only a request to pay if you keep it. | BAfter the 30-day trial you can carry on free for as long and as often as you like, with the whole app. The catch is that it occasionally invites you to take a short break, and the listing can't say how often. |
| Features | BSearches by file properties and contents, scriptable rules, regular expressions, saved searches and network and backup volumes. The listing names no gap in the core job. | BIt covers the launcher job: abbreviation search like SP for System Preferences, clipboard history with ClipMerge, file moves and renames from the keyboard, calendar events, reminders, web searches, and your own actions in JavaScript, AppleScript, Ruby or Python. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating is on record, but you install it and type a search with nothing to set up. | BNo store rating on record, but there's nothing to set up: open it, type a few letters, hit Return. The ranking adapts to how you use it, so the things you open most come up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | DMac only. There is no Windows or Linux version. | DMac only. Version 6.24 runs on macOS Tahoe and is compatible back to Monterey. It works with Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Apple Shortcuts, Calendar, Reminders, Keyboard Maestro and Spotify. One operating system, though. |
| Best for | finding Mac files that Spotlight skips | a keyboard launcher on the Mac, bought once |
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: Find Any File and LaunchBar. How we grade
Where they differ
- LaunchBar also covers launcher, clipboard manager and calculator.
At a glance
| Find Any File | LaunchBar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 one-time | 35 € one-time purchase (Single License) |
| Free plan | None | Beyond the 30-day trial, LaunchBar 6 can be used for free as long and as often as you like. Without registration it occasionally invites you to take a short break. |
| Free trial | Shareware: the download from the developer's site can be tried before paying; no time limit is stated. | 30-day trial period, after which free use continues without a license |
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Thomas Tempelmann | Objective Development Software GmbH |
| Price read from | findanyfile.app | obdev.at |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Find Any File
- Mac only; there is no Windows or Linux version.
- The vendor's site says the download from its own site, not the App Store, is the one to try first.
- The page does not state a time limit for the trial or the Mac App Store price.
LaunchBar
- macOS only. Version 6.24 runs on macOS Tahoe and is also compatible with Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura and Monterey.
- Without a license, LaunchBar occasionally interrupts with an invitation to take a short break.
- Prices are shown in euros; the vendor's shop gave no US dollar price when it was read.
- The Family License is limited to one household and non-commercial use, and a Single License does not cover several users on several computers.
Key features
Find Any File
- Search by file properties
- Match on name, dates, size, kind, tags and more, including folders that Spotlight usually excludes such as System and Library.
- Content search
- Looks for text inside files, including inside zip archives, and in .docx and .xlsx documents.
- Scriptable rules
- Version 2.4 added scriptable rules for complex searches, and version 2.6 made the app AppleScriptable.
- Regular expressions
- Searches can use regular expressions, per the version 2.0 notes.
- Saved searches and results
- Searches can be saved for re-use, and result lists can be saved and reopened.
- Network and backup volumes
- Can search modern Time Machine backups, and runs faster on Synology and QNAP shares and Windows shares with Everything.
LaunchBar
- Adaptive abbreviation search
- Finds apps, documents and other items from short acronyms of their names, such as SP for System Preferences. The ranking of results adapts to your usage.
- Clipboard History and ClipMerge
- Recently copied items stay available, with a paste-as-plain-text option and an ignore list for sensitive data. Pressing Command-C twice merges successive copies into one clip.
- Send To and Instant Send
- Tab sends the selected item to an app, a folder, an email contact or a search template. Holding Command-Space sends a file or text selection from another app to LaunchBar.
- File browsing and operations
- Navigate the file system with the arrow keys, including inside packages, and move, rename, compress or tag files and create folders from the keyboard.
- Calendar, Reminders and Contacts
- Create calendar events and reminders with live feedback on what will be created, and reach contacts to start an email or look up a phone number or address.
- Scriptable actions
- Custom actions can be written in JavaScript, AppleScript, Ruby, Python, PHP and other languages with the built-in Action Editor, or installed from other users.
Plans
Find Any File
Shareware license$6
one-time, bought by PayPal or card on the developer's site
Keeps using the direct download after the trial; the page says users are expected to pay if they keep it.
Mac App StoreNot shown
Also sold through the Mac App Store; the vendor's pages do not state that price.
LaunchBar
Free use0 €
LaunchBar 6 without a license. It keeps working after the 30-day trial but occasionally asks you to take a short break.
Single License35 €
one-time purchase, license for LaunchBar 6
Either one user on multiple computers or multiple users on one computer, but not multiple users on multiple computers.
Family License59 €
one-time purchase, license for LaunchBar 6
Up to 5 computers at a time that belong to one household. Non-commercial use only.
Ways to pay less
Find Any File
No public discounts listed.
LaunchBar
- Other savings
Reduced-price upgrades for existing licenses
The order page offers upgrades at a reduced price: owners enter their license key to check which upgrade options are available.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Find Any File or LaunchBar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Find Any File starts at $6 one-time, and LaunchBar starts at 35 € one-time purchase (Single License).
Which has a free plan, Find Any File or LaunchBar?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only LaunchBar has a free plan. Find Any File 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.