Flow Launcher vs Listary

Flow Launcher

• Windows users who want a keyboard launcher at no cost
• People who already use Everything or Windows Search and want it in a launcher
• Tinkerers who install or write their own plugins

Listary

• Windows users who want file-name search and an app launcher in one tool
• People who save and open files across many folders all day
• Personal use at no cost, with a one-time license for work

Flow Launcher

• Windows only; the download section says it supports Windows 10 and later.
• On first install, Windows may raise a security warning because the code is not signed, according to the README.
• Integrations such as Spotify, Steam and Obsidian come from community-made plugins and not from the core app.
• Help comes through GitHub, Discord and Reddit, and the project is funded by sponsors.

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.

Flow Launcher

App and file search

Search for and launch apps, and find files or file contents using Everything or the Windows index, from a window opened with a customizable hotkey.

Web searches and bookmarks

Run a web search with your chosen search engine, open URLs and find bookmarks from different browsers.

System and shell commands

Shut down, restart, sleep or lock the PC, search Windows and Control Panel settings, and run batch or PowerShell commands as Administrator or another user.

Plugin Store

Install community plugins from the Plugin Store in Settings or by typing pm install. Plugins can be written in C#, F#, Python, JavaScript or TypeScript.

Dialog Jump

Search for a file or folder and jump an Open or Save As dialog to its path. Alt+G points the dialog at the folder open in the active file manager.

Preview panel and themes

F1 toggles a preview panel that can show media files as large images. Themes, window size, animation and sound can be changed, or you can build your own theme.

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.

Flow Launcher

• Flow Launcher$0

  The complete launcher as an installer or portable ZIP, or through winget, Scoop or Chocolatey. Sponsorship is optional.

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.

Flow Launcher

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.