Listary vs Microsoft PowerToys
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Listary
File search and app launcher for Windows with Quick Switch
Microsoft PowerToys
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11
Where they differ
- Listary starts at $19.95 one-time payment (Listary Pro). Microsoft PowerToys is free.
- Listary can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers window management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
At a glance
| Listary | Microsoft PowerToys | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $19.95 one-time payment (Listary Pro) | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Little Carved | Microsoft |
| Price read from | listary.com | learn.microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows users who want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Developers and power users who work mostly from the keyboard
- People who prefer open-source tools published by the maker of the operating system
Worth knowing
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.
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows only: it needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor.
- Paste with AI is off by default and needs a model provider; online providers require your own API key and may charge for usage.
- Keyboard Manager remaps apply only while PowerToys is running, do not work on the log-in screen and cannot differ between keyboards.
- FancyZones cannot snap some listed apps, and apps running elevated need PowerToys to run as administrator.
Key features
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.
Microsoft PowerToys
- FancyZones
- A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- Command Palette
- A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- Keyboard Manager
- Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- Advanced Paste
- Pastes clipboard content as plain text, Markdown, JSON or a file, extracts text from images with local OCR, and can transform text through an optional AI provider that you configure.
- File Explorer tools
- PowerRename renames files in bulk with search and replace or regular expressions, Image Resizer resizes images from the right-click menu, and File Locksmith shows which processes are using a file.
- Screen and text tools
- Color Picker samples colors anywhere on screen, Text Extractor copies on-screen text with OCR, Screen Ruler measures pixels, and ZoomIt zooms, annotates and records the screen for presentations.
Plans
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.
Microsoft PowerToys
PowerToys$0
All utilities, installed from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Free and open source under the MIT license.
Ways to pay less
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.
Microsoft PowerToys
No public discounts listed.
