# Launchy review (2026): is it any good?

> Open-source keystroke launcher with plugins and skins

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

Launchy is an open-source launcher that indexes the programs in your start menu and opens documents, folders and bookmarks from a few typed letters. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and can be extended with plugins and skins made by other developers. It is offered on a pay-what-you-want basis.

- **Category:** Window Managers & Launchers
- **Made by:** Josh Karlin
- **Website:** https://www.launchy.net/
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Who should skip it:** Watch out: the site doesn't date the stable 2.5 or the 2.6 beta, so it is hard to tell if it is kept up.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, Launchy is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Pay what you want: it can be downloaded for free, with a suggested payment of $10 and a request to consider at least $3.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pay what you want | $0 | Free download; the vendor suggests $10 and asks for at least $3, with options from $3 to $100. |

Read from https://www.launchy.net/download.php on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Launchy before buying.

## Key features

- **Start menu indexing:** Indexes the programs in the start menu and launches documents, project files, folders and bookmarks from a few keystrokes.
- **Plugins:** Windows-only plugins from other developers cover tasks such as killing processes, a calculator and PuTTY sessions.
- **Plugin development:** Plugins can be written in C++, or with add-ons in .NET or Python.
- **Skins:** The look of the launcher can be changed with skins found in the Launchy forums.
- **Several operating systems:** The download page lists builds for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, with a source tarball.

## Good for

- Users who want a small, long-established launcher
- People who want to pay what they think is fair
- Linux and Mac users who want the same launcher on each system

## Worth knowing

- The latest stable version is 2.5, and the newest beta listed is 2.6 Beta 2; the site does not date either.
- The plugins page is Windows only, and its author says third-party plugins are used at your own risk.
- Plugins and skins come from other developers, with no vetting by the maker.
- The Android app mentioned on the site is a separate product.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Launchy indexes your start menu and opens programs, folders and bookmarks from a few typed letters, on Windows, macOS and Linux. The site dates neither its stable 2.5 nor its 2.6 beta, and the plugins page is Windows only and used at your own risk.

- **Value for money: A.** Pay what you want: a free download, with $10 suggested and a request for at least $3.
- **Free plan and trial: A.** Downloading is free with nothing locked, though the vendor asks you to consider paying at least $3.
- **Features: C.** Start menu indexing, plugins and skins. The plugins are Windows only and come from other developers, so the core job is covered but unevenly across systems.
- **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record, but you install it and type; nothing needs setting up first.
- **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows, macOS and Linux builds, computers only, with no phone or web version.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Launchy's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among window managers and launchers

- Launchy's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 47 of the 48 other window managers and launchers we grade, and level with 1.
- It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 23 of 48) and worst on features (C, above 1).
- Launchy has no paid plan.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/window-managers

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** Launchy is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 47 of the 48 other window managers and launchers we grade.

- You could not: A launcher wired into the operating system.
- You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

PuTTY

**Tags:** Launcher, Open source, Keyboard-first

## Alternatives

- [Keypirinha](https://toolgpa.com/tools/keypirinha): Free keyboard launcher for Windows with Python plugins. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/keypirinha-vs-launchy)
- [Wox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wox): Open-source keyboard launcher for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/launchy-vs-wox)
- [Executor](https://toolgpa.com/tools/executor): Free MIT-licensed keyword launcher built only for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/executor-vs-launchy)
- [Albert](https://toolgpa.com/tools/albert): Plugin-based keyboard launcher for Linux and macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/albert-vs-launchy)
- [Ulauncher](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ulauncher): Open-source application launcher for Linux with extensions. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/launchy-vs-ulauncher)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://www.launchy.net/
- https://www.launchy.net/download.php
- https://www.launchy.net/plugins.php

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/launchy
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).