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CLUSTER DESKTOP-INSTALLED-LAUNCHER · 21 ENTRIES · EARLIEST ENTRY 2020-02-07

Desktop application launchers

These 22 products are desktop application launchers that let users quickly find, start, and manage installed programs, often tailored to specific environments such as KDE Plasma, GNOME, or Windows 11, with some adding utilities for autostart management, workspace organization, or clipboard history. Entries in the pre-index period trickled in steadily from November 2019 through July 2026, with most months contributing a single product and a couple of months in 2026 adding two. No member shows meaningful traction, as all activity signals are at zero stars.

Entry timeline

ENTRY TIMELINE

NOV 2019: 1FEB 2020: 1FEB 2023: 1JUL 2023: 1OCT 2023: 1JUN 2024: 1AUG 2024: 1JAN 2025: 1SEP 2025: 1DEC 2025: 1JAN 2026: 1MAR 2026: 2MAY 2026: 1JUL 2026: 2AUG 2026: 1SEP 2026: 4
NOV 2019SEP 2026

Each bar is the month a member carries, which is a creation date where the source published one and a crawl date otherwise. Nothing in the index was found before 11 August 2026, and coverage broadened sharply on 14–15 August, so a bar from then on reports how much we found that month, not how much was built; an earlier bar reports how far back a member's own source dated it — not how long we have been watching.

Members by activity

Activity signals, not revenue.

Build origin · 1 hand-coded · 19 unlabelled

Operator · 3 hobby · 16 open source · 1 unlabelled

Two labels per entry, never collapsed into one: how it was built, and who stands behind it. Counted over the 20 listed below. Unlabelled means nothing has decided yet — not that the answer is small.

  1. 01FlowLauncher-Modern9★20 days—Desktop launcher that provides quick access to applications and search with plugin support for Windows users.
  2. 02appLauncher1★19 days—hobbyDesktop launcher that centralizes starting and stopping local multi-process apps with live status, port detection, logs, and tray access.
  3. 03searchtool-gtk0★1 molivehand-codedopen sourceA desktop search tool and launcher that quickly finds and starts applications.
  4. 04win11-launchpad0★1 molivehobbyDesktop launcher for Windows 11 users that combines an application grid with a spotlight search bar to quickly find and open installed programs.
  5. 05quiver-launcher-bin0★15 daysliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that downloads, installs, and runs applications published as GitHub and GitLab releases.
  6. 06lunaro0★2 moliveopen sourceDesktop application launcher that runs AppImage, Python, Java, and shell programs with GPU selection and favorites.
  7. 07matsya-appmotor0★2 moliveopen sourceDesktop application launcher that lets users quickly find and start installed applications within a graphical desktop environment.
  8. 08shortcut0★1 mo—hobbyDesktop launcher for Linux that searches installed applications, performs calculations, and keeps a history of copied text, images, and files.
  9. 09mx-tools0★18 daysliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that offers quick access to a set of system administration and maintenance utilities.
  10. 10teevee0★3 moliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that cycles through predefined commands with a single button and shows desktop notifications.
  11. 11plasma6-applets-appgrid0★3 moliveopen sourceGrid-style application launcher for KDE Plasma that enables browsing and starting installed programs from a desktop widget.
  12. 12plasma6-applets-appgrid-rc0★4 moliveopen sourceRelease candidate of a grid-style application launcher for KDE Plasma to browse and start installed programs.
  13. 13Outlet0★7 mostaleliveopen sourceDesktop utility that helps users search for, launch, and manage the applications installed on their computer.
  14. 14sofi0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that searches and opens installed applications and files from a single interface.
  15. 15marvin-bin0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceDesktop app launcher that provides a searchable menu for starting installed applications.
  16. 16magicavoxel-launcher-bin0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that lets MagicaVoxel users select a workspace folder and open the program with that workspace.
  17. 17alwo0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceA desktop application launcher that also organizes workspaces for more efficient window management.
  18. 18gnome-summoner0★2 yrabandonedliveopen sourceA launcher for Gnome that summons applications by name rather than searching, providing a playful and efficient way to open programs.
  19. 19rlaunch0★3 yrabandonedliveopen sourceApplication launcher for desktop environments that lets users search for and open installed programs.
  20. 20vlauncher0★3 yrabandonedliveopen sourceDesktop launcher that lets GNOME users find and start installed applications quickly.

Ranked by traction, highest first, and paged 20 at a time — this is a window on the cluster, never the whole of it. Ties are broken by a stable id so a product cannot appear on two pages or fall between them. Browse every cluster.