When I saw Alfred available in the Mac App Store, I grabbed a copy and was pretty impressed. I’ve used a number of launchers over the years including Quicksilver, LaunchBar, Google Quick Search Box, and Butler. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses. The biggest downside I found to all of the launchers was the UI.
Alfred does basically the same thing as the other launchers, but the UI I find to be quite elegant. The free version of Alfred has handled just about all my launching needs as I’m primarily a keyboard person and the less I have to use the trackpad, the better (with some limitations). Just yesterday, I saw a new version of Alfred had come out and the PowerPack (£12) had some features that I found cool including entering Terminal commands and file navigation. I plunked down my ~$20 and have been happily using Alfred all day.
I really have no complaints about Alfred and find that it is easier to use and more visually appealing than its competitors.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Clean user interface.
- Preferences are easy to understand.
- Quick Terminal command entry is slick. (PowerPack Only)
- File Navigation is a quick way to find files. (PowerPack Only)
- Clipboard history eliminates need for a separate app. (PowerPack Only)
Cons
- Searching for files could use a bit more narrowing down. For instance, I want results from my home folder, but not in my Library folder.
Summary
Without buying the PowerPack, Alfred is well worth using. The user interface is clean and the application works well. Adding the PowerPack, if you need the extra features, is worth the small cost. I find that without a launcher of any kind, I spend far too much time looking for applications; I don’t like a ton of applications on my dock, so a launcher is needed. Alfred, for me, is the best of the current crop of launchers.
Everyone has a favorite launcher and switching launchers is much like the debate about which is better, Mac or Windows. Giving the free version of Alfred a try is a no brainer. If you don’t like it, go back to using another launcher.