Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Alfred VS Fluent Search

Compare Alfred VS Fluent Search and see what are their differences

Alfred logo Alfred

Alfred is an award-winning app for macOS which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more. Search your Mac and the web, and be more productive with custom actions to control your Mac.

Fluent Search logo Fluent Search

With Fluent Search you can search for running apps, browser tabs, in-app content, files and more. You can use fluent search to use the computer without a mouse.
  • Alfred Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-19
  • Fluent Search Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-29

Alfred features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Alfred significantly speeds up searches and workflows with keyboard shortcuts, reducing the time spent navigating through files and applications.
  • Customizability
    Users can create custom workflows, scripts, and hotkeys tailored to their needs, enhancing productivity through personalization.
  • Clipboard History
    Alfred maintains a history of clipboard entries, allowing users to quickly retrieve recently copied items, which is highly useful for multi-tasking.
  • Integrations
    It integrates seamlessly with other macOS features and apps, like Contacts and Safari, providing a cohesive user experience.
  • File Management
    Alfred offers robust file management through quick commands, making it easier to move, copy, and open files without relying on Finder.
  • Snippets
    Users can create and manage text snippets for frequently used phrases, speeding up repetitive typing tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Alfred

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its benefits, Alfred can be complex for new users, requiring time and effort to learn and fully utilize its features.
  • Premium Features
    Many advanced features, such as custom workflows and clipboard history, are only available through the paid Powerpack version.
  • Resource Usage
    Alfred can consume a significant amount of system resources, particularly when using complex workflows, which may affect the performance of older Macs.
  • Inconsistent Results
    Search results and functionality might occasionally be inconsistent, requiring users to refine queries or adjust settings to achieve desired outcomes.
  • Dependency on Spotlight
    While Alfred extends Spotlight's capabilities, it remains dependent on Spotlight indexing. Any issues with Spotlight can affect Alfred's performance.

Fluent Search features and specs

  • Fast Search Capabilities
    Provides quick and efficient search results by indexing files, programs, and other content on your computer.
  • Intuitive Interface
    Features a user-friendly interface with a modern design that simplifies the search process for users of all experience levels.
  • Customization Options
    Allows users to customize search settings, filters, and shortcuts to tailor the search experience to their needs.
  • Integration with Popular Apps
    Integrates with various applications and services, making it easier to find documents, emails, and other content across different platforms.
  • Contextual Search
    Offers contextual search capabilities that bring up relevant information based on the current workflow, improving productivity.
  • Multilingual Support
    Supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Possible disadvantages of Fluent Search

  • Resource Intensive
    Can consume significant system resources, which might slow down older computers or those with limited hardware capabilities.
  • Learning Curve
    Some features might have a steep learning curve, requiring time for new users to fully understand and benefit from all functionalities.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Potential privacy issues related to indexing and searching personal files and data; users need to trust the software with sensitive information.
  • Limited Offline Functionality
    Certain features might require an internet connection to function properly, potentially limiting usefulness when offline.
  • Potential for Bugs and Glitches
    Like any software, Fluent Search may have occasional bugs or glitches that could disrupt the search experience.

Alfred videos

Alfred for Mac [Tutorial] Basics

More videos:

  • Review - Alfred app review is Alfred worth your time?
  • Review - Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course [Method Guide + Review]

Fluent Search videos

Fluent Search | a Fluent Spotlight Search for Windows [Windows 10] App Review

More videos:

  • Review - Fluent Search - Best Alternative to Spotlight for Windows
  • Review - Fluent Search - Process Search

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Alfred and Fluent Search)
Productivity
89 89%
11% 11
Mac
89 89%
11% 11
App Launcher
80 80%
20% 20
Tech
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Alfred and Fluent Search

Alfred Reviews

7 Best Alfred Alternatives To Maximize Your Productivity
While Alfred is a great app, it works solely for macOS. If you get a new computer that doesn’t run on macOS, you won’t be able to use Alfred. There are many other options available that work on other operating systems.
Source: blaze.today
4 Best Spotlight Alternatives to Increase Your Mac’s Functionality
Raycast is a free application launcher for Mac. If you’re overwhelmed with Alfred and don’t want to spend on its powerpack to unlock all its features, Raycast is the best alternative to Spotlight and Alfred—albeit with a limited feature set—you must check out.
Source: techpp.com
6 Best Alfred App Alternatives for Windows to Be More Productive
Alfred app is like the swiss army knife for the macOS ecosystem. But what about Windows? Well, there is Windows Search but it’s not good enough. There are, however, a few Windows apps that can help ease your day-to-day workflows. Let’s see if we can replace Alfred on Windows using a combination of apps. Presenting some Alfred alternatives for Windows users.
Source: techwiser.com
Best Text Expander apps for MacOS
Earlier on I had heard a lot about Alfred, an award-winning Text expander app for the Mac. I tried it for a couple of days and I must say it does deserve the attention it is getting. Before we begin let me clear this up, the Alfred offers a ton of nontext expander features and yet it manages to deliver on its promise. With the Alfred, Mac users can search and browse...
Source: techwiser.com
What's a good alternative to Textexpander for Mac?
14Alfred 3View ProductRogin FarrerDesign Systems Engineer @Wayfair · Written 3y agoI used to use aText and Dash, and Alfred replaced both for me. The snippets have gotten a lot smarter over time, with support for smart variables, like date, time and cursor.🙏 helpful 2CommentsShare

Fluent Search Reviews

We have no reviews of Fluent Search yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Fluent Search should be more popular than Alfred. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Alfred mentions (6)

View more

Fluent Search mentions (10)

  • Win-Vind: Vim powers with speed of thought in Windows 11
    The best is https://fluentsearch.net/ that supports on screen keywords search as well as a powerful launcher and file indexer. For screen search it supports UIA as well as image/text based on OCR like search. It is the best and more accurate than win-vind. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • The Day Windows Died
    Fluent Search [0] with Everything for your woes. 0 - https://fluentsearch.net/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Look at this, I finally was able to create custom window using WinUI. I think it's still very difficult for developers to port their applications to WinUI.
    I developed a similar app called Fluent Search, if you'd like to try it out - https://fluentsearch.net It can be changed to look similar to spotlight and is using Windows 11's design. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Programs that saved you 100 hours? (2022 edition)
    Windows: Fluent Search. Blown away it's not a part of Windows - https://fluentsearch.net/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Upgraded to Windows 11 in hopes of a better search function. Am I doing something wrong? I look for "do" knowing I have a file on my pc called "do.txt" and the BEST MATCH is "Steam"? I'd bet I have opened the do.txt more than Steam by now too!
    If you like this, then take a look at Fluent Search. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Alfred and Fluent Search, you can also consider the following products

Keypirinha - A lightning fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows. No installation required (portable).

Listary - Listary is a revolutionary search utility for Windows

Wox - An effective launcher for windows. A full-featured launcher, access programs and web contents as you type. Be more productive ever since. Wox is free for use and open-sourced at Github, Try it now! Download .

Raycast - Fastest way to control Jira, GitHub and other web apps

Lacona - Fast, simple, powerful keyboard-driven commands for Mac

Everything by Voidtools - Everything. Locate files and folders by name instantly. Everything. Small installation file. Clean and simple user interface.