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Looking for a New Mac App Launcher

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I’m on the hunt to find a new Mac app launcher to replace my favorite but aging launcher, Quicksilver. Quicksilver hasn’t been under active development for some time and each Mac OS X release and update is one step towards Quicksilver’s demise.

After upgrading to Mac OS X 10.6.3, QS stopped launching at startup. Even after manually starting QS, it just didn’t act right. This problem might be fixable, but it’s also a good time to see what other app launchers are out there. But I am baffled that with all the MacHeist deals and MacUpdate bundles I’ve bought in the past, there isn’t an app launcher among them?!

I found this review which is a good start. I was told about Butler which seems to do a lot but has its own menu interface. I love the simplicity and speed of Quicksilver’s Control-Space key combo to kick things off. And of course, free is good.

Sorry, I still think Mac OS X’s Spotlight is too slow. I’m trying out Namely right now and customized the key stroke activation to mimic Quicksilver. We’ll see how this app launcher performs.

Anyone have recommendations for a Mac app launcher?

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4 Comments

  1. Tweets that mention Looking for a New Mac App Launcher - Pulpconnection -- Topsy.com
    March 31, 2010 @ 10:22 pm

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  2. Marvo
    April 1, 2010 @ 8:37 am

    LaunchBar. Hands down. Whenever I do clean installs or buy a new Mac, LaunchBar is the first thing I install. It may seem a little pricey at $35, but it is worth every penny. It's not just an application launcher, it does so much more, like allow you to have multiple clipboards and create search templates that allow you to do web searches directly from LaunchBar. You can easily make your own search templates, like I did one for Yelp and looking up bills at the legislature. Those are just some of the main features, but you should try it out. There's a 30-day demo: http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html

    • geewhy
      April 1, 2010 @ 3:22 pm

      Marvo, thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to take a look at LaunchBar.

  3. On a Productivity Kick - Pulpconnection
    May 26, 2010 @ 4:26 pm

    […] Back in March, I asked about Mac app launchers.  Marvo highly recommends LaunchBar, Foojish uses Butler, and Steve mentioned Google’s Quick […]