Alternatives to Nova Launcher

The long-established customisable Android home screen replacement. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Nova Launcher.

  • Lawnchair

    Open-source Pixel Launcher alternative with Material You theming.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroid

    Lawnchair is free and open source, offering Pixel Launcher behaviour with icon packs, fonts and grid customisation without root, though stable builds can lag Android releases.

  • Action Launcher

    Android home screen launcher with quick themes and Pixel-style features.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroid

    Action Launcher is also freemium and closed source, with frequent updates, Pixel-style features and Quicktheme colours that follow the wallpaper.

  • Smart Launcher 6

    Launcher that sorts apps into categories and matches your wallpaper.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroid

    Smart Launcher 6 is freemium and sorts apps into categories automatically, removing manual organising, though some apps get categorised wrongly.

  • Niagara Launcher

    Minimalist one-handed launcher with a list-based home screen.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroid

    Niagara Launcher is freemium with a one-handed list-based home screen and inline notifications, a large change from the grid customisation in Nova Launcher.

  • Kvaesitso

    Search-focused Android launcher that searches beyond installed apps.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroid

    Kvaesitso is free and GPL-3.0, focused on one search box for apps, contacts, calendar and files, with tags replacing folders.

  • KISS Launcher

    Tiny search-first Android launcher under 250 KB.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroid

    KISS Launcher is free, GPL-3.0 and under 250 KB, but it is search-first with no icon grid and little room for visual customisation.

  • Olauncher

    Minimal text-only launcher built to reduce screen time.

    FreeOpen sourceAndroid

    Olauncher is free and open source, reducing the home screen to text with no widgets, folders or icon customisation by design.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.

  • Launcher

    Widget-based iOS launcher for quick access to apps, contacts, and shortcuts.

    FreemiumProprietaryiOS