PowerToys Command Palette vs Flow Launcher: catalog facts
 PowerToys Command Palette |  Flow Launcher |
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Best for: Windows users who want a keyboard launcher from Microsoft |
Best for: Never touching the Start menu again on Windows |
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Free Free as part of Microsoft PowerToys. |
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence. |
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Windows |
Windows |
- Opens with one shortcut and searches apps, files, commands and the web
- Extensible and customisable
All 4 strengths for PowerToys Command Palette- Opens with one shortcut and searches apps, files, commands and the web
- Extensible and customisable
- Optional compact search box mode
- Comes with the rest of the PowerToys utilities
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- Uses the Everything index, so file search is instant on a big drive
- One box for apps, files, bookmarks, web searches and calculations
All 4 strengths for Flow Launcher- Uses the Everything index, so file search is instant on a big drive
- One box for apps, files, bookmarks, web searches and calculations
- Large community plugin library with an in-app plugin store
- Installer and portable build, plus winget, Scoop and Chocolatey
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- Windows only
- Requires PowerToys to be installed and running in the background
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- Windows only
- Binaries are unsigned, so Windows raises a security prompt on first run
All 4 limitations for Flow Launcher- Windows only
- Binaries are unsigned, so Windows raises a security prompt on first run
- Plugin quality varies and a bad one can slow the whole launcher
- The project warns about lookalike domains, so download from the official site
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Downloadable app |
Downloadable app |
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Open source |
Open source |
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License: MIT |
License: MIT |
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No account needed |
No account needed |
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Not stated if it works offline |
Offline features available |
Sources for PowerToys Command PaletteCatalog checked October 1, 2026 |
Sources for Flow LauncherCatalog checked September 21, 2026 |
“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.
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