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Search Light vs Albert: catalog facts
Search Light	Albert
Best for: GNOME users who want a Spotlight-style search box	Best for: Extensible keyboard launcher for Linux and macOS inspired by Alfred
Free Free and open source.	Free Free for personal use. The source is public under the Albert license, which is not an open source… Full pricing details for Albert Free for personal use. The source is public under the Albert license, which is not an open source license.
Linux	macOS, Linux
Spotlight-style popup without leaving the current workspace Uses GNOME's built-in search All 3 strengths for Search Light Spotlight-style popup without leaving the current workspace Uses GNOME's built-in search Configurable through a preferences dialog	Plugin architecture makes it highly extensible Lightweight C++/Qt implementation keeps it fast
Only works on GNOME Shell GNOME extensions can break with new GNOME releases	Linux and macOS only, no Windows support Requires manual plugin configuration to unlock full potential
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Search Light github.com/icedman/search-light Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Albert albertlauncher.github.io Catalog checked September 22, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.