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Search Light vs ArcMenu: catalog facts
Search Light	ArcMenu
Best for: GNOME users who want a Spotlight-style search box	Best for: GNOME users who want a classic application menu instead of the activities overview
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source under the GPL version 2 or later.
Linux	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	Brings a traditional searchable start menu to GNOME Customizable menu layout All 3 strengths for ArcMenu Brings a traditional searchable start menu to GNOME Customizable menu layout Open source and published as releases on GitLab
Only works on GNOME Shell GNOME extensions can break with new GNOME releases	Only works inside GNOME Shell GNOME extensions can need updates after major GNOME releases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Offline features available
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 ArcMenu gitlab.com/arcmenu/ArcMenu Catalog checked October 2, 2026

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