I’ve been looking for a privacy-respecting, open-source alternative to Alfred for macOS. While Alfred is powerful, it’s not open-source, and I prefer software that aligns with privacy and transparency principles, as recommended by Privacy Guides.
What I’m Looking For:
- A Spotlight-like launcher that is fast and efficient
- Privacy-friendly (minimal telemetry, local processing preferred)
- Open-source (transparency and community-driven development)
- Supports extensions, workflows, or plugins (if possible)
Options I’ve Found So Far:
I’ve done some research and found a few alternatives, but I’d love to hear opinions from this community:
- Quicksilver – Open-source, highly customizable launcher
- Cerebro – Open-source, modern UI, plugin support
- Raycast (Extensions) – While Raycast itself is proprietary, its extensions are open-source
- Albert – Open-source launcher similar to Alfred, but more Linux-focused
- ueli – Cross-platform, lightweight, and privacy-friendly
Questions for the Community:
- Has anyone here used Cerebro, Quicksilver, or Albert on macOS? If so, what was your experience like?
- Are there other open-source alternatives that I may have missed?
- How do these options compare in terms of speed, features, and privacy?