Database Info

A Launcher Comparison

Have tried a few launchers over the past few weeks, and made a comparison spreadsheet, take a look-
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc...4NmJ4X29sRk43dGc&authkey=CMfSjJgH&hl=en#gid=0
My thoughts
For a fast lightweight launcher, zeam (perfect apart from no notifications in the dock).EDIT - i have since found the appdrawer to be laggier in scrolling than go launcher / launcher pro, so cannot stand by my original near perfect opinion)
For a launcher with themes and lots of visual customisation - ADW EX
For an all round launcher - Go Launcher EX
For an all round launcher with its own widgets - Launcher Pro Plus

I use actualy crazy home pro and is very useful you have 3 desktop whit 5 pages each. Try and add to spreadsheet.
Sent from my X10minipro using XDA App

I use Arc Launcher. It isn't the most customised one but is indeed one of the most stable and refined. I just love the effects of one removing a widget on Arc Launcher!

thanks~~~~~~~~``

Nice, only thing I noticed was that ADW does have notifications with ADW Notifier, but very well done

You compltely missed on the most important thing, SPEED. For me launcher pro has absolutwly no lag at all on an htchero where as all other except zeam do. AdW has a clunky was to organize the homescreens in my opinion and although go launchwr was good, it was a bit laggy and the style didnt suit my taste
Sent from my EVO3D using XDA App

dre89 said:
Nice, only thing I noticed was that ADW does have notifications with ADW Notifier, but very well done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spreadsheet amended. thanks for the update

fowenati said:
You compltely missed on the most important thing, SPEED. For me launcher pro has absolutwly no lag at all on an htchero where as all other except zeam do. AdW has a clunky was to organize the homescreens in my opinion and although go launchwr was good, it was a bit laggy and the style didnt suit my taste
Sent from my EVO3D using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, i have to agree with you that speed is important. i have only ever had lags with adw, but until i have the launchers set up with identical widgets i felt it was unfair to rank them on their perceived speed.

What you put in the "home screen notes" row is the reason I didn't use LP or Zeam.
I suggest you separate the "gestures" row into two, one for home screen, and one for dock bar.

Question for those with GO Launcher and Launcher Pro installed -
For the scrollable widgets, how do you find widget scrolling using Go Launcher compared to launcher pro? i find Go launcher very sensitive to left / right movement while trying to scroll the widget making it more difficult to vertically scroll the widgets than launcher pro. I tested this using pure messenger scroll with both.

fowenati said:
You compltely missed on the most important thing, SPEED. For me launcher pro has absolutwly no lag at all on an htchero where as all other except zeam do. AdW has a clunky was to organize the homescreens in my opinion and although go launchwr was good, it was a bit laggy and the style didnt suit my taste
Sent from my EVO3D using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, i have to agree with you that speed is important. i have only ever had lags with adw, but until i have the launchers set up with identical widgets i felt it was unfair to rank them on their perceived speed.
EDIT
Had lags on LPP this weekend...half second delays or so when swiping between screens...

nxdu said:
What you put in the "home screen notes" row is the reason I didn't use LP or Zeam.
I suggest you separate the "gestures" row into two, one for home screen, and one for dock bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
done!
cheers

nepentanova said:
done!
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GO has a up swipe for dock gesture.

tanjinjack said:
I use Arc Launcher. It isn't the most customised one but is indeed one of the most stable and refined. I just love the effects of one removing a widget on Arc Launcher!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARC Launcher added (though i don't share your love!!)

nxdu said:
GO has a up swipe for dock gesture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i thought there were only 2 gestures in GO Launcher, swipe up / down on home page (not just dock). perhaps we have our terminology mixed up..

Maybe you should add SPB Shell 3D as well - the launcher for users with too much money

nepentanova said:
ARC Launcher added (though i don't share your love!!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the addition of my favourite non-Sense launcher in it. Really like some of the effects that other launchers will probably never implement (like the effect of moving a widget, deleting a widget, going into app drawers etc.)
There are actually 7 screens version out there, and I got it here also from the link below. And there are some variants as well, including landscape mode (something I think is missing in other launchers.)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11856283&postcount=43
I manage to put apps into the dock as well (Miren browser and Dialer One).
Also about GO Launcher, I believe it does support swipe gestures on dock as well - it pretty much does whatever the free Launcher Pro does, except for the all home-screen views.
Maybe you may want to take a look at the NetFront Screen as well. A launcher of different concept, which I still think more works need to be done and more performance upgrade (have lags on my AOSP-loaded Desire).
Other wise, really good jobs on the spreadsheet. Appreciate it.

Have you tried Sweeter Home?

this is great, but just to let you know LPP has "resizable home screen" of 10x10 also

nepentanova said:
i thought there were only 2 gestures in GO Launcher, swipe up / down on home page (not just dock). perhaps we have our terminology mixed up..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set swipe up actions for dock icons. Just long=tap a dock icon and hit "change gesture."
This means that the dock of GO Launcher can do 10 things instead of 5, or 30 if you use the scrollable dock option.
When you update the dock notes you may want to update the app drawer notes too. You can change the default 4x4 view in the app drawer to 4x5 and 5x5, just like you can for the home screens.
Another GO Launcher note: when you use it it sends data home (probably usage stats). If you don't want GO to phone home you should block it with DroidWall. (Maybe the other launchers phone home too?)

[Q] Launcher Slide Up Show App Drawer

Launcher that when I slide it up(with movement, animation etc, Like Android 1.5), it will show the app drawer? I got Launcher Pro atm

Zeam Launcher
Minimal, fast, works exceptionally well on the last few phones Ive used including the Galaxy S series and the G2X.

ADW can do this.

So can GoLauncher EX. Also very themeable. A bit heavier than zeam though
sent from my transparent xda app by the impaler747

I'm understanding the request differently than you guys. I think you might be looking for Launcher + maybe https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.intuitit.android.p.launcher&feature=search_result.
Or maybe I'm the one misunderstanding the request... :shrug:

Konstantinos said:
Launcher that when I slide it up(with movement, animation etc, Like Android 1.5), it will show the app drawer? I got Launcher Pro atm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
guys hes looking for an launcher that opens up and down most launchers dont do this anymore its a very miss feature i think.
Edit: like 1.5 and 1.6 like vanilla android.

Well when I slide my finger up on the home screen my app drawer opens. Slide my finger down and my notification bar pulls down. That's what I get from the op anyway
sent from my transparent xda app by the impaler747

Adw ex ftw
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

[Q] Alternative Launcher

Hey all,
I have always been a fan of other home launchers like launcher pro and go launcher.
What i have noticed though is that they are not "tabled optimized".
With that i mean that you still have the dock like you have on your phone and the icons and widgets are much smaller.
Is there a way to get one of them working the same way as the default launcher?
I like the sizes and i don't need the dock, only thing i do want is the extra options which the alternative launchers provide and i do believe they are smoother than the default launcher.
Thanks!

Try ADWLauncher EX. It's tablet optimized, has a ton of options and the launcher bar can be hidden or not used if you want.

AcIdC0R3 said:
Try ADWLauncher EX. It's tablet optimized, has a ton of options and the launcher bar can be hidden or not used if you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will adw launcher also do?
Dont want to spend money on the paid version before i know i like it.

What particular feature are you looking for it to do?

AcIdC0R3 said:
What particular feature are you looking for it to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i often get that when i wake my TF that it laggs al little or needs to reload all the widgets and icons.
I want to see if this is due to the default launcher by using a different launcher.
But all the other launchers have smaller icons, have the dock, have other widget sizes, and the app list is ugly!
so far i tried LP, ADW, GO.
None have the same sizes as the default one, so i was wondering if this can be adjusted with some simple settings..

As far as I know you can't adgust the size of the icons on the dock. I also wanted to do this but was unable to. As for resizing all other icons, go into the ADWLauncher EX settings > Icons > New Icons Settings > Icon Size and you will be given a slider to adjust the icon sizes.
Most widgets can be resized using ADWLauncher EX. There are some that will not resize despite what you do.

AcIdC0R3 said:
As far as I know you can't adgust the size of the icons on the dock. I also wanted to do this but was unable to. As for resizing all other icons, go into the ADWLauncher EX settings > Icons > New Icons Settings > Icon Size and you will be given a slider to adjust the icon sizes.
Most widgets can be resized using ADWLauncher EX. There are some that will not resize despite what you do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the answer i was hoping for
so i guess i will have to wait until one of them makes a tablet version the wait i want it
or seem to find out why my launcher lags or needs to reload everything.
Maybe its prime.

I use desktop visualizer app to resize my icons. You can download PNG files from Google or Bing to create custom icons as well. Works well with adw ex. You can have your icon take up the whole screen if you really want to.
Sent from xda premium app

ADW EX has The ability to use larger icons. Its in asd settings/ui/icons. Then just check the box for the density hack. Makes the icons the same size as the asus launcher. ADW is what I use and it is a huge improvement over the stock launcher IMHO. For those looking to hide the dock and expand the desktop area it does that to. You just need to select that in the main dock settings, then in the new hidden dock settings disable that to and presto no more dock.
Transformer Sent

I personally like the hidden dock. I just swipe down and it goes away, swipe down again and it comes right back. Kind of like touchwiz mini apps.
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Stardate Tab 10.1 said:
I personally like the hidden dock. I just swipe down and it goes away, swipe down again and it comes right back. Kind of like touchwiz mini apps.
Sent from xda premium app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus one! I have all my flashing utilities on mine. When I start flashing and modding presto there the apps are.
3VO Sent

Try spb shell3d the new editon is tablet optimized
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

anheuer said:
But all the other launchers have smaller icons, have the dock, have other widget sizes, and the app list is ugly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With Folder Organizer app, you won't ever need to go to app list. Just add the container labels to the Home screen or notification area. App Organizer is an alternative from the same developer.

yalkowni said:
Try spb shell3d the new editon is tablet optimized
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get this info? Their homepage and FAQ clearly states it's not compatible with tablets.

Because its still in beta mode
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

yalkowni said:
Because its still in beta mode
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried it out its not that great. It lags realy badly and also costs 15$

Having purchased SPB shell 3d for my phone, I've tried it on my Asus as well. Performance is OK but I don't like that you can see parts of the adjacent screens. Not running it right now on either phone or tablet.

After it's last update, I think ADW blows everything else out of the water. It's really nice.

Drybonz said:
After it's last update, I think ADW blows everything else out of the water. It's really nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't scrolling widgets lag A LOT on ADW? Stock Launcher FTW

hyperxi said:
Don't scrolling widgets lag A LOT on ADW? Stock Launcher FTW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any lag issues with ADW EX on my Transformer. It makes it as smooth as (if not smoother) than iOS... I recently showed and iPad 2 owner my Transformer and he absolutley loved it - couldn't believe how smooth everything was...
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

[Q] Best Home Launcher for Gingerbread???

i just want to find out what peoples opinions are on home launchers. i am currently using GO Launcher EX and i have enjoyed it and seen a lot of progress on their part. i used Launcher Pro for a bit but there was not much development and they had a "paid" version that didnt really give you more options.. witch i paid for btw. ADW is alright.. it seemed kind of dirty and choppy..
give your input please.

I like LaunchePro a lot, lacks developing, but still I'm find it very fluid, like no other... I would like to switch I'm getting bored of my theme and the lack of options it offers. I can use some advice too.
cheers.

I was a Launcher Pro Plus user for the longest time, until I tried Go Launcher EX. I haven't turned back since. Go Launcher is awesome! Tons of features, and it has some great animations. I love the gesture feature as well. Def worth checking out. It's 100% free.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA Premium App

I would say ADW EX is the best out there. Simply amazing smoothness,fluid animations,theming support and excellent customisation options.
Sent from my Blade using XDA app

I second ADW Ex, it's great. And since development (and any communication from the dev) has stopped, LauncherPro has been left in the dust while other launchers have been adding features.
I don't trust the Go team or any of their apps. No ads, free apps, and permission for everything... makes me wonder how they make money.
I've been using the stock MIUI launcher for a while now, but ADW Ex is definitely the way to go if you don't have that.

Launcher for SGS2
If u are using a Samsung galaxy S2, I am sure that you all would love 2 home replacement apps .. The first one is touchwiz launcher (available in market) and the other one is Nemus Launcher ..
Touchwiz launcher is so similar to your stock UI. BUT it has additional options of having upto 5 custom shortcuts on dock and can even hide app labels on dock. App browser has options of 3d and highlighting running apps. The rest of it is just as the stock launcher. Best part is that it runs high scores on quadrant standard on gingerbread original.. my highest was 3800..
Nemus launcher is little known launcher but is one of the smoothest and best on galaxy s2. The app drawer is the best with hide app option and an amazingly cool fade to black of unused apps while scrolling in app drawer. This launcher can have upto 5 customizable docks.It is low on resources. Excellent scores in quadrant standard as well...

Launcher 7 overall takes less ram and I think its rather fast and smooth than any other launcher I have tested even wen I underclock its still prety smooth
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA

I would suggest Go launcher ex(has tons of features)

Go Launcher ex and ADW launcher ex are my favourites. Back when it was still being worked on by Mr.Carnales, launcher pro was beastly... but those days are gone :/

SS launcher is different.

I loved the fluid movement of TSF shell, took some time to get used to though.

go launcher and adw launcher are the best..

I like ADWLauncher Ex , because it has a nice interface .
Advantages:
Highly Customizable Home replacement application
5 different app drawer styles/behaviors
3D Nexus One like application drawer
2 different plain vertical drawer styles, the “old one” and a new fast and smooth one
2 different Iphone-like horizontal application drawers, a traditional paginated one and a new one with continuous fling
Different desktop transitions: new animations while navigating through your desktop screens. Try them all, they’re crazy!!!
New Icons configurations/look and feel: Tweak your desktop icons, change its sizes, add coloured backgrounds, change font size, color, etc!
New fast presets mode: Quickly change the whole desktop configuration by 1 click!
Editable desktop icons for applications, shortcuts and folders!
Lots of code improvements
Lots and more . That's why i love ADWLauncher Ex and i've been using it for like 1 year already . The launcher is kinda awesome though . I donated to the developer to support them .

qs504792 said:
i just want to find out what peoples opinions are on home launchers. i am currently using GO Launcher EX and i have enjoyed it and seen a lot of progress on their part. i used Launcher Pro for a bit but there was not much development and they had a "paid" version that didnt really give you more options.. witch i paid for btw. ADW is alright.. it seemed kind of dirty and choppy..
give your input please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have tested and tried a decent amount of launchers but i have never gotten more comfortable or enjoyed the usage of any other launcher as Go Launcher EX... been using it since i had GT-i9000 and currently using it on my GT-i9100G

Adw launcher for sure or tsf shell if u look for features..
Sent from my GT-S5670 using xda premium

passionalles said:
Adw launcher for sure or tsf shell if u look for features..
Sent from my GT-S5670 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TSF-Shell is nice and fast, especially with mobile that have limited resources such as SGS I (512 RAM), but if you're looking for real features you are definitely not pointing to TSF-Shell... Yet it ain't fair to compare Go Launcher EX and TSF-Shell as each launcher has his own specs + each user will use the launcher that best fits his needs, some needs a fast launcher and that would come over the features it will have, and others are looking for features despite some lag of performance...

plainjane said:
I second ADW Ex, it's great. And since development (and any communication from the dev) has stopped, LauncherPro has been left in the dust while other launchers have been adding features.
I don't trust the Go team or any of their apps. No ads, free apps, and permission for everything... makes me wonder how they make money.
I've been using the stock MIUI launcher for a while now, but ADW Ex is definitely the way to go if you don't have that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 here...it also makes me wonder why the Go team never ask for donate versions of their apps...been using Go launcher for quite some time, but i switched to ADW Ex now..reason?CLEAN AND FAST!but not as fast as Launcher Pro,:customizable though..

i have used quiet a few launchers n my best ones are: ADW, GO LAUNCHER, MIUI LAUNCHER AND LAUNCHER 7...

GO
i choice GO laucher

I would say Go launcher EX is the best for all the features.

[APP][4.1+] Better Launcher (KitKat based)

Free download here:
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.betterapps.betterlauncher
Description
Better Launcher is a new home screen replacement app for Android 4.1+ . It's based from the Launcher app from Android 4.4 (code name KitKat) , it supports all the functions of the home app in Android 4.4:
Main features:
• Scrollable dock with up to 9 icons per page and up to 5 pages
• Enhanced performance and stabilities over the default launcher
• Tons of fun animations, effects and other eye candy
• Homescreen gestures (pinch, swipe up/down, double tap)
• Theme engine compatible with many Launcher themes, including GO Launcher, Adw Launcher, Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher, Holo Launcher etc
• Change folder preview, icon size, animation speed, and many other things that you won't be able to change with the default launcher
• Unread Counts
• Backup/restore settings and data
• Optimized for both phones and tablets
• Lots of other customization options!
Why use Better Launcher over the other launchers?
• It's has many bug fixes and performance/stabilities updates from Android 4.4
• It's lean and small in size
• Allow widgets in the dock
• Better theme support, it loads most of the launcher themes on the play store with no problems
• Supports all of the Next Live Wallpapers

[Change logs]
[Change logs]
2/7
- Beta release
6/20
- Say "Ok, Google" to start voice search on the home screen
- Setting (Homescreen) to turn off the screen fade effect during screen transition

Dawood Al Amri said:
Great job man
Nice nice nice
:thumbup::thumbup:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your support. Please test it more and let me know if there're any issues.

thanks i will test for three days for any bugs on htc one

This is huge
This is the first time I test a launcher and it is so effective and exceeds the best like nova or apex
Thanks
Edit: one hour after, high consumption 100 mb and it will up 180MB and battery drain

Urticant2 said:
This is huge
This is the first time I test a launcher and it is so effective and exceeds the best like nova or apex
Thanks
Edit: one hour after, high consumption 100 mb and it will up 180MB and battery drain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's designed to use any much ram as it's available (i.e. aggressive/persistent mode in other launcher) by keeping things in memory so that things run smoothly. If other apps need memory, the launcher will release the memory for other apps.
Which device do you have? The launcher will use the memory if your device has lots of free memory.

Is there a way to remove the Google search bar from the top of every homepage? I know that's stock kitkat but it's a real waste of space.
In other respects though, this is a very nice launcher.
Edit:
I've worked it out. Under launcher settings-homescreen-search bar I've selected "Invisible" & the search bar not only disappears but the rest of the homescreen expands into the vacant space.
I'm going to see how I get on with Better Launcher as my default launcher for a few days.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

This is the best launcher for now !! 5 stars from me on Google play
Envoyé de mon GT-I9505

Awesome! Please remove elasticity/bounce in home screens and drawer and it's perfect! By far the best kitkat launcher I've seen.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Clean look, awesome theme support. Animations are wicked and customizations from the next level.
Only thing that bothers me is that the homescreen animation lags, no idea why. The app drawer is insanely smooth.
Using it on my Xperia P with Carbon Rom.

Great launcher with lots of customization. There is some lag with the gestures and when you press the menu button while at app drawer, the regular kitkat settings appears behind the apps. Please remove the bounce animation at homescreen and app drawer screens

after one day - it's like hybrid between Google launcher and ADW launcher it's laggy not smooth at all
but 100% themes supports :angel:
i prefer LAUNCHER 3 FROM cm11 :silly:

Awesome start for a beta! Beats the rest out there kitkat wise.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Better-Apps said:
It's designed to use any much ram as it's available (i.e. aggressive/persistent mode in other launcher) by keeping things in memory so that things run smoothly. If other apps need memory, the launcher will release the memory for other apps.
Which device do you have? The launcher will use the memory if your device has lots of free memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have nexus 5 so I have enough memory
Yes this is what I have seen and finally memory is controlled
Congratulation for this first launcher to be as fast
But personally I miss them option as :
- backup widget
- drawer icon replaceable by another app in dock
- swip up/down is too long to execute (in nova is perfect)
- white effect of the transition hurts the eyes
- and the battery consumption is too high

So after a couple of days I'm really liking this launcher. It's like an updated version of my old favorite Holo Launcher. I couldn't live without the 1x1 widgets in the dock that Holo & Better Launcher give me. Holo Notifier even works with it.
I've had no issues with it at all. No force closes, no undue battery drain. For the time being it's a keeper.
I do have one request for the next update. Can we have custom tabs in the app drawer please?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

Nice launcher. but I have some issues
- It take to long to make a gesture.
- I can't turn off the bounce effect.
Sent from my LG-D802

Urticant2 said:
This is huge
This is the first time I test a launcher and it is so effective and exceeds the best like nova or apex
Thanks
Edit: one hour after, high consumption 100 mb and it will up 180MB and battery drain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The launcher doesn't do anything when it's not visible, it certainly not the source of the battery drain issue.

hasbrobot said:
Awesome! Please remove elasticity/bounce in home screens and drawer and it's perfect! By far the best kitkat launcher I've seen.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's one of the planned features, it will be available in a future update. Currently I am focusing on ironing out bugs.

Are this project dead ?
Envoyé de mon GT-I9505

wallah said:
Are this project dead ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do hope not. I really like the launcher but I was hoping for a few more features like app drawer tabs.
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk