7 Top Android Launchers for 2024

An essential component of the Android user interface is the launcher. It makes it easy to accomplish a variety of things, such as Android Launchers apps, viewing widgets, customizing your home screen, and more.

Abstract;

• With Android launchers, you can easily launch apps, view widgets, personalize your home screen, and do many other things.
• On the other hand, most Android smartphones ship with a default launcher that is not highly customizable.
• So, if you want to change the look and functionality of UI elements on your phone, you should use a third-party Android launcher.

But if you want to customize your phone, the default launcher that comes with the Android skin on the majority of Android handsets might not be for you.

In this situation, it makes sense to use third-party Android launchers. Simply put, a third-party launcher is an application that replaces your Android phone’s home screen and allows you to change its look and functionality without permanently changing the operating system.

The top Android launchers for 2023 that will allow you to customize your Android experience are listed below;

1) Niagara Launcher – Best Lightweight Android Launcher

Another thin and simple Android launcher is the Niagara Launcher. The most prominent feature of the launcher is its minimalist design, which makes it easy to access various components on the home screen with one hand. Niagara can thus increase the usability of a large-screen Android device by making it easier to access apps and other screen elements.

In addition to offering wave alphabetic scrolling—which allows you to move around the app list just by dragging your finger across it—Niagara Launcher also offers quick app access. Likewise, you can get quick access to any incoming messages or alerts as they are instantly notified. This method gives you a smooth experience on your device, free of any jerks or lags during animations or transitions.

In addition, Niagara Launcher offers you the same basic customization options as other launcher apps, allowing you to change fonts, wallpapers, app icons, and widgets, among other things. Additionally, you have the option to hide pre-installed apps and bloatware to clean up your home screen and highlight more important items. Your favorite apps are more quickly and easily accessible to you. Also, the app drawer is organized alphabetically for easy and quick access.

2) Pixel Launcher – Best Minimalist Launcher

The most basic Android launcher available on the Play Store is Pixel Launcher. It looks and works like the stock launcher that comes with Pixel smartphones.

If your phone has thick Android skin and you’re not happy with the way it looks or works, you can use Pixel Launcher to get a simple and smooth experience. In fact, because it’s quite lightweight and has fluid animations and transitions, it’s definitely the best launcher for phones with less processor power.

In terms of features, Pixel Launcher gives you simple swipe motions, long-press shortcuts, and quick access to Google Search directly from the home screen. It also helps you easily find your most used apps with app suggestions and a favorites row at the top. Like Pixel users, the launcher offers you customizable Google Cards with news and information based on your interests.

3) Microsoft Launcher – Best Productivity Launcher

Microsoft Launcher is an Android launcher with a productivity focus that organizes all your notes, calendar events, and to-do lists on the home screen so you can always see what’s on your agenda. If you rely heavily on Microsoft accounts or services for personal or professional use to get the most out of your device, this launcher is the best option.

Likewise, if you use Windows and have certain resources configured for your news feed, you can install Microsoft Launcher on your Android smartphone and receive the same feed. Also, the launcher’s ability to run your device in landscape mode is an interesting feature.

With Microsoft Launcher, you have the ability to personalize the app icons on your home screen, choose between light and dark themes, and let Bing automatically adjust your background every day. Additionally, to increase accessibility, you can arrange widgets so that instead of dispersing them across multiple pages, you have a single scrollable page dedicated to all your widgets.

4) Smart Launcher 5  – Best Android Launcher Overall

Among Android users’ current preferences is Smart Launcher 5. It has a fairly simple and clean layout, with all the components you need to interact with often at the bottom for easy access and efficient completion of daily tasks.

That doesn’t mean Smart Launcher 5 isn’t functional, though. On the contrary, it offers a plethora of customization options that enable you to customize various aspects of your device’s user interface, from widgets and app drawers to fonts and themes. Not only this, but you can also set hotkeys and gestures to make various tasks easier.

In terms of advanced features, Smart Launcher 5 provides an automatic app sorting function that categorizes your programs and saves you the hassle of doing it manually. Additionally, it has an ultra-immersive mode that hides the navigation bar to optimize screen real estate.

Likewise, the launcher has smart search features that make it easy for you to quickly find things (like contacts and apps) or perform various tasks, like online searches. It’s understandable why many people think it’s the best Android launcher.

5) Nova Launcher – Best Feature-Packed Launcher

The term “Nova Launcher” refers to customization for Android devices. It’s one of those launchers that allows you to fully customize the look and functionality of various UI elements to suit your aesthetic. If you enjoy using custom icon packs, Nova Launcher is the best Android launcher to use because of its excellent compatibility.

But despite the many features, the Nova Launcher is smooth and easy to use. Even on older Android devices, animations feel sharp and snappy, and finding settings for a variety of customization options is a breeze. Additionally, you have a backup and restore feature, which makes it very easy to transfer your launcher settings and home screen configuration in case you need to switch phones.

Nova differs from other launchers in that its sub-grid positioning mechanism allows you to have precise control over the placement of your home screen widgets and icons. Additionally, let’s say you want to realize all of Nova’s capabilities. Then, you can upgrade to Nova Launcher Prime to get features like custom icon swipe gestures, app drawer groups, advanced gesture selection, and hiding the app drawer.

6) Lawnchair 2 – Best Stock Launcher Experience

Another popular Android launcher with many customization options is Lawnchair 2. Most of the features of Pixel Launcher are included, along with better customization options that let you customize various aspects of the home screen, such as app icons, widgets, themes, search, and more. It is built on the AOSP Launcher 3 platform.

If you like more personalization than the standard or vanilla Android experience, the best Android launcher is Lawnchair 2. All things considered, this is a fairly lightweight launcher program that works well even on low-powered devices.

At a Glance Widget Launcher is one of the most prominent features of Launcher. This widget, as its name suggests, puts information (including related data) from various sources directly on your home screen. Additionally, you can combine HomeFeeder and Google Feed to organize all your feeds in one place if you want.

Additionally, Lawnchair 2 also accepts plugins. One of the best uses for it is to add Sesame Search directly to your launcher to streamline your search.

7) Action Launcher – Best Customizable Android Launcher

Among the many configurable Android launchers on this list is Action Launcher. All standard Android launcher functions are included, such as gestures, drawer, home screen, and dock customization. It adds many options above to enable you to fine-tune the personalization of your Android device.

The most popular features of Action Launcher include shutter, covers, sharp themes, smart size icons, adaptive icons, Google Discover integration, and app shortcuts. Among them, the Cover feature lets you launch apps, explore hidden folders, and more using basic tap and swipe gesture controls, while the Shutter feature lets you open an app. Lets you preview your inbox by displaying a widget when you slide over its shortcut.

In terms of visual customization, the Action Launcher Dock offers options to change the appearance of the search bar, program icons, and folders, but not as much with Nova. Additionally, by mixing colors in your wallpaper, the Quick Theme feature ensures that the components on your home screen are instantly color-adjusted.

Respectful Remarks

8) AIO Launcher

AIO Launcher is different from other Android launchers. You don’t get standard features like animated icons, animations, or themes. Nevertheless, it is available on your device to present you with the most important data, such as current weather, alerts, tasks, notes, news via RSS, system monitor, frequently used apps, and more. Uses screen real estate. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest Android launchers available right now.

9) BIG Launcher

Seniors and others with vision problems will find BIG Launcher the best Android launcher. On your Android device, it magnifies various UI elements to improve text clarity and ease of navigation. Similarly, the color scheme takes advantage of strong contrast to enhance legibility. Moreover, the launcher puts functions like SOS and frequently used contacts (including speed dial) on the front for easy, quick access.

10) POCO Launcher

The launcher that comes with POCO devices is the same as the POCO Launcher. So, you can get the same experience by installing POCO Launcher on your new phone if you like the look and feel but have recently switched to a different make and model and don’t like the user interface. It has a simple design that is similar to Material Design. You can adjust widgets, app icons, screen layout, and other elements using the included functional customization tools.

Use Third-Party Launchers to Customize Your Android Experience

The flexibility that comes with Android is the ability to change different UI components. So you can customize the look and behavior of any Android device you buy to your preferences, regardless of the skin it runs on.

While it may seem like you’re modifying each system component one at a time, in the end, a third-party launcher is required to apply the modification. So, the launcher programs in the above list should help you do this effectively.

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Android Launchers FAQs

1. What is the fastest Android launcher?

The fastest launcher that you can install on an Android device is Pixel Launcher. Its lightweight design, quick animations, and lack of extensive customization options make things easier and improve the user experience.

2. Which Android launcher has the most customization options?

The customization of Nova Launcher is much more than other Android launchers. While many launchers have the occasional extra feature, Nova Launcher has a small advantage over all other launchers due to its extensive support. Giving our users more customization options for various UI elements on their devices.

3. Will my phone run slower with Nova Launcher?

In an ideal world, Nova Launcher shouldn’t cause any slowdown. If so, it’s probably because your Android phone is running outdated software and is quite old. If so, you should use Nova Launcher with minimal customization, meaning you should minimize graphical components (such as widgets, animations, and app icons) for a smoother experience. It should be reduced.

4. Which free Android launcher is the best?

All the launchers we have recommended above are available for free or as freemium apps. But considering the special features that can be unlocked even in the free edition of the apps, we choose Smart Launcher 5 and Launcher 2 as the best free Android launchers for the majority of users. Both are small and light, and they don’t eat up your RAM or reduce your battery life.

5. Are They Safe ( Android Launchers ) ?

Of course, especially if you’re installing launcher apps from the Google Play Store that we suggested above. Launchers are as secure as any other Android software. They are just the skin of your phone. Install your favorite Android launcher app without any hesitation.

6. What is the best launcher for hiding apps?

There are several Android launchers available to hide apps on your phone or tablet. Here are our top picks:

• Poco Launcher
• Microsoft Launcher
• Lawnchair 2
• CPL Launcher

You can hide Android apps for free with any of these launcher apps.

7. Which Android launcher app is the fastest?

To be honest, your Android phone will not be left behind by any common launcher app. However, if speed and performance are important to you, then in our opinion, Microsoft Launcher is your best option. Lawn chairs and Nova are also easy choices.