Using a third-party launcher on Android gives you the freedom to make your phone feel and work the way you like. And I’ve tried almost all kinds, from minimal launchers to feature-packed ones, and even those that look amazing in screenshots but fall apart in daily use.
The one that I finally settled on is Smart Launcher 6. It’s powerful, but doesn’t feel overwhelming. It’s smart, but doesn’t try too hard to prove it. For me, it’s the closest alternative to Nova Launcher in terms of features, customization, and organization.
- OS
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Android
- Price model
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Free, Pro version available
Smart Launcher 6 won me over with this one feature
Access everything on your phone from one place
If I could only talk about one thing that made me fall in love with Smart Launcher, it’s the Smart Search feature. It might look like a regular app search tool, but it’s anything but that.
It lets me search for not just apps, but also contacts, settings, local files, calendar events, Play Store, and even the web. This is something that typically requires a separate app on Android. For instance, instead of opening the Phone app and then searching for the contact to call them, I can use Smart Search to do that with a couple of taps. The same goes for messages and emails.
If I’m searching for an app, and it’s not there, I can tap Search on the Play Store to download it. Smart Search also makes it easy to look things up on Google Maps, YouTube, or even Perplexity without opening them first.
Even when I’m searching for an app on my phone, Smart Search shows helpful shortcuts that let me jump straight to important features. For instance, when I type in Gmail, it shows all the accounts so I can jump directly into the one I need. Similarly, it shows different actions for different apps.
Smart Search also gives you control. If you don’t want it to show results from specific search categories, you can disable them.
Gestures, automatic app sorting, and a feed page
You’ll love these
I don’t know about you, but I love using gestures on my phone. And Smart Launcher supports plenty of them. You can double-tap on the home screen to open your favorite app or jump to a specific feature inside it. Similarly, you can set one or two finger swipes to do different things.
Now, gesture support is something that almost every launcher offers. But Smart Launcher goes further. You can assign double-tap, and swipe up, down, left, or right gestures for every app icon on the home screen. This means each icon has its own shortcuts, so you can do countless things. My favorite gesture, though, is something called Smart Display. When enabled, it automatically locks the phone when I put it down on a flat surface.
Another underrated feature is automatic app sorting, where Smart Launcher automatically organizes apps in different categories. This is more useful than I initially thought. Every time I install a new app, I don’t have to worry about putting it in the right category. By default, it groups apps into categories like Contacts, Internet, Games, Media, and Utilities. Of course, you can edit these categories and move your apps around as you like.
There’s also a customizable feed page that appears when you swipe right on the home screen. It’s a place where you can follow stories from your favorite websites. It’s much like Google Discover, except here you don’t have to add any account or worry about seeing the same algorithm-driven content you already see elsewhere.
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Endless customization options
Who doesn’t love freedom?
Customization is one area where most launcher apps try to stand out, and Smart Launcher does too. You can change the font style, tweak animations, and even pick wallpapers directly from Unsplash. And that’s just the start.
Smart Launcher itself comes with a bunch of themes, so you’re not stuck with the default look. You can choose between styles like Ambient theme, Material You, or Frosted Glass. My favorite is the Liquid Glass design because it looks cool. After selecting a theme, you can even adjust things like text colors and background blur.
Finally, Smart Launcher lets you customize app icon shapes to make everything look uniform. There are tons of options to choose from, and if that’s not enough, you can even replace an app icon with any image from your Gallery.
You’ll need a Pro version to unlock everything
Smart Launcher 6 is free to use, but if you’re serious about using it as a daily driver, you’ll probably want to buy its Pro version. Some of the useful features, including the Your Feed page, 3D wallpaper effect, and custom icon sorting, are only available in the Pro version. The good thing is, it’s not that expensive. A lifetime license costs around $30, though the exact price can vary depending on your region. And if you’re not ready to commit, it also offers a monthly subscription option.
