These launchers can give your phone a total makeover, from changing the look and feel with different icons and themes, to adding new functionality such as smart folders and search assistants. The look of Android may be evolving every year, but there’s more than one launcher for your phone. We’ve tried every one of these launchers to see which one comes out on top. Here are the best Android launchers we’ve found on the Google Play Store.
The best Android launchers
1. Nova Launcher
You can’t talk about the best Android launchers without a mention of Nova Launcher. Fast, sleek and highly customizable, Nova Launcher balances extensive appearance and utility customizations with a minimal performance impact, letting you set your home screen just right without slowing down performance. There are a lot of options to work through, from color themes to icon packs, scrollable docks to app drawer customizations, to folder settings and infinite scrolling. The Nova team is never content to rest on its laurels, continuously adding new features, such as Sesame Shortcuts, animations, and other improvements. If you want the most powerful features, turn to Nova Launcher Prime (opens in new tab), a $4.99 version that offers more than the free download. Download Nova Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
2. Niagara Launcher
Niagara is a lean Android launcher designed to place your apps and notifications front and center, while keeping other distractions to a minimum. Notifications are displayed right on your home screen, with spam and persistent notifications automatically filtered out. The app drawer automatically surfaces your favorite apps, while also providing handy alphabetical shortcuts. That said, Niagara’s extreme minimalism means that you shouldn’t be expecting any unusual visual frills and options you might expect from most third-party launchers. it is updated frequently and it shows great promise. Download Niagara Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
3. Smart Launcher 5
Smart Launcher has long been a favorite for the best Android launcher, with its simple “flower” favorites grid and sorted app folder. The latest version, Smart Launcher 5, adds a ton of features and refinements. Smart Launcher’s flower grid is still available, but it’s joined by a number of other well thought-out layouts designed to keep your favorite apps within easy reach of one hand, while smart search and an intelligently sorted and customizable app drawer makes it easy to find whatever you need, whether on your phone or out in the web. Adaptive icons and colors, fully resizable widgets, and more customizations round out the package, making for a great update to a classic launcher. You’ll need to shell out $7 for the Pro version of Smart Launcher to access the many of those extra features, including pop-up widgets and expanded gesture controls. Download Smart Launcher 5: Play Store (opens in new tab)
4. AIO Launcher
Where other launchers might offer up decluttering visual customizations, AIO Launcher is all about cramming as much info as possible on your screen in a relatively spartan format. The app displays your frequently used apps, as well as system information, recently received calls, messages and email, as well as upcoming calendar events and more. While AIO Launcher is free, in-app purchases unlock other features such as widget support, app icons, and Android notifications in the home screen stream. It’s not the friendliest interface out there among the best Android launchers, it’s still an interesting choice if information density isn’t a turn-off for you. Download AIO Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
5. Hyperion Launcher
A Pixel-like launcher from the team behind the popular Substratum theming engine, Hyperion Launcher is an extremely customizable Android launcher app that lets you tweak a vast array of settings. Besides the standard wallpapers and widgets, users can configure a gamut of settings for themes, folders, transparencies, animations, icon packs and adaptive icons. Hyperion provides a ton of its features for free, but others — like launcher-level font changes and custom gestures — are unlocked with an in-app purchase for the Pro version. Download Hyperion Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
6. Action Launcher
Action Launcher Pixel Edition was among the first of the big third party launchers to give itself a Pixel-style makeover, combining its extreme customizability with new interface features and styles introduced with the Pixel Launcher. Action Launcher includes an adaptive app bar, the pill-shaped Google search bar, and Oreo-style app shortcuts (backward compatible to Android 5). A slide-out app drawer provides users with quick access to an app library and widgets. Special gestures such as “covers” and “shutters” allow for speedy access. Action Launcher automatically picks out dominant colors in your wallpaper and adjusts the app drawer, folder backgrounds and search box to match. Download Action Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
7. Customized Pixel Launcher
Another excellent launcher stemming from the efforts to bring features of the Pixel Launcher to the Android masses is Customized Pixel Launcher (CPL), a free app building off the Rootless Launcher project. On the surface, CPL hews closely to the look of the stock Pixel launcher, with rounded edges, notification dots and badges, while also throwing in support for theming, icon packs, adaptive icons, gesture controls and font customization. CPL also supports the Google feed and the At A Glance widget, and Assistant features, though you’ll need to install an additional app (opens in new tab) from GitHub to get the feed to work on CPL. Download Customized Pixel Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
8. Apex Launcher
Apex Launcher lives up to its name as another excellent Android launcher with a good balance of features and performance. Core features include the ability to customize the home screen grid size, with up to nine screens, as well as a scrollable dock with up to five pages. Infinite scrolling, transition animations, numerous folder styles and multiple app drawer styles add even greater customization. The paid version of Apex Launcher unlocks more options, such as more drawer options, additional gestures and theme support. That’s an $8.99 download. Download Apex Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
9. POCO Launcher
Xiaomi’s phones, like the new Xiaomi Mi 11, might not be widely available in the US, but you can get a taste of the Poco Launcher through the Google Play Store. The Poco Launcher deviates from Xiaomi’s usual design sensibilities, offering an app drawer complete with smart category tabs that automatically sort apps into groups like Communication and Photography. The launcher offers a customizable screen layout, transition effects, icon pack support, and notification badges. It doesn’t offer as many deep customizations as rival launchers, but it does look nice and is designed to be on the streamlined end of things. And recent additions include dark mode support and the ability to lock your phone by tapping the screen. Xiaomi says that Poco Launcher is compatible with Android 10. Download Poco Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
10. Microsoft Launcher
Microsoft rebranded its excellent Arrow Launcher into the Microsoft Launcher, keeping Arrow’s compact, context-sensitive app pages and customizable feed, while also working to improve the interplay between your Android phone and Windows PC. Users can quickly snap photos from the phone and view them on their desktop; they can also open web links from mobile to Edge on PC, or start editing Office 365 documents from their PC and continue on the go with their mobile phone. All of this is in addition to Microsoft’s universal search bar, customizable themes, and configurable gesture controls. Download Microsoft Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
How we picked the best Android launchers
We went hands-on with every launcher on this list, which is how we drew the above conclusions on ranking. A launcher is a very personal thing, but we value the ones that give you a lot of functionality, even if the feature set itself is minimal. In the end, we encourage you to try out different launchers to see which one you like best. You might find the more feature-packed options to be overwhelming, in which case you may want to look at one of the lighter ones. We’ve used some of these launchers extensively over the years, which also influenced our ranking here.
title: “Best Android Launchers In 2022” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-21” author: “Richard Young”
These launchers can give your phone a total makeover, from changing the look and feel with different icons and themes, to adding new functionality such as smart folders and search assistants. The look of Android may be evolving every year, but there’s more than one launcher for your phone. We’ve tried every one of these launchers to see which one comes out on top. Here are the best Android launchers we’ve found on the Google Play Store.
The best Android launchers
1. Nova Launcher
You can’t talk about the best Android launchers without a mention of Nova Launcher. Fast, sleek and highly customizable, Nova Launcher balances extensive appearance and utility customizations with a minimal performance impact, letting you set your home screen just right without slowing down performance. There are a lot of options to work through, from color themes to icon packs, scrollable docks to app drawer customizations, to folder settings and infinite scrolling. The Nova team is never content to rest on its laurels, continuously adding new features, such as Sesame Shortcuts, animations, and other improvements. If you want the most powerful features, turn to Nova Launcher Prime (opens in new tab), a $4.99 version that offers more than the free download. Download Nova Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
2. Niagara Launcher
Niagara is a lean Android launcher designed to place your apps and notifications front and center, while keeping other distractions to a minimum. Notifications are displayed right on your home screen, with spam and persistent notifications automatically filtered out. The app drawer automatically surfaces your favorite apps, while also providing handy alphabetical shortcuts. That said, Niagara’s extreme minimalism means that you shouldn’t be expecting any unusual visual frills and options you might expect from most third-party launchers. it is updated frequently and it shows great promise. Download Niagara Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
3. Smart Launcher 5
Smart Launcher has long been a favorite for the best Android launcher, with its simple “flower” favorites grid and sorted app folder. The latest version, Smart Launcher 5, adds a ton of features and refinements. Smart Launcher’s flower grid is still available, but it’s joined by a number of other well thought-out layouts designed to keep your favorite apps within easy reach of one hand, while smart search and an intelligently sorted and customizable app drawer makes it easy to find whatever you need, whether on your phone or out in the web. Adaptive icons and colors, fully resizable widgets, and more customizations round out the package, making for a great update to a classic launcher. You’ll need to shell out $7 for the Pro version of Smart Launcher to access the many of those extra features, including pop-up widgets and expanded gesture controls. Download Smart Launcher 5: Play Store (opens in new tab)
4. AIO Launcher
Where other launchers might offer up decluttering visual customizations, AIO Launcher is all about cramming as much info as possible on your screen in a relatively spartan format. The app displays your frequently used apps, as well as system information, recently received calls, messages and email, as well as upcoming calendar events and more. While AIO Launcher is free, in-app purchases unlock other features such as widget support, app icons, and Android notifications in the home screen stream. It’s not the friendliest interface out there among the best Android launchers, it’s still an interesting choice if information density isn’t a turn-off for you. Download AIO Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
5. Hyperion Launcher
A Pixel-like launcher from the team behind the popular Substratum theming engine, Hyperion Launcher is an extremely customizable Android launcher app that lets you tweak a vast array of settings. Besides the standard wallpapers and widgets, users can configure a gamut of settings for themes, folders, transparencies, animations, icon packs and adaptive icons. Hyperion provides a ton of its features for free, but others — like launcher-level font changes and custom gestures — are unlocked with an in-app purchase for the Pro version. Download Hyperion Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
6. Action Launcher
Action Launcher Pixel Edition was among the first of the big third party launchers to give itself a Pixel-style makeover, combining its extreme customizability with new interface features and styles introduced with the Pixel Launcher. Action Launcher includes an adaptive app bar, the pill-shaped Google search bar, and Oreo-style app shortcuts (backward compatible to Android 5). A slide-out app drawer provides users with quick access to an app library and widgets. Special gestures such as “covers” and “shutters” allow for speedy access. Action Launcher automatically picks out dominant colors in your wallpaper and adjusts the app drawer, folder backgrounds and search box to match. Download Action Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
7. Customized Pixel Launcher
Another excellent launcher stemming from the efforts to bring features of the Pixel Launcher to the Android masses is Customized Pixel Launcher (CPL), a free app building off the Rootless Launcher project. On the surface, CPL hews closely to the look of the stock Pixel launcher, with rounded edges, notification dots and badges, while also throwing in support for theming, icon packs, adaptive icons, gesture controls and font customization. CPL also supports the Google feed and the At A Glance widget, and Assistant features, though you’ll need to install an additional app (opens in new tab) from GitHub to get the feed to work on CPL. Download Customized Pixel Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
8. Apex Launcher
Apex Launcher lives up to its name as another excellent Android launcher with a good balance of features and performance. Core features include the ability to customize the home screen grid size, with up to nine screens, as well as a scrollable dock with up to five pages. Infinite scrolling, transition animations, numerous folder styles and multiple app drawer styles add even greater customization. The paid version of Apex Launcher unlocks more options, such as more drawer options, additional gestures and theme support. That’s an $8.99 download. Download Apex Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
9. POCO Launcher
Xiaomi’s phones, like the new Xiaomi Mi 11, might not be widely available in the US, but you can get a taste of the Poco Launcher through the Google Play Store. The Poco Launcher deviates from Xiaomi’s usual design sensibilities, offering an app drawer complete with smart category tabs that automatically sort apps into groups like Communication and Photography. The launcher offers a customizable screen layout, transition effects, icon pack support, and notification badges. It doesn’t offer as many deep customizations as rival launchers, but it does look nice and is designed to be on the streamlined end of things. And recent additions include dark mode support and the ability to lock your phone by tapping the screen. Xiaomi says that Poco Launcher is compatible with Android 10. Download Poco Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
10. Microsoft Launcher
Microsoft rebranded its excellent Arrow Launcher into the Microsoft Launcher, keeping Arrow’s compact, context-sensitive app pages and customizable feed, while also working to improve the interplay between your Android phone and Windows PC. Users can quickly snap photos from the phone and view them on their desktop; they can also open web links from mobile to Edge on PC, or start editing Office 365 documents from their PC and continue on the go with their mobile phone. All of this is in addition to Microsoft’s universal search bar, customizable themes, and configurable gesture controls. Download Microsoft Launcher: Play Store (opens in new tab)
How we picked the best Android launchers
We went hands-on with every launcher on this list, which is how we drew the above conclusions on ranking. A launcher is a very personal thing, but we value the ones that give you a lot of functionality, even if the feature set itself is minimal. In the end, we encourage you to try out different launchers to see which one you like best. You might find the more feature-packed options to be overwhelming, in which case you may want to look at one of the lighter ones. We’ve used some of these launchers extensively over the years, which also influenced our ranking here.
