The Android user interface would not be complete without the launcher. You can easily access your apps, view widgets, modify your home screen, and perform a variety of other operations.
However, if you prefer tweaking your phone’s appearance, you may not like the stock launcher that comes preinstalled with the Android skin on the vast majority of Android smartphones.
The use of alternative Android launchers is recommended in such a scenario. To put it plainly, a third-party launcher is an app that takes the place of your Android phone’s default home screen and grants you the ability to modify its visual style and behavior without rooting your device.
Here are our top recommendations for Android launchers you may use in 2023 to give your Android device a very unique look and feel.
The Smart Launcher 5 Is Android’s Finest Home Screen Replacement.
One of the most well-liked apps for Android right now is Smart Launcher 5. It has a fairly simple and clean user interface, with the most frequently used features placed at the bottom for fast access and effective day-to-day use.
However, this in no way diminishes the usefulness of Smart Launcher 5’s features. Instead, it has numerous options for altering the look and feel of your device’s user interface, including the ability to change the font, theme, app drawer icons, and widgets. Not only that, but you can customize shortcuts for various actions by assigning them to gestures and hotkeys.
Smart Launcher 5’s automatic app sorting feature keeps your apps arranged into categories so you don’t have to, saving you time and effort. The menu bar can be hidden in a “ultra-immersive” setting for the full effect.
In a similar vein, the launcher boasts intelligent search capabilities that expedite the process of locating specific data (contacts, apps, etc.) or carrying out specific actions (such as a web search). It’s easy to see why this app is widely regarded as the greatest launcher for Android.
Nova Launcher: The Most Comprehensive App Launcher Available
When talking about Android personalization, Nova Launcher is always mentioned. It’s the kind of launcher that lets you modify the look and feel of individual UI elements to suit your preferences. Nova Launcher is the finest Android launcher to use if you’re into custom icon packs due to its wide compatibility.
Despite its extensive feature set, Nova Launcher is surprisingly straightforward and fast. The animations are fluid and responsive, even on older Android smartphones, and the various configuration options are all straightforward to access. If you ever have to trade phones, you can easily transfer your home screen and launcher settings thanks to the backup and restore features.
Nova is distinguished from other launchers by its subgrid positioning technology, which permits fine-grained management of the positioning of icons and widgets on the home screen. Furthermore, let’s say you’re interested in releasing Nova’s full potential. If so, you may upgrade to Nova Launcher Prime and have access to more gesture controls, drawer organization choices, swipe gestures for individual icons, and more.
Lawn Chair 2: The Ultimate Rocket-Launcher Fun!
Another well-liked Android launcher with extensive personalization possibilities is Lawnchair 2. It’s built on Launcher3 from AOSP and shares most of Pixel Launcher’s functionality while providing enhanced customization options for your home screen and its many components.
The best Android launcher is Lawnchair 2 if you prefer a stock Android experience but yet want some tweaks. It’s a lightweight launcher program that functions well even on older or less powerful devices.
The At a Glance widget is a highlight of the Lawnchair launcher. This widget, as the name implies, brings together content (and related data) from many sources and displays it all in one convenient location: your home screen. Additionally, you may consolidate all of your feeds into a one location by integrating Google Feed and Homefeeder.
Another well-liked Android launcher with extensive personalization possibilities is Lawnchair 2. It’s built on Launcher3 from AOSP and shares most of Pixel Launcher’s functionality while providing enhanced customization options for your home screen and its many components.
The best Android launcher is Lawnchair 2 if you prefer a stock Android experience but yet want some tweaks. It’s a lightweight launcher program that functions well even on older or less powerful devices.
The Lawnchair launcher’s At a Glance widget is one of its most notable features. This widget, as the name suggests, aggregates and displays content (and related statistics) from a variety of sources on your home screen. In addition, you may combine Google Feed and Homefeeder to aggregate all of your feeds in a one location.
Lawnchair 2 also has a plugin system. The Sesame search may be integrated into your launcher for a streamlined search experience, which is one of the best uses for this feature.
Action Launcher, Top Android Launcher for Personalization
One of the many highly configurable Android launchers on this list is Action Launcher. All the standard options for customizing the drawer, home screen, and dock, as well as gesture controls, are present. Furthermore, it enhances your Android device with a plethora of other features that allow for precise customization.
Action Launcher has several useful features, like rapid themes, app shortcuts, Google Discover integration, smart size icons, adaptable icons, shutters, and covers. While the shutters feature allows you to preview your inbox by revealing the app’s widget when you swipe on its shortcut, the covers feature enables you to load apps, explore hidden folders, and more with simple tap and swipe gesture controls.
Although Action Launcher’s theming choices are more limited than Nova’s, you can still change the how your dock’s search bar, app icons, and folders look. And with the addition of the fast theme function, the colors of the home screen elements will be automatically adjusted to complement the colors in your wallpaper.
Niagara Launcher – The Most Streamlined Android Home Screen Replacement
Another Android launcher that doesn’t weigh your phone down is Niagara Launcher. The launcher’s primary selling point is its minimalist design, which makes navigating the home screen with one hand a breeze. Therefore, Niagara can enhance the usability of your large-screen Android handset, making it simpler to navigate apps and other on-screen features.
When it comes to convenience, Niagara Launcher has you covered with wave alphabet scrolling, allowing you to easily navigate the app list by dragging your finger along the alphabet. Similarly, a notification window will open whenever you receive a new message or alarm. This method ensures a smooth experience on your device, free of stutters and pauses during animations and transitions.
Also, like to other launcher apps, Niagara Launcher provides you with a wealth of customization options for your app icons, widgets, wallpapers, fonts, and more. In order to make room for what really matters on your home screen, you have the option of disabling pre-installed apps and other junk. Accessing frequently used programs is made more expedient. In addition, the app drawer is organized alphabetically for convenience.
The Best Minimalist Launcher Is Pixel
When it comes to Android launchers, Pixel Launcher is the easiest one to use on the Play Store. It is designed to look and act like Google’s stock launcher for Pixel devices.
If you’re using a phone that has a thick layer of Android on top and you’re not happy with the way it looks or how it acts, you may install the Pixel Launcher to obtain a streamlined and minimalistic interface. In fact, it’s likely the best launcher for low-end smartphones because to its small weight and fluid animations and transitions.
Pixel Launcher’s features include convenient swipe motions, long-press shortcuts, and one-tap access to Google Search. The Favorites row at the top and the provided app recommendations make it easy to quickly access your most often used programs. As with Pixel devices, the launcher provides custom Google cards with relevant, tailored news and information.
Best Productivity Launcher: Microsoft Launcher
Microsoft Launcher is an Android launcher focused on productivity, as it displays your upcoming events, tasks, and notes right on the home screen. This is the ideal app launcher to use if you rely heavily on Microsoft accounts (or services) for your job or personal life.
If you use Windows and have your news feed set up with specific sources, you can replicate that experience on your Android device by installing Microsoft Launcher. The launcher’s support for landscape mode is an additional appealing feature.
Microsoft Launcher’s personalization choices include changing the appearance of app icons on the home screen, switching between light and dark themes, and having new wallpapers pulled from Bing every day. In addition, you can adjust your widgets such that they are all located on a single, scrollable page rather than being split across different pages.
Recognized with Honor
Rocket Launcher
This is not your standard Android launcher; AIO Launcher is superior. It does not grant access to the standard features (fancy graphics, animations, and skins). It does this by making the most of the real estate on your device’s screen to display things like the weather, alerts, tasks, notes, the most recent news (via RSS), the system monitor, frequently used apps, and so on. It’s one of the best Android launchers available right now.
The POCO Rocket Ejector
You should expect to find the same launcher, POCO Launcher, on all POCO devices. If you like the look of the POCO F1 but aren’t a fan of the phone’s user interface, you may install the POCO Launcher and have the same experience as before. Its aesthetic is rather basic, echoing that of Google’s Material Design. You can modify the look of your screen by rearranging the icons, dock, and widgets.
WIDE Discharger
If you’re an older user or have trouble seeing small screens, BIG Launcher is the best Android launcher for you. It makes several user interface elements on your Android device bigger, so that both the text and the interface are more legible and easier to use. The color palette employs extreme contrast to accomplish the same goal. In addition, the launcher prioritizes the most often used functions, such as the SOS button and the most frequently dialed numbers.
Use Alternative Launchers to Tailor Your Android Experience
With Android, you have the ability to personalize the look and feel of the interface to suit your needs. This means that you may make your Android smartphone look and act anyway you like, regardless of the device you choose to purchase (and regardless of the skin it runs on top).
It may seem like you are modifying the system piece by piece as you go, but in reality, you will need a third-party launcher in order to put your modifications into effect. The aforementioned launchers are intended to facilitate this process.