Best Free App Launcher for Android

You're here to learn about launchers on Android and how to customize the most basic functions of Android.  You are in luck as we are getting started on reviews of some of the launchers available.  As I discover more or additional choices are pointed out in comments I will work on expanding this section over time.  I will begin with written reviews and add screen shots as time allows.  One great thing about Android is that like the old Palm devices you can customize to your hearts content and the only thing holding you back is your imagination.  Not all the launchers fit the traditional home screen launcher most are used to.  I intend to track down some less traditional launchers to keep things interesting and also because they can be a great complement to your home launcher.  So lets begin the journey and get started.

GO Launcher EX is one of the best app launchers with many settings and features for you to modify your home screens, handle and launch your apps in many ways you like on your Android mobile devices.

This app lets you add as many home screens as you need. You can pinch or slide up on a home screen to preview all your home screens. From there you can re-arrange your home screens, set a default home screen, remove or add more home screens. All these can be done in a user friendly interface.

Docked icons can be increased up to 15 and you can assign a shortcut to each of them. The app drawer shows you running, recent and all programs you have installed on your device. In the app drawer, you can close running programs, create folders, sort, re-arrange or uninstall the apps.

Apart from preference and other settings, you can also change the look of home screens with themes. Ability to add useful widgets which are designed for this app is a bonus.

Zeam Launcher is a great lite weight launcher for Android that is great for slower or older Android devices while still working great if you have a newer faster device. I like that it consumes less memory and takes up less space than almost any other launcher I have looked at so far. The scrolling launch bar at the bottom allows you to put as many apps as you want at the bottom of the screen for quick access. It also plays nice with Apps Organizer for having your apps in folders on each home screen. I like that I can have 5 columns or rows with room to have more if wanted. Using more than this on a small screen device is probably not useful but on a tablet or larger screen phone it can make much better use of your space. Overall I consider Zeam to be one of the best app launchers available for Android devices.  It is not as flashy with themes and what not but what it does it does very well.  It works on 2.2 Froyo and up including ICS.

SwipePad: Hyperspace Jump I just installed and configured this great secondary launcher that will allow you to launch apps while inside of any other app without the need to go to your main launcher.  In many ways this is similar to WaveLauncher except that it is free.  It does not have the fancy effects of Wave Launcher but it is more configurable and has some addons I have not looked at yet.  Overall I think this would be a fine addition to your toolbox to get the most out of Android.  It works well on low powered devices as well as newer faster devices.  Overall it is a great secondary launcher for your most needed apps.

FTL Launcher Lite I decided to try FTL next as it looked quite interesting from what I read.  While it is a nice launcher I expected more.  It is quite limited in customizabilty and feels more like a free advertisment for the real thing.  It's one feature unique from other lauchers is the 3D app drawer.  Unfortantely for me I spend very little time there as I use Apps Organizer to put my folders on the desktop with my apps there for quick easy access as seen above in the Zeam review.  Overall I would say it is a good launcher but not great.

The review was for the previous 2.x versions.  3.x is improved in features and has removed many of the limitations that brought some criticism.  In my opinion the 3.x version is much improved and you only pay for functions like theming.  Overall it is a much welcome improvement.

Apps Organizer I have been using Apps Organizer ever since I started on Android back in early 2011.  I love being able to organize my apps into catagories which I can place in the launcher as a folder.  It keeps things neat and tidy and I know exactly where to find my most needed apps.  You can see above in my Zeam screenshot what I mean.  I would not want to use Android without the folders on the launcher screen.

Nemus Launcher I started experimenting with this launcher today.  It seems very fast indeed and so far wins the speed crown.  However I have found some quirks when it comes to calendar widgets and cutting off the numbers on the left side.  I emailed the developer and am waiting to find out more.  It is limited to 5 home screens with no configuration of this.  You can have 3-5 rows and columns for your icons.  Overall it seems a solid launcher worth considering; in fact if it were not for the quirk it would take the crown as best in category.

Faster Drawer I just installed Faster Drawer to test and it is very simple in what it provides yet does it very well.  You could think of it as a replacement app drawer that is organized by first letter of the app name.  You can select the letter on the right side of the screen to be taken there.  You can also scroll through the apps like normal.  Overall it is useful and for some users the organization might make it a good fit.  For me Apps Organizer is a better fit but many will find this better as they don't have to take the time to organize their apps into categories.

More Launchers to be reviewed:

• LauncherPro
• ADW.Launcher
• ssLauncher
• Espier Launcher
• Lightning Launcher
• Smart Launcher
• Jet Launcher
• ReLaunch
• Holo Launcher
• Imgy
• Regina 3D Launcher
• SwipeStarter

Android 4+ Launchers to be tested when I have a device available:

• Apex Launcher
• Nova Launcher

You might want to check out these articles too:

• Best Free Android Apps
• Best Free iPad Apps
• Best Free iPhone Apps

This software category is maintained by volunteer editor leland. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments or questions they might have by clicking here.

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