Linux app launchers: rofi, fuzzel and more
On a tiling window manager, the launcher is how you open everything: a keyboard shortcut brings up a search box, you type a few letters, and the app starts. Launchers fall into two families. dmenu-style menus like rofi, fuzzel, tofi and bemenu are minimal, fast and scriptable, and are also used for power menus and clipboard pickers. Spotlight-style launchers like Ulauncher, Albert, Cerebro, Walker and Anyrun add plugins for calculations, web search and more.
The display server decides a lot: fuzzel, tofi, Walker and Anyrun are Wayland-only, while some launchers were written for X11. The "Works with" column shows which is which.
13 entries · each pinned to an exact upstream version · updated
All 13 entries, compared
Filter in the catalogue →| Setup | Works with | Difficulty | What it changes | Maintenance | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 rofiWindow switcher, application launcher and dmenu replacement, themeable with rasi. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 16k |
 adi1090x rofi themesHuge collection of rofi launchers, powermenus and applets. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: own installer | Active | Stars: 8.8k |
 CerebroCross-platform launcher extensible with JavaScript plugins. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 8.6k |
 AlbertKeyboard launcher in the spirit of Alfred, extensible with plugins. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 8.0k |
 UlauncherPython application launcher with extensions and themes. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 4.5k |
 WalkerFast, multi-purpose launcher for Wayland with many built-in modules. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 3.1k |
| bemenudmenu clone that works on Wayland, X11 and the terminal. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Quiet | Stars: 1.5k |
 tofiTiny, very fast dmenu/rofi replacement for wlroots compositors, written in C. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Quiet | Stars: 1.4k |
| rofi (Wayland fork)Wayland-native fork of rofi with layer-shell support. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Advanced | Changes: sudo | Quiet | Stars: 1.3k |
| Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Advanced | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 1.3k | |
 jgmenuSimple, themeable X11 menu, often used as an Openbox root menu. | Works with: Openbox (X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 962 |
 fuzzelApplication launcher and fuzzy finder for Wayland, inspired by rofi. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 961 |
| j4-dmenu-desktopFast .desktop-file launcher frontend for dmenu-like menus. | Works with: Any desktop (Wayland & X11) | Moderate | Changes: 1 package | Active | Stars: 746 |
How to choose
- Check Wayland or X11 support first.
- Want menus for your own scripts too? Pick a dmenu-style launcher.
- Want plugins and a graphical search? Pick a Spotlight-style launcher.
Questions
Does rofi work on Wayland?
Use the Wayland fork listed here, which adds layer-shell support for Wayland compositors. Wayland-native alternatives include fuzzel, tofi, Walker and Anyrun.
What is the difference between dmenu and rofi?
dmenu is a minimal menu that reads a list and prints the choice. rofi is a richer replacement with window switching, application search and themes, and it can still act as a dmenu for scripts.
Can a launcher replace the GNOME or KDE app search?
Yes. Spotlight-style launchers such as Ulauncher or Albert run on full desktops too; you bind them to a shortcut of your choice.