What is Albert used for?

Albert is a keyboard launcher with a plugin system that allows customization and extensibility. It is a good fit for app launcher and system command palette.

Is Albert open source?

Yes. Albert is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at albertlauncher/albert and is written mainly in C++.

Yes. Albert is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Albert?

Yes. Albert can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Albert an alternative to?

Albert is an open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred, Everything and Listary. Other open-source alternatives to Raycast include Wox, Flow Launcher and Cerebro.

Is Albert actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Albert was on 13 October 2026, and the latest release is v35.1.0, published on 25 July 2026. The project has 8k stars on GitHub.

Albert: open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred

About Albert

Albert is a keyboard launcher designed for speed and efficiency. It uses a plugin-based architecture that allows users to customize its functionality, from a simple app launcher to a full system command palette. The application is written in C++/Qt and supports extensions via embedded Python modules or CGI in any language.

Albert comes with a curated collection of peer-reviewed, actively maintained plugins. It is available for macOS and Linux, and can be installed from source or via package managers.

Key features

Plugin-based architecture for customization
APIs for creating extensions in C++, Python, or any language via CGI
Curated collection of peer-reviewed plugins included
Designed for high performance, keeping up with typing speeds over 200 KPM

Good fit for

App launcher
System command palette

Built with: C++ tools; Python tools
Tags: keyboard launcher; plugin-based; c++; qt; macos; linux

Albert: questions and answers

What is Albert used for?: Albert is a keyboard launcher with a plugin system that allows customization and extensibility. It is a good fit for app launcher and system command palette.
Is Albert open source?: Yes. Albert is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at albertlauncher/albert and is written mainly in C++.
Is Albert free?: Yes. Albert is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Albert?: Yes. Albert can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Albert an alternative to?: Albert is an open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred, Everything and Listary. Other open-source alternatives to Raycast include Wox, Flow Launcher and Cerebro.
Is Albert actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Albert was on 13 October 2026, and the latest release is v35.1.0, published on 25 July 2026. The project has 8k stars on GitHub.