What is Flow Launcher used for?

Flow Launcher is an open-source Windows app launcher and file search tool with community-made plugins. It is a good fit for launching apps from the keyboard on Windows and finding files quickly.

Is Flow Launcher open source?

Yes. Flow Launcher is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Flow-Launcher/Flow.Launcher and is written mainly in C#.

Is Flow Launcher free?

Yes. Flow Launcher is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Flow Launcher?

Yes. Flow Launcher can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Flow Launcher an alternative to?

Flow Launcher is an open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred and Listary. Other open-source alternatives to Raycast include PowerToys and RustCast.

Is Flow Launcher actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Flow Launcher was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.1.4, published on 20 September 2026. The project has 16k stars on GitHub.

Flow Launcher: open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred

About Flow Launcher

Flow Launcher is a quick file search and application launcher for Windows. A keyboard-triggered search box lets you find apps, files, file contents, browser bookmarks and web searches, and it is extended through plugins built by the community. It is written in C# and released under the MIT license.

Built-in features include searching with the Everything tool and the Windows index, queries using environment variable paths, system commands such as shutdown, lock and settings, a calculator that copies results to the clipboard, and a shell command mode that can run batch and PowerShell commands, including as Administrator. An Explorer feature stores favorite file and folder locations.

It is installable on Windows 10 and later through an installer or a portable version, and via Winget, Scoop and Chocolatey. The project notes that Windows may warn about unsigned code on first install and advises using only official channels. Its repository topics compare it to launchers such as Alfred, Spotlight, Launchy, Wox, Listary and Raycast.

Key features

Search apps, files and file contents
Everything and Windows Index support
Web searches and browser bookmarks
Built-in calculator and system commands
Shell commands as Administrator
Community-made plugins

Good fit for

→Launching apps from the keyboard on Windows
→Finding files quickly

Built with: C#
Tags: launcher; windows; productivity; plugins; search; keyboard-launcher; app-launcher; csharp

Flow Launcher: questions and answers

What is Flow Launcher used for?: Flow Launcher is an open-source Windows app launcher and file search tool with community-made plugins. It is a good fit for launching apps from the keyboard on Windows and finding files quickly.
Is Flow Launcher open source?: Yes. Flow Launcher is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at Flow-Launcher/Flow.Launcher and is written mainly in C#.
Is Flow Launcher free?: Yes. Flow Launcher is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Flow Launcher?: Yes. Flow Launcher can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Flow Launcher an alternative to?: Flow Launcher is an open-source alternative to Raycast, Alfred and Listary. Other open-source alternatives to Raycast include PowerToys and RustCast.
Is Flow Launcher actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Flow Launcher was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.1.4, published on 20 September 2026. The project has 16k stars on GitHub.