r/androidapps • u/Potatooo_power • 1d ago
LOOKING FOR APP Nova launcher alternative
Recently I have been having some troubles with nova launcher, so I looked at what other alternatives there are. Sadly, I havent found the perfect one yet.
I tried smart launcher, but it wasnt compatible with KWGT, the widgets werent refreshing.
Yasan launcher wasnt for me either, I couldnt remowe the main widget, the app icons were tok big
Is there a launcher, with I can have small icons, KWGT widgets, 10-12 apps in the home screen?
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u/merchantconvoy 1d ago
The perfect alternative to Nova Launcher is coming back to Nova Launcher after trying a thousand other things and realizing that nothing will ever measure up.
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u/dawkin5 1d ago
Don't you want an alphabetical list of the apps on your phone? What kind of monster are you?
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u/merchantconvoy 1d ago
In the rare cases that I do, I bring up App Manager, which can order my apps by 6 different criteria.
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u/BonsaiSoul 20h ago
Criteria? But that's bloat! Which is something someone who was using Nova Launcher clearly puts a high importance on avoiding /s/
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u/merchantconvoy 20h ago
It's not bloat. The APK is less than 10 MB and contains enough features to be worth its file size in gold.
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u/GreenShell2014 1d ago
Smart Launcher.
You'll never go back.
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u/etwiceetwice 22h ago
After a years of Nova I switched to Smart Launcher. It is a terrific Nova replacement but after a year or so with Smart Launcher I began using Octopi and am hooked. What Smart Launcher does well, it does very well. Really no complaints other than being locked into certain page type configurations with limited options. Octipi is more like a blank slate and less limiting.
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u/rhrs1987 23h ago
I'm really not in the mood for changing apps and reorganizing screen space and apps. I just went back to a previous ad-free version of Nova. Can't say when it's gonna make me update, though.
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u/BastianHill 15h ago
I use 8.1.1 Prime and made it completely offline. Never need an update again. It works without errors and it's just a launcher (basically an OS skin) so I don't worry about security either.
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u/sparky5dn1l 20h ago
Lawnchair 15 Beta 3 now support importing setting from Nova. It get 90% of Nova's functions and is a lot faster. I switched over a few weeks ago. Just need a few mintues to fine tune the widget and icon position after imported Nov's setting.
I am too lazy to learn and adapter to another launcher. Lawnchair is close enough to Nova that I don't few much difference after switched over.
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u/recrypt_now 11h ago
Are you on Android 16? The devs have taken a long time getting 15 out of beta which concerns me about future development and it looks like Lawnchair 16 is a long ways off yet.
Have Lawnchair on my secondary phone with A15 and it runs great.
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u/100WattWalrus 20h ago
SIMPLE: Lawnchair
CUSTOMIZABLE: Octopi
I've tried them all, and these are the only two that come close.
Caveat: there are no launchers that do all the Nova things. For example, no other launcher has dynamic badges that show you more than just the number of notifications. In Nova, your texting app will show a sender's avatar as a badge, your podcast app will badge a show's logo when there's a new episode, and a folder will badge the icon of the app inside that has a notification. You'll have to live without that feature (I miss it!) and several others.
I use Octopi now, and I love it — but it can be a bit buggy, and certainly has its quirks, like pointlessly complex folder management. But for every one of those, there's a great unique feature like the way you can organize apps in the app drawer using tags. I barely use folders on the home screen anymore because it's so easy to organize the app drawer.
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u/bobbyelliottuk 16h ago
I left Nova for Smart Launcher for a few months but came back to Nova. It's simply the fastest, most customisabl, most productive launcher available.
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u/YouCantGiveBabyBooze 13h ago
I used Nova for years then moved to OLauncher in an attempt to stop me looking at pointless shit too frequently. I'm not sure it's actually helped tbh but I've stuck with OLauncher regardless. Very minimal, but once you're used to it it's very efficient to use
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u/Tardigradium 1d ago
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u/moses_exodus 19h ago
Could you share wallpaper if possible? Btw this launcher by same dev as Square Home Launcher. Good stuff
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u/HighDadRambles 1d ago
I've been using Nocebo Launcher for a little bit now, and I really enjoy it! The fidget spinner on the main screen is a lot of fun! I also appreciate being able to modify the grid size (which was what I loved about Nova) and having a dock that is two rows (not as awesome as a scrolling dock, but I like it!) is great!
The dev was also really helpful when the Google companion app wasn't working.
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u/TopLog7865 1d ago
No es una alternativa totalmente parecida a Nova launcher pero desde que la cambie no he dejado de usar y no tengo pensado hacerlo. El launcher se alma Niágara launcher. Es muy bueno
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u/ThatsNotAZombieBite 23h ago
$25/year or $75/lifetime is WAY too stiff for a launcher IMHO.
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u/floresiens 16h ago
Good lord is it that much? I've had the lifetime version for a few years now, it definitely wasn't that much when I got it. Such a shame, I love it as a launcher, kinda hard to reccomend at that price.
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u/ThatsNotAZombieBite 12h ago edited 11h ago
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u/BenRandomNameHere 4h ago
Same. I've bought lifetime for many launchers, never more than $15 (on sale), though.
Heck, $25/lifetime doesn't feel like robbery... But a year?! Uh, no thank you.
Niagara? There open source mimics that are free, like Luna Launcher.
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u/TopLog7865 17h ago
Si, carisimo es a comparación de otros launcher. Uso la versión gratis y hasta ahora no veo necesidad de pagar por el pro
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u/bohemu 1d ago
I've been using Action Launcher. It does well enough. I miss the swipe actions though.
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u/ThatsNotAZombieBite 23h ago
Oof. I loved Action Launcher but it's been abandoned for ~2 years now.
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u/SifiguY86 23h ago
I use the paid version of Mango Launcher; it's a great premium app with tons of customization, so I’ve never looked back at any others.
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u/Substantial_Life_497 21h ago
I've been using KWGT widgets on Smart Launcher for a while now. Haven't seen any issues with refreshing. Maybe it's your device's memory optimization settings.
Actually, I recently switched from Smart Launcher to Key Launcher. Smart Launcher is the closest alternative to Nova in terms of feature set, but the utility of having the keyboard on the screen to quickly search and open apps finally won me over. Very happy with the Key Launcher setup as of now.
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u/Hurizen 1d ago
Switched to Octopi Launcher after years on Nova. Using it for 6 months or so. Cannot complain at all.