The Best Android Launchers to Make Your Home Screen Perfect

The way we arrange, organize, and interact with our apps on Android is called the launcher. Launchers usually consist of a series of home screens, where we can arrange app shortcuts and widgets while the rest of our apps sit in an app drawer. From the best Android phones to the most basic budget smartphone, every phone comes with a launcher. Some built-in launchers are great, but when they drop the ball, there are endless third-party launchers that not only pick it up again but knock it clear out of the park. These apps can entirely change the look of your home screen and how it behaves.

Top Rated Android Launchers

Smart Launcher 6

Smart Launcher has been around for years and years, but it really kicked things up a notch with Smart Launcher 6. The home screen features a grid-less widget placement system and modular page system, but the real star of the show here is still the app drawer. Smart Launcher 6 automatically sorts your apps into several categories, and if you pay for Smart Launcher Pro, you can add your own custom categories and sort your various drawer tabs in a variety of ways. Its gestures are top-notch, too, especially the double-tap shortcuts for dock apps.

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher remains a top choice for Android users in 2024, thanks to its extensive customization capabilities and regular updates. The reason for this continued dominance is simple: Nova's mix of customization, convenience, and cunning is unparalleled. It lets your phone look more Pixel-y than a Pixel and does it all with ease and grace. A wide feature set allows Nova to achieve all these wonderful themes and let users build exactly the home screen they want, with small but infinitely useful features like subgrid positioning and a robust backup system.

Niagara Launcher

Niagara Launcher has gained popularity for its minimalist design and focus on reducing distractions. Notable features include a cascading A-Z index for easy app navigation and customizable media controls for quick access to your favorite music and videos. It is an excellent choice for users seeking a clean, intuitive interface that focuses on the essentials.

AIO Launcher

AIO Launcher does it differently than many Android launcher apps. It does away with the standard home screen in favor of an information-packed list of stuff. It shows things like your latest SMS and missed calls, your media player, your system info (RAM, battery, storage, etc.), and even stuff like news, Bitcoin price, and Twitter. Most of the features are free, and the free version doesn’t seem to have ads.

Summary of Top Android Launchers

The following table provides a breakdown of several key launchers based on their primary appeal and pricing models as described in the material:

Minimalist and Specialized Options

• OLauncher: A great choice for minimalist lovers that offers a clean experience with extensive customization options. It is open source, completely free, and has no ads.
• Before Launcher: This one claims to help reduce interactions with your phone by up to 40% using a clean, easy UI and a notification filter.
• Square Home: If you like the Windows UI, then you’re going to love this app. It brings the old Metro UI of Windows Phone to your Android device, utilizing tiles to display your notifications.
• Action Launcher: Known for being one of the most customizable launchers on the market with features like Quicktheme, Quickdrawer, and Shutters to hide folders and widgets under app icons.
• AP15 Launcher: Takes a unique approach to app organization, displaying your apps in plain text and adjusting their size based on usage frequency.