Tired of staring at the same old icons on your Android home screen? Try installing a custom Android launcher. A good launcher can give your phone a total makeover, from changing the look and feel with different icons and themes, to adding new functionality such as smart folders and assistive search. Here are the 10 most feature-packed, innovative and customizable Android launchers on the market today.
Action Launcher 3
Action Launcher has long been a favorite of our readers and it deserves a spot on this list. It comes with a stock Android kind of look but with several unique features baked in. Some of these include Quicktheme which uses your background to determine the theme accents, Covers which is a unique take on folders, Quickpage which is like a hidden home screen you can access almost anywhere, and plenty more. It has a long history of being stable with frequent updates. You can also follow developer Chris Lacy on Google+ by clicking here for news about updates.
Apex Launcher
Apex Launcher has been around for a very long time and remains one of the most iconic Android launchers ever. Like Action Launcher, it aims to give a stock Android look and feel with a few extra features thrown in for good measure. Among those include the ability to alter things like transition animations, scrolling habits, and there is even a scrolling dock where you can lay plenty of icons. Apex Launcher also includes a theme engine with many themes available on the Google Play Store and it also supports icon packs. It’s also quite stable on pretty much any device.
Buzz Launcher
Buzz Launcher is an intensely popular launcher with a different kind of theming. Buzz Launcher utilizes something called Homepacks which allows you to not only customize and theme your home screen, but actually change the entire home screen itself. There are over 800,000 downloadable configurations and that means you can literally play with this thing all day long and still have new themes to check out. Other than theming, it’s a fairly solid Android launcher but it is complex so be prepared for that.
CM Launcher
Despite it’s name, CM Launcher has actually no ties to CyanogenMod whatsoever. The app is done by the same developers who did CM Security which adorns our best Android Antivirus apps list right now. The app focuses on creating the smallest conceivable footprint and the download itself is only 2MB and uses only a small amount of system resources. It’s a light, fast, and stable launcher. Its biggest feature is the direct integration with CM Security so this one has a built-in antivirus. Of course, we know not everyone wants that but this is a fairly good option for those that do. There is also a contextual element that tries to guess what apps you need based on your location and the time of day.
GO Launcher EX
GO Launcher is among the most popular Android launchers out there with well over 100 million installs to date. This is likely thanks to its simplicity and extensive theming options. It comes with a fairly vanilla set of features that allow for slight customization but the biggest feature is the theming. There are a metric ton of GO Launcher themes and you can also use icon packs with this launcher. It’s easy to use and works rather well, even if some believe it to be a tad overrated.
Google Now Launcher
Google Now Launcher is the the go-to launcher for fans of Google and Android. It is essentially the stock launcher experience with built-in Google Now. It features simplicity, “Okay, Google” hotword integration, translucent theming elements, and more. It’s not overly powerful or customizable, but it is slim, quick, and built-in Google Now is a must have for Google Now fans. It’s a great launcher that doesn’t use a lot of resources and this is what Nexus owners see when they turn on their devices for the first time.
Launcher 8
Launcher 8 is a unique launcher because it looks nothing like Android. In fact, this launcher’s sole purpose of existing is to make your phone look like a Windows Phone. Using this, you can convert your widgets into Windows Phone style live tiles and create virtually the same experience you’d find on Windows Phone, but with Android instead. It also comes with a handful of other features making it a very solid Android launcher app.
Lighting Launcher
Lightning Launcher isn’t the most popular on the list but it does have among the highest ratings. This Android launcher app has a very simple premise. It aims to use as few of your device’s resources as humanly possible. The features are a bit scant but do include some powerful ones including unlimited home screens, the ability to add and arrange icons anywhere you want, and its ability to run on almost nothing makes it a great launcher for older and lower end devices. It’s definitely worth a shot if you need something light and fast.
Nova Launcher
It doesn’t get too much better than Nova Launcher. Like Apex Launcher, Nova has been around since “the good old days” and remains not only relevant, but one of the best Android launcher app options available. It has a laundry list of customizable features that include gesture support, the ability to customize the look and feel of the app, icon pack support, themes, and much, much more. It also gets updated at a fairly rapid pace which means bugs generally get squished quickly. It also comes with the ability to backup and restore your home screen layouts for when you eventually switch to a new phone.
Solo Launcher
Solo Launcher bills itself as a DIY solution for those who like to have more control. It utilizes Material Design 2.0 which means you’ll have the latest options when it comes to design. There are a metric ton of customization options and you can make this launcher pretty much act and appear how you want. It also comes with theming, gesture controls, a clock/weather widget and more. It’s definitely worth a shot if you need something small, fast, and customizable.
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