Jon Gilbert is a technology journalist with five years of experience covering mobile technology. He's covered smartwatches, tablets, smartphones, and Android accessories. He's attended CES to explore unique hardware like the Pebble Round 2 or Mudita Kompakt. His daily mobile tech life revolves around Pixel devices, which he has used since the Pixel 2 XL. Jon loves exploring the latest Android features, but is highly sceptical of anything related AI.
If I had to name one Android launcher as the "best," it would be the Pixel Launcher. While launchers offer different value to different people, the Pixel Launcher gives you everything you need in a streamlined UI.
However, it isn't perfect. While I still use the Pixel Launcher, I've found that these alternatives fix some of its most glaring issues.
Ikigai solves the Pixel's addiction problem
The Pixel Launcher is distracting, and customizing it doesn't fix the problem
One of Pixel Launcher's best features is also its worst. I'm talking about Material 3 Expressive.
I love Material 3 Expressive, and I recognize it for turning Material You's stale lines into something fun and exciting.
The problem is that when paired with the bold colors of Google's various apps, it becomes harder than ever to put our phones down.
A simple step towards reducing screen time is to make your phone as boring as possible to use. That means removing bold-colored apps from your home screen, disabling most notifications, and setting a grayscale filter.
However, with these effects applied, the Pixel Launcher feels ugly. It's not designed to be used in black-and-white, and while I don't want to be addicted to my phone, I also don't want to look at something ugly every day.
Enter Ikigai. It's a launcher designed to be used in grayscale, and it's the only one in this style I've enjoyed. Its stated goal is to reduce screen addiction, and it ships with a variety of content-blocking filters that help reduce doomscrolling and distractions.
However, what makes Ikigai a true replacement for the Pixel Launcher is that it doesn't lack features. Its widgets are particularly brilliant; I didn't feel like I was downgrading when I switched.
But if there's one thing that Ikigai can't beat the Pixel Launcher at, it's gestures. Fortunately, there's another brilliant alternative.
Comfer shows how powerful gesture controls can be
It's impossible for the Pixel Launcher to feel like this
Pixel phones and the Pixel Launcher offer a suite of useful gesture controls. While I miss the old Active Edge feature, I accept that the range of gestures I can use is sufficient for my needs.
Every Android phone has a different set of gestures, but they are mostly reserved for core actions like waking the phone, opening the camera, or activating digital assistants.
However, none of these gestures changed how I used my Android phone. Comfer Launcher, on the other hand, showed me how little I needed a second hand.
Comfer Launcher's home screen centers on gesture shortcuts. It shows nine app shortcuts, with seven more hidden behind swipe gestures.
Everything is designed for one-handed use, including the unique app drawer. Instead of the grid layout most phones use, Comfer displays them in a rotating ring.
It took me a few minutes to get used to swiping back and forth on the app carousel, but after I mastered it, I found it more intuitive than any app drawer I've used.
Best of all, my Pixel's hardware gestures work with it. But Comfer's biggest downside is its lack of organizational features.
Smart Launcher 6 fixes the Pixel Launcher's organization problem
Rather than multiple home screens, use Smart Launcher 6's categories.
The Pixel Launcher's clean interface looks great, but it's not ideal for organizing the apps, widgets, folders, and shortcuts we accumulate.
Perhaps its biggest failing is the app drawer. Comfer Launcher makes it more accessible, but it gets frustrating when you have too many apps to scroll through quickly.
Smart Launcher 6 fixes the app drawer problems most launchers face, including the Pixel Launcher.
Instead of arranging apps in an alphabetical grid, Smart Launcher 6 automatically categorizes them. It includes default categories, but you can also create your own.
Smart Launcher 6 doesn't stop there. You can customize everything from folders to widget layouts, and its search feels much like the Pixel 11's comprehensive search.
It also offers some nifty customization options. While these don't come close to Comfer Launcher's capabilities, the launcher is more versatile than the Pixel Launcher in this regard.
Smart Launcher 6 is more useful than the Pixel Launcher in every way. While it doesn't offer the same visual appeal as the Pixel Launcher, it highlights its purpose as a utilitarian launcher.
The Pixel Launcher is great, but alternatives can be more suitable
The Pixel Launcher does everything well. For most people, it's more than enough. But for those who find it distracting, limited in gesture support, or lacking organizational features, a third-party launcher is better.