This Android Launcher Makes Your Phone Feel Brand-New
That new-phone feel is as easy as installing an app!
Installing a third-party launcher is the easiest way to give your Android phone a complete interface makeover. Designed to replace the user experience of your device’s manufacturer, Android launchers are all about giving you the ability to change everything to your exact liking.
An Android launcher allows you to replace your app icons, home-screen transitions, and even add convenient gesture controls that your phone previously lacked. Best of all, all of today's top-rated launchers are available to try for free. Some even offer additional functionality via an in-app purchase.
In order to work, third-party Android launchers require permission to access some of your phone's sensitive data, including phone logs, contacts, messages, and files. That's why, when you're considering which launcher to choose, always make sure that it's from a trusted developer with multiple user reviews.
Nova Launcher
Free
This is handily our favorite Android launcher. Nova Launcher offers a combination of sleek looks and an overwhelming amount of personalization options, as well as a fast and fluid user experience.
You can choose between a light, dark, or fully transparent Nova Launcher layout. Other key features of the launcher include support for icon packs, a fully customizable home-screen layout, and the ability to save your layout and export it to another device, among many others.
Nova Launcher is free. A Prime variant of the launcher (priced at $4.99) adds even more features, headlined by customizable gesture controls, more scrolling effects, and custom drawer groups.
Android launcher newbies will appreciate how easy it is to get started with Nova, while advanced users will appreciate the ability to control just about every aspect of the user experience.
Microsoft Launcher
Free
This Android launcher, as its name suggests, is a great option for Windows 10 PC users with a Microsoft account. In addition to offering an excellent set of customization options, the launcher allows you to seamlessly transition between editing office documents on your computer and mobile device — all you need is an Office 365 subscription.
The Microsoft Launcher has cool gesture controls, as well as the ability to set a personalized feed of events, tasks, and documents as your default home screen. A universal search feature that allows you to sift through the web and contents of your smartphone is also among the launcher’s key features.
Best of all, the Microsoft Launcher is completely free, so you don’t need to spend money to access all of its features. However, like we already mentioned, the launcher will work best if you have a Microsoft account.
Evie Launcher
Free
Evie is a completely free Android launcher, designed for speed and effortless performance. It has a pleasantly minimalistic design and a great set of interface customization options, ranging from changing the size and the appearance of the icons, all the way to importing and customizing existing home screen layouts.
The launcher offers the ability to create custom shortcuts for common tasks and to change your default search engine. Of course, there’s also the option to search for your apps with Evie.
Overall, by offering a combination of sleek design and a rich set of customization features, the Evie launcher is one of the best options on this list. It lacks some of the features found in the Prime version of the Nova launcher, but it makes up for them by being free.
Apex Launcher
Free
The Apex launcher is a close rival to the Nova launcher with the same overwhelming amount of tools to customize your user experience. The launcher is free, though you can also opt for a $4 Pro version with even more features to change Android to your liking.
Apex offers clever gesture controls. You can program the launcher to perform specific tasks via a pinch gesture, by swiping up or down, or via a long press on your phone’s display. The Pro version adds two-finger gestures for even more flexibility.
Smart Launcher 5
Free
One of the coolest bits about this launcher is its ability to change its theme colors to match those of your favorite wallpaper. The launcher also gives you the opportunity to hide its navigation bar for a sleeker home-screen look. Of course, there’s also the option to change the appearance of your phone’s screen with icon packs and themes.
The launcher can automatically sort apps into categories and search the web and your phone in one convenient place. It has the option to protect sensitive apps with a PIN code if you wish.
Smart Launcher 5 is available to download for free, and you can add additional functionality to the launcher via in-app purchases.
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