REVIEW · LAUNCHER
Verdict: The free version of Alfred is already a good way to launch apps and find files from the keyboard, and you can use it forever. The Powerpack is worth 34 GBP if you will use workflows, clipboard history, snippets or custom file filters every day; if you only want file search, start with the free version.
17 October 2026 · By Ishtiaque Hossain · 5 minute read · reviews Alfred 5.8.1
Looking for a file you can describe but not name? Try Shlexball. The first 30 searches are free and need no account.
macOS 15 or later. Apple silicon. 16 GB memory. On a phone? Email yourself the link.
This review is based on Alfred's own pages, read on 14 October 2026. Every claim links to the page it came from. We are the makers of Shlexball, so we say plainly where Alfred does better.
| Price | Core app free forever; Powerpack 34 GBP single licence or 59 GBP Mega Supporter |
| Runs on | macOS 10.14 or later, Intel and Apple silicon (Alfred 5.8.1) |
| What it searches | Apps, files, contacts, the web; file contents with the in keyword |
| Made by | Running with Crayons Ltd |
| Coming next | Alfred 6; Powerpack buyers get a free upgrade |
| Best for | Keyboard users who want to launch, search and automate without the mouse |
Alfred is a productivity app for the Mac that launches apps and finds files on your Mac or on the web from one box. It learns how you use your Mac and puts the results you choose most often first.
Alfred's default results cover the essentials: applications, System Preferences, contacts and any file types you add. For everything else there are File Search keywords.
Type open and a name to open a file (pressing the spacebar is a shortcut for this), find to reveal a file in the Finder, or in to search inside your files' content. You can rename these keywords and choose how many results Alfred shows.
Alfred also lets you walk your folders from the keyboard: type / to start at the top of your Mac or ~ for your home folder, then type the first letters of each folder. If you are unsure of a name, start your search with * to make it a wildcard.
The core of Alfred is free to download and use forever, with no strings attached. That includes app launching and file searching.
The Powerpack is a paid add-on. A single licence costs 34 GBP and includes a free upgrade to Alfred 6; the Mega Supporter licence costs 59 GBP and adds free lifetime upgrades.
What it adds is mostly power and automation: workflows that chain hotkeys, keywords and actions without writing code, Clipboard History, snippets that expand from a short keyword, custom themes, and settings sync between Macs through a service such as Dropbox.
For file search specifically, the Powerpack adds custom File Filters, saved searches limited to the file types and folders you need most.
Tap the Shift key on a result to preview it with Quick Look, without opening the file.
With the Powerpack you can act on files from the keyboard: email, move, copy or reveal them in the Finder, or add your own actions such as resizing images.
The File Buffer lets you collect several files from the results and act on all of them at once, using the Alt key with the arrow keys.
Recent Documents shows the files you opened last in a given app. Alfred notes a known issue here: it is not fully compatible with Microsoft Office and some other apps that are not native to macOS.
Alfred is at its best when you know roughly what a file is called: a few letters of the name, a folder path or a wildcard gets you there quickly.
The in keyword adds search inside file content, and tags let you give files your own labels and search by them. Both still ask you to type words that are actually in the file or its tags.
Because Alfred learns from what you open, the files and apps you use most rise to the top over time.
Buy it if you will build or import workflows; Alfred says its community has shared thousands, from music players to developer tools. Clipboard History and snippets alone save a lot of typing for people who write all day.
If you mainly want a fast way to launch apps and open files, the free version does that well. Alfred 5 is signed and notarised by Apple's Developer ID process, and Alfred 6 has been previewed for this autumn.
Keep Alfred for launching and keyboard control. For the document you can only describe, Shlexball finds files from a plain-English description of what you remember, searching file and folder names and the text inside PDFs and Word documents.
Shlexball runs its language model on your Mac and is read-only: it never changes, moves or deletes files. The first 30 searches are free and need no account.
Keep Alfred for launching. For the file you can only describe, try Shlexball: 30 free searches.
▶ DOWNLOAD SHLEXBALLYes. The core of Alfred is free to download and use forever, including app launching and file search. The Powerpack, which adds workflows and more, is a paid add-on.
A single licence is 34 GBP and includes a free upgrade to Alfred 6. The Mega Supporter licence is 59 GBP and includes free lifetime upgrades.
Yes. Type the in keyword followed by your words to search inside your files' content.
Yes. Alfred 5.8.1 runs on macOS 10.14 or later, on Intel and Apple silicon Macs.