This is the best Nova Launcher alternative

Many regard Nova Launcher as one of the best app launchers for Android phones. Period. Recently, the app has faced a series of troubles. In 2022, the launcher was purchased by analytics company Branch, a move that pushed away many stalwart users. That sentiment has receded somewhat since. However, in August 2024, the launcher’s parent company announced a mass layoff, which acutely affected Nova’s developer pool. Understandably, users are looking for a Nova Launcher alternative as a backup or a potential replacement. Thankfully, there are plenty.

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Although I was once a Nova Launcher die-hard, I’ve been experimenting with several other Android launchers in recent months. There’s nothing quite like Nova available, but one contender has since become my favorite alternative. It’s called Kvaesitso.

This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned Kvaesitso, and it likely won’t be the last. It currently pilots my dated flagship phone and will be a must-install on my future handsets, too. It’s a quick, open source launcher that has streamlined how I use my device.

While Nova Launcher suits maximalists who prefer running multiple pages, icons, widgets, and customizations on their home screens, Kvaesitso is far more reserved in its design philosophy. The initial screen can be as clean as you like and accentuates your current wallpaper. A clock widget and a search bar are the only two elements that disrupt this zen, and, as someone who has moved towards simplicity for my home screen setup, I find this arrangement delightful.

Kvaesitso trades Nova’s multiple home page design for a single vertical scrolling page. This was, for me, the biggest hurdle to overcome. I was guilty of loading Nova to the brim with apps and folders that I thought I would but never did use. Naturally, I found moving away from this particularly jarring, but this hierarchical design is a better way to present information, especially apps.

Kvaesitso keeps track of the apps you use most often. It displays this through a nifty favorites widget, which gives you almost immediate access to apps you favor when placed at the top of your vertically scrolling page. In lieu of folders, the launcher offers app grouping through a tagging system. This keeps visual clutter to a minimum and improves global app search. Tags are customizable and contextual, allowing apps to form part of multiple groups.

The more extensive app list is accessible by swiping down (the default), but gestures can be tweaked. Kvaesitso can trigger other actions by long pressing or double tapping the screen — features I don’t personally use but can recognize the potential.

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As I suggested, you can still enjoy widgets with Kvaesitso, but they’re presented completely differently. When I used Nova, I reserved three pages for my heap of widgets, including a full page for my weather app Meteogram, another for Google Keep and my calendar, and a third for sundry. But, with Kvaesitso, widgets are arranged vertically on a single page. Again, it’s a big change from my modus operandi. I thought such a design would make widgets near the bottom of the scroll easier to neglect, but this wasn’t the case. If anything, I can more easily access all of my info with a simple thumb flick.

If you’re not a widget hoarder like me, Kvaesitso offers several built-in options, each matching the launcher’s aesthetic. When using these alone, the launcher feels particularly slick. The weather widget is particularly fetching, while the media widget supports many players. The calendar and simple note widgets are excellent for quick reference and records. Nova offers no equivalent.

However, there is one area where Nova and Kvaesitso are alike: search. Nova offers powerful global search capabilities that demand Sesame Search to unlock its full potential, but its rival offers similar smarts natively. Kvaesitso lets users search for contacts, files, calendar events, and the web at large, too. If searching Wikipedia from your home screen is your bag, you can do that. Website previews are supported, too. Basic arithmetic is also available, although I would’ve loved a unit converter for cooking.

Believe it or not, I think Kvaesitso has its negatives. The app isn’t available through the Play Store, making it more difficult for novices to find and install. Even advanced users will need F-Droid or Obtanium to keep the launcher up to date, which could be problematic for a set-it-and-forget-it solution. Its design philosophy also limits its customization possibilities to a sliver of what Nova is capable of. KWGT widgets, for instance, become far less impactful on Kvaesitso than Nova.

Of course, some will not feel that Kvaesitso is a viable alternative to Nova Launcher, but after using it for the past few months, I’ve yet to look back at the old guard. Either way, Kvaesitso is free and is well worth testing, especially considering Nova’s premium Prime unlock will demand a few more pennies.

If Nova Launcher or Kvaesitso aren’t for you, you have plenty of great Android launcher alternatives. Find three additional options below:

• Hyperion Launcher: Of all the Nova alternatives, Hyperion feels like its closest cousin. The app includes all the trimmings, from a static search bar to an app dock and folder support. Long-pressing the home screen also prompts a menu through which users can edit the home screen pages and icons, add widgets, and more. I prefer Hyperion’s main settings layout, which is much easier to navigate than Nova. The app is free, but a small premium is required to unlock more features.
• Niagara Launcher: Niagara focuses on minimalism, placing favorite apps on the home screen and hiding the rest in an alphabetical scrollbar. It does support built-in and third-party widgets, but the emphasis is less on customization and more on convenience. Niagara is a great set-it-and-forget-it solution, especially for narrower or smaller flagships. The app is free, but a premium unlock is available.
• Lawnchair: There are two versions of Lawnchair available: the older version 2 on the Play Store and the bleeding-edge version 14 on GitHub. While both are great, the latter is based on Android 14‘s launcher, and is a great alternative for those used to Pixel phones. The app hasn’t yet received a stable build, but it offers all the trimmings, including custom home feed support, a global search engine, and a Nova-like dock. Notably, Lawnchair is completely free.

Do you agree that Kvaesitso is the best Nova Launcher alternative, or do you have a different opinion? Let us know your alternative choice below.