ADW Launcher vs dmenu
ADW Launcher
adwthings.comdmenu
tools.suckless.orgSide by side
| Figure | ADW Launcher | dmenu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · App Launcher Software | 7.9 (#15) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Spec score · App Launchers | 7.7 (#17) | 8.6 (#7) |
| Spec score · App launchers | 7.4 (#25) | 8.6 (#7) |
| Customization | The maker lists custom icons, widgets, themes, animations and colors as launcher features. | The dmenu site links to a patches collection with contributed modifications. |
| Purpose | ADW Launcher 2 is an Android launcher for customizing a device’s home screen. | dmenu is a dynamic menu for X that manages large numbers of user-defined menu items efficiently. |
| Support | The Google Play listing gives the support email [email protected]. | The suckless community page identifies the dev mailing list as a place for dmenu users, development discussion, bug reports, and general discussion. |
Plans
In their own words
ADW Launcher
ADW Launcher has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
dmenu
dmenu is a free dynamic menu for X that handles large sets of user-defined menu items and can launch commands. It runs on Linux and was originally designed for the dwm window manager. Community scripts apply it to tasks such as browsing directories, managing clipboard contents, accessing passwords, and controlling music; contributed modifications are available in a patches collection. The project provides a browsable source repository and a Git clone command. Building requires Xlib header files, and the README describes building and installing with `make clean install`, with files placed in the `/usr/local` namespace by default. The listed release is dmenu 5.4, dated 2025-08-09. Its source uses the MIT/X Consortium License, which permits use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale of copies subject to its conditions, while disclaiming warranties. The suckless dev mailing list is identified as a venue for user questions, development discussion, bug reports, and general discussion.