Appetizer vs Quicksilver
Appetizer
appetizer.cozic.netQuicksilver
qsapp.comSide by side
| Figure | Appetizer | Quicksilver |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · App Launcher Software | 8.7 (#4) | 7.2 (#31) |
| Spec score · App Launchers | 8.6 (#6) | 7.2 (#30) |
| Spec score · App launchers | 8.5 (#8) | 7.2 (#30) |
| Customization | The dock supports plugins, multiple skins, custom icons, and horizontal or vertical layouts. | Quicksilver offers more than 10 interfaces with color theming. |
| Open source | The maker describes Appetizer as open source and says it will remain free. | Quicksilver is free, open source, and community-maintained. |
| Plugins | Available plugins include document encryption and decryption for a USB key, adding icons to groups, closing the dock after launching an app, revealing a shortcut target, and hiding the dock on startup. | Hundreds of plugins extend Quicksilver, and plugins can be installed and managed from within the app. |
| Support | Forum registration is closed because of spam, and the site says users may contact the maker if needed. | Support options include the manual, FAQ, GitHub Discussions, and GitHub Issues. |
Plans
In their own words
Appetizer
Appetizer is a free, open-source application launcher dock for Windows that organizes shortcuts and folders. A wizard imports shortcuts from different locations, after which icons can be arranged by drag and drop or grouped in menus. The dock can resize and display horizontally or vertically, with small, large, and extra-large icons, custom icons, and skins; two skins are included. It supports launching several items together, a hotkey to hide or show the dock, and minimizing it to the tray. Special items provide controls for the desktop, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel. With the standard PortableApps.com folder structure, Appetizer should detect applications and documents automatically. Version 1.4 is offered as a Windows installer or portable ZIP; the ZIP can run from a hard drive or USB stick and saves settings in the application directory. The download page lists Windows 2000, XP, and Vista. Plugins add functions such as USB document encryption, shortcut grouping, and closing the dock after launch, but require a restart after installation. Multilingual help and an API reference are provided.