Appetizer vs True Launch Bar
Appetizer
appetizer.cozic.netTrue Launch Bar
truelaunchbar.comSide by side
| Figure | Appetizer | True Launch Bar |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · App Launcher Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Spec score · App Launchers | 8.6 (#6) | 8.4 (#9) |
| Spec score · App launchers | 8.5 (#8) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Customization | The dock supports plugins, multiple skins, custom icons, and horizontal or vertical layouts. | Users can apply skins and customize toolbar buttons, menu items, colors, and tooltips. |
| 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. | The vendor lists dozens of plugins including mail monitoring, weather, news, media control, system monitoring, clipboard management and virtual desktops. |
| Purpose | Appetizer is a free application launcher, or dock, for Windows that organizes shortcuts and folders. | True Launch Bar is a Windows Quick Launch replacement for organizing shortcuts and files in customizable taskbar menus. |
| Support | Forum registration is closed because of spam, and the site says users may contact the maker if needed. | The license page says registered software receives free updates and free support. |
Plans
True Launch Bar
- True Launch BarFree
- True Launch Bar 8.0 freewareFree
- Legacy registration$19.90, paid once
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.
True Launch Bar
True Launch Bar has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.