Appetizer vs Ueli

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.

Ueli is a cross-platform keystroke launcher for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Press Alt+Space to show or hide it, type to search, and press Enter to open a result. For more options on a selected result, use Cmd+K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux. Frequently used items can be added to Favorites so they appear first in search results. Extensions include application and file search, browser bookmarks, a calculator, currency conversion, DeepL Translator, terminal launching, Visual Studio Code, and web search. Users can enable or disable extensions and configure enabled ones in their own settings sections. Ueli is free, with no paid plans or usage limits stated. Windows users can install it from the Microsoft Store or through winget using that store source; Linux and macOS downloads are also available. The maker says Ueli does not collect, store, or share personal, usage, device, or location data, and does not share information with third-party services. Installation and hotkey caveats vary by platform: downloads may be blocked on Windows or macOS, and global hotkeys may fail in Wayland sessions.