DocFetcher vs FileSeek

DocFetcher is a free, open-source desktop application for searching the contents of files stored on a computer. It presents selected results with a text preview and highlighted matches, and search results can be narrowed by file size, type and location. Its query syntax supports AND, OR and NOT, wildcards, phrase and fuzzy searches, proximity search and boosting. Supported content includes Microsoft Office files, Outlook PST, OpenOffice, PDF, EPUB, HTML, plain text, RTF, media metadata, Visio and SVG. It can search ZIP, 7z, RAR and tar archives, including archives nested inside other archives. Users create indexes for folders; the application detects changes while running, and a background daemon records changes while it is closed for processing at the next launch. Portable editions keep indexes and settings in the application folder and can be moved between computers. The maker says the application collects no private data and indexes nothing by default. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The project is legacy software: no new features are planned, though bug fixes and support continue.

FileSeek is a Windows file-search app that can look through local paths, network shares, and synced cloud folders such as Dropbox and OneDrive. Queries can be simple, use regular expressions, or use advanced text syntax. It uses multithreading and does not depend on background indexing. Advanced IFilters allow searches to process non-text files such as Excel and PDF. Pro adds saved search profiles that can sync between computers, multiple search tabs, and CSV or HTML result exports. The free plan is limited to personal use and lacks those Pro features. Pro Standard costs $19, paid once for a lifetime license for one computer; other lifetime licenses cover personal computers, a site, or company-owned sites. The current release supports Windows 10 version 1607 or higher, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022. Downloads include an installer, ZIP build, and MSI installer, and FileSeek can also be installed using WinGet. SHA1 hashes are published to help check downloads. Support is included with free and Pro licenses.