FileSeek vs Fluent Search

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.

Fluent Search is a free, keyboard-driven search and productivity tool for Windows 10 or 11. It searches installed apps, files, browser history and bookmarks, commands, web results, open windows, settings, calculations, and on-screen interface elements. Screen Search puts character labels over clickable items so users can navigate and interact with them from the keyboard. A built-in file indexer is designed to scan quickly while keeping CPU usage low. Its index stores file metadata by default, not file contents, unless content indexing is enabled for selected paths. Optional semantic search and summarization run locally and can be switched off in Settings. Community plugins can add search sources, previews, actions, and YAML-based task workflows. Configurable web search includes engines such as Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, inline previews, and sending prompts to ChatGPT. The maker says searches, indexes, browser data, and most interactions are handled locally; depending on settings, diagnostics, suggestions, sync, and plugins may involve external communication. Windows x64 and ARM64 installers, APPX, portable builds, and Microsoft Store installation are listed. The maker describes ARM64 as newer and not yet battle-tested.