Keypirinha vs LaunchMenu
Keypirinha
keypirinha.comLaunchMenu
launchmenu.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Keypirinha | LaunchMenu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Start Menu Customization Software | 7.8 (#13) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Customization | Its GUI supports customizable colors, fonts, element toggling and positioning. | The site describes customizable applet settings and themes, and says settings can be imported and exported. |
| Integrations | Official examples include Apps, TaskSwitcher, Winamp, ControlPanel, PuTTY, Calc, GoogleTranslate and URL packages. | The developer page says completed applets can be uploaded to npm with the keyword launchmenu-applet to load into the applet ecosystem. |
| Product | Keypirinha is a fast launcher for keyboard ninjas on Windows. | LaunchMenu is an open-source application that brings utilities called applets to users through a keyboard-centric interface. |
| Search | It can search configured websites or online dictionaries. | Menus support recursive search, pattern filters, fuzzy matching, and ranking based on use frequency. |
Plans
In their own words
Keypirinha
Keypirinha is a free keyboard-oriented launcher for Windows. It can find and open applications, files, bookmarks, URLs, registry keys, and sessions for PuTTY, WinSCP, and FileZilla; it can also search configured websites and online dictionaries. Built-in utilities handle translation, mathematical evaluation, base conversion, environment-variable lookup, URL processing, hashing, and generation of UUIDs, passwords, or bytes. Its plugin design combines a C++ core with Python 3 plugins, and an embedded interpreter with exposed modules allows extensions. Users can adjust colors, fonts, visible interface elements, and their positions. Configuration is managed in readable files, with separate machine-specific and user-specific settings. Keypirinha is distributed as an archive rather than an installer, with full, 64-bit-only, and 32-bit-only packages. Portable Mode keeps required files in one folder for moving the application on a USB device. The project describes it as a niche option for advanced users, noting that its minimal interface and learning curve can be demanding.
LaunchMenu
LaunchMenu is a free, open-source launcher that provides utilities called applets through a keyboard-oriented interface. Its menus support recursive fuzzy search, pattern filters, and prioritization of frequently used items. Users can navigate with arrow keys, activate primary actions with Enter, and open context menus with Tab; controls can be customized. Multi-select allows compatible actions to be applied to several items together. Applets include a dictionary, notes, file manager, internet search, calculator, translator, snippets, time tracker, and calendar. Users can adjust applet settings and themes, import or export settings, and manage official or third-party applets. LaunchMenu runs on macOS and Windows. The site identifies Windows as the primary development and test platform, while Mac testing has been less extensive. Linux support is planned and has not yet been worked on. Developers can build applets using TypeScript and React, compile them into LaunchMenu-ready packages, and upload completed applets to npm with the launchmenu-applet keyword. The listed free plan costs nothing.