# Alfred for macOS 55 Hacker News commenters recommended Alfred for macOS and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 10 years (3 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Fast launcher for apps, custom workflows and clipboard history that many keep for years. Common caveat: file search is weaker than Spotlight. ## Why people recommend it - Custom workflows fit personal needs (5 comments): "I use Alfred a ton throughout the day. I have many workflows and other settings that I set up years ago that are absolutely indispensable to me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46213957)) "My own Alfred replacement is actually better for me, it's tailored to exactly how I want to use an app launcher / shortcut tool." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48455591)) "used Alfred to make a GUI for it. Now it feels like a full-blown GUI" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48228441)) - Long-term reliability over many years (5 comments): "I switched to Alfred years ago and I don't see myself switching back anytime soon." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47475525)) "Alfred isn't the shiniest thing anymore but it's stood the time remarkably well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025505)) "My licenses to Things, Alfred, Little Snitch, etc. still work to this day." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48710346)) - Fast launching and live search (4 comments): "It's usually very fast to type "cmd-space", and then type 3-4 letters to find the macro I want." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47566213)) "Alfred's search seems to be several times faster than Tuna's search" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47158538)) "Alfred uses the same Spotlight index AFAIK, but lightning fast." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49859053)) - Replaces default macOS search (3 comments): "The first thing I do on any mac is replace the default search, usually with alfred." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49706673)) "Alfred is one of the first things I install on a new MacOS install." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49706340)) "This is why I use Alfred instead of spotlight." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49707052)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Raycast](https://hackerapproved.com/p/raycast.md): 95 recommend - [Spotlight](https://hackerapproved.com/p/spotlight.md): 43 recommend - [Tuna launcher for macOS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tuna.md): 10 recommend - [Vicinae](https://hackerapproved.com/p/vicinae.md): 9 recommend - [Quicksilver](https://hackerapproved.com/p/quicksilver.md): 8 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.alfredapp.com/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Alfred for macOS", https://hackerapproved.com/p/alfred/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).