Kiss Launcher
Ranked 2 of 9 Android launchers by recommenders
A minimal Android home screen that replaces app icons with a search line, praised for reducing distraction and being light and open source. Critics say it offers only one screen for widgets and lacks expected polish.
A minimal Android home screen that replaces app icons with a search line, praised for reducing distraction and being light and open source. Critics say it offers only one screen for widgets and lacks expected polish.
33 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 29
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 6 years
Median of the 8 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 29 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Minimal, does only what's needed
“Does exactly what I need from a launcher, nothing more, nothing less.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” “It is the perfect combination of minimal and power-user friendly.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” “Simple and does the job. No distractions.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” - Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking”
- Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android”
Search replaces icon grid, less distraction
“ever since I moved to KISS, I haven't felt the need. It brings a level of intentionality by forcing you to search for the app you want to use.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” “I like the philosophy of search-based launcher. This way, if I don't actively search for an app, I won't be distracted into opening one”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” “it's 100% dynamic (never have to manage layout) and almost eliminates the chance of getting distracted when opening my home screen.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” - Comment from 21 Sep 2026 in “I build a Nokia brick app instead of buying a dumbphone”
- Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking”
- Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking”
- Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher”
Fast and lightweight
“Search line for everything is actually faster then browsing list of icons.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” “It's amazingly fast and does just what I need it to.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” “Available in F-Droid, small, light, fast.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” - Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android”
Used for years without complaint
“KISS launcher is excellent. I've been using it for years now and would never go back to any other style of launcher.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” “I have been using this launcher for longer than I can remember, perhaps 10 years now.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” “Oh, nice to see KISS showcased here :) I actually started the project 13 years ago”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” - Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Instabridge has acquired Nova Launcher”
- Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Only one screen for widgets
“the only drawback would then be I only get one screen/desktop for adding widgets”
Comment from 21 Jan 2026 in “Kiss Launcher – fast launcher for Android” “I always find myself missing widgets with KISS.”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking” Lacks expected polish and familiarity
“I do remember trying to replace it with KISS Launcher, but it just wasn't the same.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “uLauncher” “but then they miss the amount of expected polish”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Nova Launcher Added Facebook and Google Ads Tracking”
Other Android launchers people recommend
The four most recommended other Android launchers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Launcher | 45 | 63 | 42% | 6 | 10 yrs13 owners | — |
| Kiss LauncherThis page | 29 | 4 | 88% | 2 | 6 yrs8 owners | — |
| Lawnchair Launcher | 27 | 7 | 79% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Niagara Launcher | 23 | 2 | 92% | 2 | — | — |
| Octopi Launcher | 15 | 5 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
35 of the 38 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“destroy the addictive environment from the normal smartphone with so many app icons and notification”
“Android kiss home screen can be probably set up like this.”
“I do remember trying to replace it with KISS Launcher, but it just wasn't the same.”
“Looks pretty well maintained”
“the only drawback would then be I only get one screen/desktop for adding widgets”
“One of my favourite open source projects on android.”
“It is the perfect combination of minimal and power-user friendly.”
“It's rare these days to see a simple solution to a problem executed effectively.”
“Does exactly what I need from a launcher, nothing more, nothing less.”
“KISS is a complete paradigm shift from other phone launchers.”
“Been using https://kisslauncher.com/ for many years and have no complaints.”
“It's a really good app drawer at that!”
“Why would I need an app to do that though, when it's at least one click less to just open the app drawer”
“but then they miss the amount of expected polish”
“It's amazingly fast and does just what I need it to.”
“it stopped loading the list of apps instantly”
“Oh, nice to see KISS showcased here :) I actually started the project 13 years ago”
“FOSS launchers are more resistant.”
“doesn't need any permission that are not absolutely required and stays up-to-date with the last changes of the Android API”
“things no longer move around by themselves”
“it's 100% dynamic (never have to manage layout) and almost eliminates the chance of getting distracted when opening my home screen.”
“maybe runs better on older devices”
“I have been using this launcher for longer than I can remember, perhaps 10 years now.”
“ever since I moved to KISS, I haven't felt the need. It brings a level of intentionality by forcing you to search for the app you want to use.”
“Available in F-Droid, small, light, fast.”
“it was beautiful and mostly worked like a charm on what it controlled”
“using it since 2022, it's the best.”
“this is my first install on all new Android devices”
“I always find myself missing widgets with KISS.”
“It's simple and gets out of the way.”
“Search line for everything is actually faster then browsing list of icons.”
“I have nothing to organize, I just access what I want to use instead.”
“Simple and does the job. No distractions.”
“KISS launcher is excellent. I've been using it for years now and would never go back to any other style of launcher.”
“I like the philosophy of search-based launcher. This way, if I don't actively search for an app, I won't be distracted into opening one”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.