Projectivy Launcher
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 6 smart TV OSes
Replaces the ad-filled default Google TV home screen with a clean, customizable launcher showing only chosen apps, though some report it launches late.
Replaces the ad-filled default Google TV home screen with a clean, customizable launcher showing only chosen apps, though some report it launches late.
31 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 29
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 29 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Removes default launcher ads
“At least Google lets me install Projectivy Launcher on the device I paid for so I never have to see a single ad on my TV.”
Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Facebook Pages require paid subscription to post more than two links per month” “I've got mine on Projectivity Launcher which has no ads and I still have access to all the streaming apps”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “An ad-free Android TV” “put a different launcher on it (Projectivy Launcher), and it's been great, no ads or anything”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Microsoft Copilot AI Comes to LG TVs, and Can't Be Deleted” - Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options”
- Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
- Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
- Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Microsoft Copilot AI Comes to LG TVs, and Can't Be Deleted”
- Comment from 2 Nov 2026 in “Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?”
- Comment from 16 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
- Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Hisense TVs add unskippable startup ads before live TV”
- Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
Clean, uncluttered interface
“ProjectIvy is a beautiful clean interface, at least in comparison to the default ad-infested abomination that Google delivers.”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “New Apple TV 4K” “Projectivy seems good and I use it on cheap android / Google TV devices since learning about it last month.”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal” “allows me to set a customized and very clean interface with the just the apps I use and nothing else”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal” - Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Throwing My Roku in the Trash”
- Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device”
- Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “New Apple TV 4K”
- Comment from 2 Nov 2026 in “Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?”
- Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device”
- Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
Better than stock Google launcher
“ProjectIvy is a beautiful clean interface, at least in comparison to the default ad-infested abomination that Google delivers.”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “New Apple TV 4K” “Projectivy is a much nicer experience than Google TV's attention seeking default.”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Throwing My Roku in the Trash” “Changing over to Projectivy (or any custom launcher really) fixed so many issues”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device” - Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
- Comment from 22 Jul 2026 in “LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps”
- Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Ask HN: Which TV do you recommend for privacy?”
Customizable, shows only chosen apps
“allows me to set a customized and very clean interface with the just the apps I use and nothing else”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal” “It displays only the things I want to see, and has a great deal of options.”
Comment from 31 Jan 2026 in “Nvidia's 10-year effort to make the Shield TV the most updated Android device” “Works perfectly with full customization/zero ads on the free version”
Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal” - Comment from 16 Jun 2026 in “Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22B Deal”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow or delayed launch after boot
“it doesn't always launch, sometimes launches a few minutes after start”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Microsoft Copilot AI Comes to LG TVs, and Can't Be Deleted” “it launched a minute after the stick started which wasn't a great UX”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “An ad-free Android TV”
Other smart TV OSes people recommend
The four most recommended other smart TV OSes, 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.
See all 6 smart TV OSes, rankedWhat people said
34 of the 39 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“which is nice and clean and has no ads or promotions”
“projectivy launcher (Google one sucks)”
“Projectivy Launcher gets a lot of permissions it should not have, and it's closed source”
“I see Projectivy immediately without ever triggering the default launcher”
“it launched a minute after the stick started which wasn't a great UX”
“are all on Google Play with positive reviews”
“the article's recommended Projectivy, SmartTube, and Wolphin projects are all better according to the metrics you've listed”
“I've got mine on Projectivity Launcher which has no ads and I still have access to all the streaming apps”
“At least Google lets me install Projectivy Launcher on the device I paid for so I never have to see a single ad on my TV.”
“I use Projectivy for the same reason.”
“ProjectIvy is a beautiful clean interface, at least in comparison to the default ad-infested abomination that Google delivers.”
“For now I use ProjectIvy launcher for a very clean launcher experience”
“to get rid of whatever nonsense the stock launcher tries to push”
“Projectivy is a much nicer experience than Google TV's attention seeking default.”
“No more ads and you can customize everything.”
“which is clean and ad-free”
“Works perfectly with full customization/zero ads on the free version”
“Takes really far these days for a locally hosted setup without ads/annoyances.”
“Projectivy seems good and I use it on cheap android / Google TV devices since learning about it last month.”
“I tried projectivity launcher on one of these and it seemed reasonably good.”
“the default launcher has ads so I switched to Projectivy launcher”
“allows me to set a customized and very clean interface with the just the apps I use and nothing else”
“install the free Projectivy launcher from the Play Store”
“you do not have to use it and can use one of the many ad free ones”
“No ads or popups etc at all.”
“Projectivy is just beautifully clean and simple.”
“Changing over to Projectivy (or any custom launcher really) fixed so many issues”
“It displays only the things I want to see, and has a great deal of options.”
“it doesn't always launch, sometimes launches a few minutes after start”
“I love Projectivity Launcher on my Google Streamer, but I can't figure out how to really replace the built-in launcher.”
“It's not perfect, not if it suits your needs you won't have to buy another device.”
“My Google TV with Projectivity Launcher shows zero launcher ads”
“put a different launcher on it (Projectivy Launcher), and it's been great, no ads or anything”
“You can get rid of homescreen ads on Google TV with a custom launcher like Projectivity”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.