Best All Around Launcher: Evie

If I were to recommend one launcher for everyone, Evie would be the one. It has a fair suite of customization options, a modern sleek vibe. Plus, the fast, smooth animations are a treat to look at and add an element of whimsy. It’s clear that a ton of work was poured into every detail of this launcher.

Pros:

- Looks amazing no matter what your preferred style or theme is.

- One of the smoothest and well optimized launchers out there.

- Completely free, without any ads or features locked behind a paywall.

- Has a great news feed built in, it’s enabled by default but can be disabled easily.

Cons:

- Doesn’t have nearly as many customization options as Nova launcher. Which means it’s not necessarily the best for control freaks or the hardcore themers out there.

- If your only concern is stability, then this not launcher is not the best. However, the bugs I ran into were quite minor and easily fixed by a simple reboot.





Best Reigning Champion: Nova

Nova launcher is the most popular launcher for a reason. It has a traditional approach, but also a sleek modern appearance, for those who have the patience to personalize it.

Pros:

- Packed with customization options. There is not much more you could ask for when it comes to customization.

- One of the most stable launchers out there. Even when using this your main launcher for months, you'd be unlikely to run into any serious bugs or crashes.

- Nova Launcher is very well-established. There are many benefits to being the reigning champion, for one stability, after years of bug fixes and adding features, there’s not much this launcher can do to surprise you.

- Works well on old hardware.

Cons:

- Possibly too packed with features for some. Which can make it come off as bloated or convoluted.

- Somewhat unsightly if you don’t invest the time to change around settings.

- Limited options for the free version, however the full version isn’t too pricey.





Most intuitive Launcher: Lawnchair

Lawnchair is very intuitive, simple, and easy to use. Everything that Lawnchair does, it does well. It’s beautiful, customizable, and above all simple.

Pros:

- Has a beautiful blur and transparency effect. Be warned, though, enabling blur may have a minor effect on battery life.

- Has quite a few customization options without being overwhelming.

Cons:

- Not incredibly smooth or well optimized, though this shouldn’t be a problem unless you have a slow phone or old hardware.

- Not very stable. I ran into quite a few bugs while using it, most of them minor but having an unstable launcher can ruin an otherwise great experience.





Best New-Comer: Niagara

The Niagara Launcher is as beautiful as it is functional. A great launcher for people who want elegant minimalism without the hassle of digging through settings to find that perfect look.

Pros:

- Beautiful out of the box.

- Lean, without all the bloat and unnecessary features of other launchers.

- Has a refined and stylish way of organizing apps.

- Good default widgets.

- Early access and already exceptional, this is sure to become one of the best launchers out there.

Cons:

- Has almost no customization options. Though it partial makes up for this with a great experience by default.

- The minimalism of this launcher is a double-edged sword. It provides a bare-bones experience, so if you want all the bells and whistles you might want to choose another launcher.

- Not incredibly stable, though it is still in beta as of December 2018.