Alfred alternative: Peekaboo vs Alfred
By Vishva Variya · Updated
Alfred is a keyboard launcher first: apps, web searches, a calculator, clipboard history and snippets, and with the Powerpack, Workflows that chain hotkeys and actions together. It finds files too, by name with “open” and “find”, or inside their contents with “in”. Peekaboo isn’t a launcher. It’s a whole app about your files, with a search box that understands “screenshots over 5 MB” and a window that shows you what came back.
Looking for Alfred itself? It’s at www.alfredapp.com.
- Alfred price
- Free; Powerpack £34 (or £59 lifetime upgrades)
- Alfred requires
- macOS 10.14 or later
- Peekaboo
- $24.99 one-time, 14-day trial, macOS 14+
Alfred figures from alfredapp.com, /powerpack/buy, /help/powerpack and /help/features/file-search, verified 2026-11-02.
Why pick Peekaboo over Alfred?
Quick Search beside your launcher
Peekaboo’s Quick Search opens from any app with ⌥Space, and the shortcut can be changed, so it won’t fight a launcher you already use. You describe the file instead of typing its name.
Filters you can see
“screenshots over 5 MB” turns into kind and size chips you can edit, and ext:, path: and kind:code narrow it further. Alfred matches names, or contents with its “in” keyword.
The tidying a launcher leaves out
Duplicates, Space Map, Disk Usage and an App Uninstaller are part of Peekaboo. Alfred can empty the Trash on command, but it won’t tell you what belongs in it.
Peekaboo vs Alfred, job by job
| Job | Alfred | Peekaboo |
|---|---|---|
| Launching apps, web search, snippets, clipboard | Core features | Not offered. Keep Alfred for these |
| Chaining actions together | Workflows (Powerpack), plus community-shared ones | Shortcuts actions: Find Files, Get Latest Download, Search in Peekaboo |
| Finding a file from any app | Keyword search by name; “in” searches contents | Quick Search (⌥Space) in plain English; the main window adds text in images |
| Duplicates, disk map, uninstalling apps | Not offered | Exact and look-alike duplicates, Space Map, App Uninstaller |
| Price | Free; Powerpack £34, or £59 with lifetime upgrades | One-time per Mac, 14-day free trial |
The honest verdict
Alfred is the better launcher, and nothing in Peekaboo replaces its Workflows, snippets or clipboard history. Keep it. Add Peekaboo if Alfred’s file results dry up when you can’t remember a name, or when the real question is which files to get rid of.
Alfred vs Peekaboo: questions
Can Peekaboo replace Alfred?
- No. Peekaboo doesn’t launch apps, expand snippets or run Workflows. It overlaps with Alfred only on finding files, and goes further there: plain English, text in images, and cleanup afterwards.
Can I use Peekaboo and Alfred together?
- Yes. Peekaboo’s Quick Search defaults to ⌥Space and the shortcut can be changed, so give each app keys the other isn’t using.
How much is Alfred’s Powerpack?
- Alfred itself is free. The Powerpack, which unlocks Workflows and more, is £34 for a version 5 licence or £59 as a Mega Supporter with free lifetime upgrades, per alfredapp.com on November 2, 2026.