Comparison
Flow Launcher is a popular open source launcher with a rich plugin ecosystem. FileScope goes further, searching inside your files, reading text from images, and understanding what you mean with AI.
| Feature | FileScope | Flow Launcher |
|---|---|---|
| App launcher | ✓ | ✓ |
| Filename search | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search inside files | ✓ | ✕ |
| OCR (text in images) | ✓ | ✕ |
| Semantic / AI search | ✓ | ✕ |
| Plugin ecosystem | ✕ | ✓ |
| Calculator / system commands | ✕ | ✓ |
| Global hotkey | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | $19 one-time | Free |
Flow Launcher finds apps and files by name. FileScope reads the content of PDFs, Word docs, Excel files, and more. Search for a phrase you remember, and FileScope finds the document.
Screenshots, scanned receipts, photos of whiteboards. FileScope extracts text from images automatically and makes it searchable. Flow Launcher has no image reading capability.
Type "last quarter finances" and FileScope returns your Q4 revenue report, even if those words aren't in the filename. Flow Launcher requires exact filename matches.
FileScope finds what Flow Launcher can't. Search by content, meaning, or text in images.
Get FileScope