Best Dowse Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from desktop search software ranked against Dowse on the same published basis.
- 1Dowse vs Recoll
- 2Dowse vs Open Semantic Desktop Search
- 3Dowse vs Buddi
- 4Dowse vs DocFetcher
- 5Dowse vs Microsoft Quick Assist
- 6Dowse vs Precision File Search
- 7Dowse vs Agent Ransack
- 8Dowse vs DocFinder
- 9Dowse vs EasyFind
- 10Dowse vs Everything
- 11Dowse vs FileSeek
- 12Dowse vs Magpie
- 13Dowse vs Mousepad
- 14Dowse vs UltraSearch
- 15Dowse vs WizFile
- 16Dowse vs AstroGrep
- 17Dowse vs Fluent Search
- 18Dowse vs FSearch
- 19Dowse vs Listary
- 20Dowse vs Searchmonkey III
Dowse alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recoll | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Open Semantic Desktop Search | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Buddi | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | DocFetcher | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Microsoft Quick Assist | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 6 | Precision File Search | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Agent Ransack | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 8 | DocFinder | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 9 | EasyFind | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 10 | Everything | 6.4 | Free plan | $4.08/mo | Windows |
| 11 | FileSeek | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 12 | Magpie | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 13 | Mousepad | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 14 | UltraSearch | 6.4 | Free plan | $2.50/mo | Windows |
| 15 | WizFile | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 16 | AstroGrep | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 17 | Fluent Search | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 18 | FSearch | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 19 | Listary | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 20 | Searchmonkey III | 5.6 | Linux, Mac, Windows |
Make your app an alternative to Dowse
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Dowse alternatives
What is the best alternative to Dowse?
Recoll, number 1 in desktop search software with a score of 6.7 out of 10. The others here: Open Semantic Desktop Search, Buddi, DocFetcher and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Dowse?
Recoll is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 19 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.