I Ditched Pixel UI For This Popular Launcher And I’m Not Going Back

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

I’m very familiar with different launchers, as I used Nova Launcher for quite some time on my old OnePlus phones. But when I made the switch to a Pixel, I enjoyed the default Pixel Launcher so much that going back to Nova didn’t even cross my mind.

However, I eventually got tired of it and wanted to try out something new. I wanted to get away from the classic grid layout present on most Android phones with their large and colorful icons. I wanted something cleaner. Something simpler. Something designed to encourage intentional phone use instead of endless scrolling. I found it, and I love it so much that I decided to ditch Pixel’s default launcher altogether.

The thing I love about Niagara Launcher is that it combines simplicity, functionality, and a great design. The home screen is organized as a list of apps — no more than eight — featuring a customizable area at the top for displaying the time, date, weather, or other useful information. You can select from a few different icon packs to customize the look of the home screen, and Pro users can even enable a custom button to open an app or toggle a specific setting.

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Mitja Rutnik / Android Authority

Not only does it look gorgeous and minimal, especially in the monochrome version I set up — see image above — but it’s also very functional. I have eight of my favorite apps on the home screen for quick access, while a tap of the custom button opens up Google Search. When I swipe up, I can search for an app or a person in my contact list, or I can bring up the app drawer by sliding my finger down the right side of my screen. It feels so natural and intuitive, and I can use it with only one hand. Everything I need is right there on one home screen, beautifully designed.

The list layout helps a lot as I don’t have to stretch my fingers across the screen to tap on an app like in a classic grid layout. There’s also an alphabet down the right side of the screen on the home page for finding specific apps easier and faster with a slide of a finger, but I have it hidden from sight for a cleaner view — it still shows up when I tap it, though. I even hid the status bar since I can see the time, date, and battery percentage right above my list of apps on the home screen. It’s as minimal as I could make it without losing functionality, and I love it.

Niagara Launcher isn’t packed with features like Nova Launcher, but most of the features it has are very thought out and useful. For example, I use YouTube to watch videos, Spotify to listen to podcasts, and YouTube Music to listen to my favorite artists. In most cases, I use all three apps with headphones. And when I connect them to my phone, all three show up in the app list on my home screen and remain there until I disable the connection.

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Mitja Rutnik / Android Authority

I also like the notification system. Notifications for every app on my home screen show up right below each one, making sure I don’t miss anything important. And I can even set up a summary that will show me all my notifications in batches every six hours, just so that my phone doesn’t make a sound every five minutes, as usual.

Niagara Launcher has other useful features, including turning off the display with a double tap and hiding apps from the main app drawer. They work great, although these are standard on many Android skins.

The biggest advantage I see in Niagara Launcher is that it helped me reduce my screen time. A new launcher was a fresh start and a great chance to form new, more productive habits. Having fewer apps front and center with less visual appeal due to the monochrome color palette, as well as getting notifications less frequently, helped me avoid my bad habit of opening my favorite apps just because I’m bored. The slightly less functional app drawer with its long list of apps also required a bit more effort to find what I’m looking for, and that extra step is another reason that helps me reduce my screen time. It works for me, although your mileage may vary.

Nothing is perfect

Mitja Rutnik / Android Authority

While I love Niagara Launcher and see myself using it for a long time, it’s not perfect. It’s quite a bit more expensive than something like Nova Launcher, which is more feature-packed. Nova Launcher can be yours for a one-time fee of $5, while Niagara costs $10 per year or a one-time fee of $30. That’s still not much money for something you use daily, but it’s more than you’d pay for alternatives. However, prices will go up next month, with a yearly subscription going for $14, while a lifetime pass will set you back $43.

There’s a free version available as well, but I don’t see myself using it since a lot of the functionality I like is part of the Pro plan— including launching music apps when connecting my headphones.

I also dislike that whenever I swipe up to open search, a list of my most frequent apps shows up right under the search bar. I prefer a cleaner look, so I tried to turn this off but realized it’s not possible. The development team is apparently working on creating a toggle to switch this off, but there’s no word on when it may be available.

These are the only issues I have with Niagara Launcher.

For now, these are the only issues I have with Niagara Launcher, but I’m sure I’ll find a few more after using it longer. Based on my experience, I would suggest it to everyone looking for a simple and minimal launcher.

However, if you’re not into a minimal home screen and prefer lots of features and customizations, Niagara Launcher is not for you. In that case, I’d recommend sticking to your phone’s default launcher or switching to something like Nova Launcher. There are countless other options available, which you can check out in our dedicated best Android alternatives post.

Would you consider using a minimalist launcher like Niagara? Let me know in the comments.