Shortcuts (Quick Open) vs G App Launcher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shortcuts (Quick Open)
Access your most used applications instantly from various convenient locations. Launch apps directly from your lock screen, a dedicated widget, or through a long-press on their icons. Supports a wide range of system and third-party applications for rapid access.
- Launch apps from lock screen
- Today View widget shortcuts
- Haptic touch app icon shortcuts
- System app shortcuts
- Third-party app shortcuts
- Quick call to contacts
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Quickly open your favorite apps using Shortcuts! Open apps directly from the lock screen, the Today View widget, or via Haptic touch on the app icon Currently featuring shortcuts to: (System) -App Store -Calendar -iBooks -Mail -Maps -Music -Notes -Phone (choose a contact to quick call) -Photos -Podcasts -Safari (3rd Party) -Amazon -Amazon Music -Audible -Box -Dropbox -Evernote -Facebook -Facebook Messenger -Fitbit -Google -Google Calendar -Google Chrome -Google Drive -Google Gmail -Google Hangouts -Google Maps -Google Photos -HBO GO -Instagram -KakaoTalk -Kindle -Line -LinkedIn -Lyft -Netflix -Outlook -Pinterest -Pokemon Go -Reddit -Skype -Slack -Snapchat -SoundCloud -Spotify -Square Cash -Telegram -TikTok -Tinder -Twitter -Uber -Venmo -Waze -WeChat -WhatsApp -Yahoo Finance -Yahoo Weather -Yelp -Youtube -YouTube Music -Zoom
G App Launcher
Customize your app launcher with over 1000 Google shortcuts and create your own custom website shortcuts. Easily manage and sort your shortcuts through a drag-and-drop interface in the settings. Submit requests for new Google shortcuts or add your own.
- Customize app launcher
- Add 1000+ Google shortcuts
- Create custom website shortcuts
- Drag-and-drop shortcut management
- Filter and sort shortcuts
- Suggest new Google shortcuts
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This extension allows you to customize the app launcher and add more than 1000 Google shortcuts. And it is not limited to these 1000 Google shortcuts; the extension also allows you to create custom shortcuts to every website you want. In the settings page, which you can open via the "Configure" button in the app launcher, you can define which shortcuts you want to display in the app launcher via drag and drop (hold your mouse on a shortcut in the left list, drag it to the right list, and release your mouse). You can add or remove all shortcuts via the two buttons below the left list. The settings page also allows you to filter the 1000+ Google shortcuts via the searchbox and you can easily sort your selection via the "Sort A-Z" button. If the shortcut you want is not available in the list, you can submit a google shortcut request via the "Suggest a new google Shortcut" button. If you want to add a non Google Shortcut, add a new one via the red "add custom shortcut" button.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: G App Launcher at none against Shortcuts (Quick Open)'s 1. G App Launcher also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (25% vs 16%). Shortcuts (Quick Open)'s advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 36). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Shortcuts (Quick Open) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. G App Launcher asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shortcuts (Quick Open) holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortcuts (Quick Open) has 1.9K ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 16% of Shortcuts (Quick Open)'s written reviews are positive against 25% of G App Launcher's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Shortcuts (Quick Open) ships an update every 4 months, G App Launcher every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shortcuts (Quick Open) | G App Launcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.9K ratings) — better | 3.5 (36 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 15.8% of reviews | 24.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 36 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Fang | Carlos Jeurissen |
Customer experience
Shortcuts (Quick Open)
G App Launcher
User reviews
Shortcuts (Quick Open)
From 1.9K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Works great
- 💡 Useful app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔒 Requires payment for basic features
- 👎 Confusing and not intuitive
- 💸 Waste of money
- 🤔 Doesn't work as expected
G App Launcher
From 36 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Works on Mac
- 👍 Best free app
- 👍 Easy to open on Safari
- 👍 Convenient shortcuts
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work on Safari
- 🐛 Safari blocks it
- 🐛 Permission issues
- 🐛 Suspicious permissions
- 🐛 Asks for passwords/history
Bugs and requests
Shortcuts (Quick Open)
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incompatible with latest iOS version
- Google Maps shortcut keeps crashing
- Can't add shortcuts to home screen
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to create custom app shortcuts
- Improve instructions and tutorials
- Integrate with more third-party apps
- Allow adding widgets to home screen
G App Launcher
Reported bugs
13 issues- Shortcut toggles not working on Sonoma
- Blank pop-up when clicking icon
- Extension freezes/lags
- Constant resets of shortcuts
- Extension disappears from Safari
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- Changes do not survive Safari restart
- Button to 'Quit and Open Safari Extensions' does nothing
- App asks for permissions repeatedly
- Two logos displayed in Safari
- Extension is greyed-out and nonfunctional on anything except a blank tab
- App doesn't redirect to correct area
- App keeps reloading by itself
- Shortcut behavior toggles do not seem to work
Requested features
4 requests- Open Google Doc directly into current tab
- Dark mode option
- Change/add custom icons for toolbar icon
- Access shortcuts without going through Safari
In-app purchases
Shortcuts (Quick Open)
- Upgrade$0.99
G App Launcher
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Shortcuts (Quick Open) free?
Is G App Launcher free?
Which has better reviews, Shortcuts (Quick Open) or G App Launcher?
Do Shortcuts (Quick Open) or G App Launcher have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shortcuts (Quick Open) or G App Launcher?
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