Comparison

NextDNS vs MinimalLauncher

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

NextDNS

Encrypt all your DNS queries across all networks with this app. It leverages native iOS settings to bring your custom blocking policies and traffic analytics directly to your phone. Easily set up your configuration ID to enhance your online privacy and security.

Highlights
  • Encrypts all DNS queries
  • Uses native iOS Encrypted DNS settings
  • Apply custom blocking policies
  • View traffic analytics and logs
  • Configure with your NextDNS account ID
Features
Read full description

NextDNS protects your device from ads, trackers, malware, and other harmful domains while keeping your internet activity private. All DNS traffic is encrypted, preventing networks and internet providers from seeing or manipulating your DNS queries. Protection across your device NextDNS works system-wide across apps and browsers. • Block ads and trackers automatically • Protect against malware, phishing, and malicious domains • Enable parental controls and content filtering • View analytics, query logs, graphs, and domain details in a native dashboard Easy setup Create your NextDNS profile in seconds or connect an existing one. Your configuration is managed at my.nextdns.io, where you control blocking rules, security settings, and privacy features. Control on iPhone and iPad The app lets you manage protection on your device: • Enable or disable NextDNS anytime • Temporarily pause protection and resume from a live activity • Optionally send your device name for easier identification in logs • Quickly unblock domains from the app • Exclude trusted Wi-Fi networks • Exclude specific domains and their subdomains so they use the system DNS resolver Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://nextdns.io/privacy

About

MinimalLauncher

This app offers a streamlined way to launch applications by displaying only their names, eliminating the need for icon grids and scrolling. It allows for extensive customization of app name appearance and offers advanced features like clipboard integration and URL scheme support.

Highlights
  • App names displayed instead of icons
  • Customizable app name colors
  • Insert line breaks and separators
  • Clipboard content display and URL setting
  • Change app icons
  • Home widget support
  • URL scheme support
Features
Read full description

MinimalLauncher is a minimal launcher app that displays only app names. There are many launcher apps available on the App Store, and most of them launch apps by tapping displayed icons. With those launcher apps, when you register many apps, the screen quickly becomes filled with icons, and in some cases you need to scroll in order to launch apps located at the bottom. Although the purpose of using a launcher app is to quickly launch apps, I personally found it bothersome that scrolling adds an extra step. With this in mind, I thought it would be nice to have a launcher app that can display a large number of apps on one screen by listing only app names, and so I created MinimalLauncher. The number varies depending on the device's screen size and the font size and spacing settings for app names, but it is possible to display around 100 apps on one screen. *Please note that before removing the limitation via an in-app purchase, the number of apps that can be registered is limited to 10. After checking the usability, you can make an in-app purchase to remove the limitation and register apps without restriction. *Please note that this app does not have a feature that automatically sets a URL scheme when you select an app. By using Apple's official "Shortcuts" app, you can launch apps that do not have a URL scheme or whose URL scheme is unknown. For details, please refer to the following URL: https://broad-connect.net/2020/03/01/minimallaunchershortcut/ ◆Main Features ・A set of three launchers-MainLauncher, LeftLauncher, and RightLauncher-that can be switched instantly by swiping left or right. ・Freely set the color of each app name (separate colors can be set for Light Mode and Dark Mode) ・Insert line breaks or separators at arbitrary positions ・Display clipboard contents (enter "_CLIP_" as the app name) ・Set URLs using clipboard contents (enter "_ENCCLIP_" in the URL; for example, if you set the URL to "http://www.google.com/search?q=_ENCCLIP_", you can search Google using the clipboard contents) ・Change app icons ・Home widget support (there are limitations described below; please note that these apply) ・URL scheme support   Launch: minimallauncher://   Add app: minimallauncher://add/?name=[Name]&url=[URL] *Please note that when using "_CLIP_" or "_ENCCLIP_", on iOS 16 and later, an alert related to pasting is displayed every time. This issue can be avoided by updating the OS to iOS 16.1 or later and changing the following settings in the Settings app. ①In the Settings app, select "MinimalLauncher" and then select "Paste from Other Apps". ②Change the setting to "Allow". *Please note that even after changing the setting to "Allow", notifications related to pasting will still be displayed. Due to iOS limitations, these notifications cannot be turned off. ◆Home Widget Limitations ・Since the home widget has a fixed size, it may not be able to display all registered apps.  In that case, please adjust the settings by reducing the font size in the MinimalLauncher app's settings screen or by moving apps you want to prioritize toward the top.  (If you tap the blank area of the home widget, the MinimalLauncher app itself will launch, so you can start apps that could not be displayed in the widget from there.) ・Due to iOS limitations, the home widget cannot access the clipboard.  Therefore, it does not support the feature that displays clipboard contents using "_CLIP_". ・Due to iOS limitations, the home widget cannot directly launch each registered app.  As a result, each registered app is launched after going through the MinimalLauncher app once. ・The launcher in the home widget is generated using a completely different mechanism from the launcher displayed in the MinimalLauncher app itself.  Please note that, as a result, the layout, fonts, and other aspects may not be 100% identical to those of the launcher displayed in the app itself.

Screenshots

NextDNS4 screens
MinimalLauncher3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NextDNS at 4.5 against MinimalLauncher's 1.0. NextDNS also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). MinimalLauncher's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NextDNS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and MinimalLauncher sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NextDNS holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NextDNS has 1.8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of NextDNS's written reviews are positive against 67% of MinimalLauncher's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NextDNS ships an update every 6 weeks, MinimalLauncher fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
NextDNS versus MinimalLauncher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNextDNSMinimalLauncher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.8K ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews63.1% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developernextdns Inc.Akihiro Usui

Customer experience

NextDNS

All ratings1,789 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews464 reviews
Positive63.1%
Neutral8.2%
Negative28.7%

MinimalLauncher

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

NextDNS

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch for older iOS devices
  • Profiles not working correctly after iOS 15 update
  • Inability to remove the DNS profile from the device
  • Connectivity issues when used in conjunction with a VPN

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a quick toggle to enable/disable the service
  • Integrate the web dashboard functionality into the app
  • Provide more granular control over blocked content
  • Implement a timed mode to temporarily disable the service
  • Add support for DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT)

MinimalLauncher

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

NextDNS

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$29.991 Year
4 purchases

MinimalLauncher

One-time4
  • Snack-Sized Tip$0.49
  • Restriction Removal$1.99
  • Coffee-Sized Tip$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Lunch-Sized Tip$3.99

Questions

Is NextDNS free?
NextDNS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MinimalLauncher free?
MinimalLauncher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NextDNS or MinimalLauncher?
NextDNS is rated higher. NextDNS averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while MinimalLauncher averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NextDNS or MinimalLauncher have ads?
MinimalLauncher shows ads; NextDNS does not.
Which is updated more often, NextDNS or MinimalLauncher?
NextDNS ships an update every 6 weeks, and MinimalLauncher fortnightly. Most recently, NextDNS was updated on September 23, 2026 and MinimalLauncher on September 25, 2026.

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