The best Android launchers

1. ACTION LAUNCHER

Action Launcher is a great option that mixes things up and changes the interface paradigm from what you'd expect in a "normal" launcher. There's no regular dock and app drawer, instead replacing it with a slide-in drawer to house your apps. You also get Shutters and Covers, which give you innovative ways to launch into folders and widgets with swipes — it's all about getting to your apps and content quicker.

The newest version, Action Launcher 3.5, takes things up to a new design that fits in with Android 5.0 Lollipop, and introduces a few new features as well. There's a free version of Action Launcher for everyone to try, with a pro upgrade costing just $4.99 — and after you figure out the time-saving features you'll want to unlock it.

It's fair to say that Action Launcher is one of our favorites as well as being one of the very bes

2. GOOGLE NOW LAUNCHER

The Google Now launcher is the obvious pick for anybody looking for a pure, clean Android experience. It comes right from Google (and is pre-installed onNexus phones), so you can shear away anything the manufacturer has loaded up in one install. Transitions are quick and clean, and there's nothing superfluous getting between you and your apps and widgets. Beyond that, the left-most home screen becomes Google Now, so you can launch into searches, view cards populated based on the time of day, your location, and general browsing habits, and execute all sorts of hands-free "OK Google" commands. The only real downside here is that you won't be able to enjoy the level of customization available on more robust launchers — you get what Google gives you here.

Use the Google Now launcher if you're looking for high stability and a consistent Android experience. Pair it with the Google Keyboard for the full experience.

Google Now Launcher is, along with Action Launcher, our other favorite Android launcher.

3. NOVA LAUNCHER

Nova is a massively popular launcher that offers a whole bunch of animation options, folder views, and desktop behaviors. If you shell out $4.00 for the premium upgrade you can program gestures to perform certain actions, and fully customize unread badges including corner radius, border, background and text color. One particularly cool addition is swipe actions, which allow app icons to act as a folder with a swipe, or a standard app launch with a tap. If that's not enough, you can always explore the wide world of Nova-compatible themes in Google Play to dramatically change the look and feel of your Android device. You'll even find some Android 5.0-style options tucked away in Nova.

Nova is a highly functional launcher that can be as subtle or as loud as you like, making it completely unique if you spend the time.

4. AVIATE

Aviate builds collections of your apps based on different types of activities. You can, of course, tweak those collections manually as well, and Aviate can offer suggestions to fill in collections. Aviate figures out where you are and what time of day it is, and serves up relevant collections in custom-built interfaces called Spaces so you can better handle those activities. For example, if you plug in your headphones, it offers you quick access to media controls and your favorite music apps. Hit the road, and you'll be offered shortcuts to navigation home and to the office.

Aviate excels for having a high amount of polish and requires minimal maintenance, even though you might lose out on some customizability. .