Comparisons

Cling vs Alfred

Updated 2026-08-05 · 5 min read

Alfred has found files on Macs for over a decade. It finds exactly the files Spotlight knows about — which is the catch.

Alfred's file search

Alfred queries Spotlight's metadata index, with its own syntax on top — open, find, and the file buffer. It is fast, mature and deeply customisable through workflows.

Because it reads Spotlight's index, its coverage is Spotlight's coverage. When Spotlight has not indexed something, Alfred cannot find it, and the failure looks like Alfred's.

Cling's file search

Its own binary index of the whole filesystem, updated live, fuzzy-matched. It covers system files, hidden files and dotfiles, which Spotlight deliberately omits.

Which problem do you have

"I want to launch things and run workflows faster." Alfred, and it is not close. Powerpack workflows are a category of their own and no file indexer competes.

"Search cannot find a file I am looking at in Finder." That is a coverage problem, and no amount of Alfred configuration fixes it, because the gap is in the index underneath. You need a tool with its own index.

Running both

This is what most people who care end up doing, and it is the right answer. Alfred for launching and workflows; a filename index for the searches Spotlight fails. They do not overlap enough to feel redundant.

Cling has a Raycast extension but, at time of writing, the tidiest route from Alfred to a separate index is a workflow you write yourself. If you want an indexed finder that runs on macOS 13 and can also search inside documents, that is where Everywhere fits — ours, and priced higher at $19.

The uncomfortable part

If Spotlight's index is broken rather than merely exclusionary, none of these fix it. Rebuilding it is still the answer, and it is worth trying before buying anything.

Common questions

Does Alfred use Spotlight to find files?

Yes. Alfred queries Spotlight's metadata index, so its coverage matches Spotlight's, including the exclusions.

Will Cling replace Alfred?

No. Alfred is a launcher with workflows; Cling is a file index. They solve different problems and coexist well.

Why can Alfred not find files in ~/Library?

Spotlight excludes ~/Library from its index, and Alfred reads that index. A tool with its own index is the only way to search there.