Desktop Search Software Review
We spend a lot of time removing bloatware from new PCs. Most systems–even when marketed toward corporate users–include programs that net the PC vendor some cash at the expense of your new box’s performance. One of the first apps to go? Google Desktop.
If you’re wondering why, given Google’s dominant web search, the answer is easy: performance. No desktop search tool can index your system without slowing you down. It may not be a massive drag, but it’s there. And when you combine it with antivirus software and other apps, the effect can be quite noticeable.
A number of the major search vendors offer a free desktop client that indexes your drive and allows you to search your email and document content. The content indexing is important. It’s an improvement over older OS-integrated search tool which were designed to just find files.
If you have a significant number of local documents or email, you may want need help finding things. Luckily, Windows 7 and Mac users have integrated search tools that are quite effective (Vista did too albeit in a slightly clunkier form). If you are a PC users, say with Windows XP, and you think you need desktop search software, read on. If you’re a Mac user, Mac’s built-in Spotlight is your best option (unless you really need Google Desktop for Mac’s extra tools).
One thing to note are the security concerns. You may end up with one big searchable database of everything you do, depending on what you index.
Here are some results from our testing:
Exalead one:desktop
After several weeks of use, this tool from the French search engine maker proved quite solid. It’s search results are informative and customizable. It’s also proved to be light enough that you could leave it on without much impact on system resources. If you have a slower system, things could bog down a bit while it’s indexing though. One thing we didn’t like: the results are displayed in your web browser. It was distracting and the lag was mildly annoying.
Windows Search 4.0
Believe it or not, Microsoft did OK with this one. It’s odd when “OK” puts a product in the runner-up position. It can suck up your system’s resources even when not indexing, but it’s speedy enough in use. It’s results are decent and its integration is useful for Microsoft Office 2007/2010 users. I contemplated keeping it, but preferred the ability to easily quit out of Exalead. Also, it did not find some text with certain file types (even though it was supposed to have indexed them).
Copernic Desktop Search
A long-time favorite of many, this software is quick to launch and has some strong design features. It’s relatively easy on resources and customizable, however, its indexing results sometimes inexplicably missed certain content. One more drawback, it now displays ads in its results window. Not huge, but creepy. A decent tool if you are mostly concerned with speed and ease of use.
X1 Professional Desktop
A really strong, established product. It worked very well. It’s just hard to part with $50 for desktop search (put that money towards a Windows 7 Upgrade). After buying X1, Yahoo has gone back and forth from a free to a paid model. They seem to be focusing more on enterprise network search products now. It’s a 30-day trial. I mention them because of the strength of the software. If it was free, it would easily be my first choice. Their enterprise search tools may appeal to you if you’re a corporate user.
It’s results are decent and if you use GMail, it’s integration is absolutely essential. Three problem: it does not fare well when it comes to resource usage, it’s insistent on searching everything and it doesn’t appear to uninstall well. I’ve read reviews where they don’t even mention the performance issue, which is sad. It will slow your system down–sometimes unmercifully–and that’s why it’s last on our list.
Of course, others like the search tool from Ask, didn’t make the cut.
3 Responses to “Desktop Search Software Review”
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Thanks for the review. Exactly what I was looking for.
Nice review, and I agree in principle, but in my opinion, a very powerful search tool is missed in your summing-up: lookeen!!
lookeen is precise, fast and needs low system resources! lookeen is an outlook plug-in and therefore, it’s very qualified for outlook search. but it’s very good in desktop search too, of course.
Anyway, I’ve made just positive experience with lookeen.
http://www.lookeen.net (link to publisher, for interested people)
I use GetMail from http://www.searchterrain.com . It searches for Outlook emails very fast. It is uncomplicated to use.