Alfred finds files through Spotlight, so whether external drives and NAS are searchable depends on it. Locseek covers more: files are searchable everywhere.
Alfred is the first app many people install on a Mac: open apps, search the web, reach the clipboard, all from one input bar.
It can find files too, but it relies on the system index. If a file is on an external drive or a NAS, whether it turns up depends on whether Spotlight has indexed it. If it doesn't, you switch tools and search again.
Locseek saves you that second search: your whole Mac, external drives, USB sticks and NAS in one list.
Illustration: three files with "contract" in the name, on the internal disk, an external drive and a NAS. Sources below.
Where Spotlight has not indexed, Alfred cannot search either.
SourceAlfred's indexing troubleshooting page says it relies on the same metadata as Spotlight; a file type unticked in Spotlight cannot be found in Alfred either.
Plug a drive in and you still wait for Spotlight to finish indexing it. Whether a network drive such as a NAS is searchable, its documentation does not say.
SourceAn article on search results on Alfred's website says Spotlight must index the drive first.
Your whole Mac, external drives, USB sticks, NAS: add one once and its names are recorded. Unplug the drive and the names stay, so you know which drive a file is on.
SourceLocseek does not depend on Spotlight's index. Pro supports the whole startup disk, any folder, external drives and USB sticks, NAS and network shares; index size is verified up to 5 million entries in an internal benchmark.
"5.5 ms" and "about 1 second" come from an internal test of version 1.6.0 on an Intel MacBook Pro 2018: 30 minutes, 1,800 create, rename and delete operations. The first is the time of the query itself, the second the time from a file change to it being searchable. Both vary with hardware and file count. How each number was measured →
| Locseek | Alfred | |
|---|---|---|
| What it searches | File and folder names only; never file contents | Apps, files, web, clipboard, snippets, workflows |
| Where results come from | Its own name index, updated as files change | The system metadata Spotlight uses |
| External drives, USB sticks, NAS | ✓ Add once and search; names stay searchable after unplugging (Pro) | External drives must be indexed by Spotlight first; network volumes not covered in its documentation |
| Internet connection | None; no account | Goes online to activate a licence and check for updates |
| Price | Free tier; Pro yearly or one-time | Core features free; Powerpack is paid |
Written by the developer of Locseek. Facts about Alfred come from the Alfred website, its File Search help page, its indexing troubleshooting page, its terms and privacy policy and its About page, checked 10 November 2026. We have not timed the two side by side, so this page makes no speed ranking. Alfred is a product of Running with Crayons Ltd; Locseek is not affiliated with it.
Yes. Alfred handles launching and shortcuts; Locseek finds files by name. Just give them different global hotkeys.
Alfred's website says an external drive has to be indexed by Spotlight first. Network volumes are not covered in its documentation. Locseek Pro builds its own name index for each location you add and does not depend on Spotlight.
No. Locseek searches file and folder names only. Leave the rest to Alfred.
Faster · More precise · Covers more · Easier · Safer
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