Catfish vs Lookeen

CCatfish8.6Visit Lookeen8.1Visit

Higher score C Catfish #5 in Desktop Search Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Catfish

vs

Lookeen #8 in Desktop Search Software 8.1/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Lookeen

• Catfish fits best

  Simple free full-text search on Linux

• Lookeen fits best

  Business Outlook and Exchange search

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Side by side

Feature	CCatfish 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Lookeen 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.1
Ranking	#5 in Desktop Search Software	#8 in Desktop Search Software
Best for	Simple free full-text search on Linux	Business Outlook and Exchange search
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	€9/user/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Desktop	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Linux	Web, Windows
Support	Docs	Email, Phone, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	3 integrations	7 integrations
Features Catfish 1/4 · Lookeen 3/4
Content search	✓	✓
Email search	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Message search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
OCR search	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Supported platforms	linux	web, windows
Index locations	local, network	local, removable, network
Indexed-item limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Searches filenames, paths, and file contents Filters by file type, modification date, hidden files, and exact matches Free and open source with list, thumbnail, index, and command-line options	Indexes local, external, and network drives Searches Outlook, Exchange, attachments, and public folders Adds OCR, filters, previews, saved queries, and AI summaries
Cons	Platform support is focused on Linux Integration coverage centers on Zeitgeist, locate, and mlocate Designed for filesystem search rather than broader desktop content search	No permanent free plan; the trial lasts 14 days Desktop support is focused on Windows, with web access Server pricing is custom-priced rather than a fixed per-user tier
Our verdict	Catfish is a lightweight desktop file-search utility for Linux and Unix systems, with a GTK-based interface suited to users who want a straightforward way to find files. It searches filenames and paths, and can search inside file contents… Read the review →	Lookeen is desktop and enterprise search software for Windows users and organizations that need one search layer across files, email, Outlook data, Exchange folders, and network locations. It indexes local, external, removable, and network… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Catfish — where it wins

  • Searches filenames, paths, and file contents
  • Filters by file type, modification date, hidden files, and exact matches
  • Free and open source with list, thumbnail, index, and command-line options

  Where it doesn't

  • Platform support is focused on Linux
  • Integration coverage centers on Zeitgeist, locate, and mlocate
  • Designed for filesystem search rather than broader desktop content search

• Lookeen — where it wins

  • Indexes local, external, and network drives
  • Searches Outlook, Exchange, attachments, and public folders
  • Adds OCR, filters, previews, saved queries, and AI summaries

  Where it doesn't

  • No permanent free plan; the trial lasts 14 days
  • Desktop support is focused on Windows, with web access
  • Server pricing is custom-priced rather than a fixed per-user tier

• CCatfish8.6/10 · Free plan

  A capable free search utility for Linux users who want simple local and network file discovery.

  Visit CatfishFull verdict →
• Lookeen8.1/10 · 14-day trial

  A Windows-focused search layer for Outlook, Exchange, files, and network data.

  Visit LookeenFull verdict →