Everything vs Catfish

Everything9.3Visit CCatfish8.6Visit

Higher score Everything #1 in Desktop Search Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Everything

vs

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

• Everything fits best

  Free instant filename search on Windows

• Catfish fits best

  Simple free full-text search on Linux

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Side by side

Feature	Everything 9.3/10 Visit ↗	CCatfish 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Desktop Search Software	#5 in Desktop Search Software
Best for	Free instant filename search on Windows	Simple free full-text search on Linux
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows	Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Docs
Features Everything 1/4 · Catfish 1/4
Content search	✓	✓
Email search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Message search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
OCR search	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	windows	linux
Index locations	local, removable, network	local, network
Indexed-item limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Instant filename and path search with operators, wildcards, and regex Indexes local, removable, and network folders Finds duplicates and exports results to CSV, TXT, or EFU	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
Cons	Windows-only platform limits cross-platform use Content search is narrower than filename and path search No AI features for semantic or assisted search	Platform support is focused on Linux Integration coverage centers on Zeitgeist, locate, and mlocate Designed for filesystem search rather than broader desktop content search
Our verdict	Everything is a Windows desktop file-search utility from voidtools PTY LTD. It indexes file and folder names for instant searching, making it a strong fit for anyone who needs to locate files by filename, path, folder name, or property… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Everything — where it wins

  • Instant filename and path search with operators, wildcards, and regex
  • Indexes local, removable, and network folders
  • Finds duplicates and exports results to CSV, TXT, or EFU

  Where it doesn't

  • Windows-only platform limits cross-platform use
  • Content search is narrower than filename and path search
  • No AI features for semantic or assisted search

• 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

• Everything9.3/10 · Free plan

  A free Windows search utility for instant filename and path discovery.

  Visit EverythingFull verdict →
• CCatfish8.6/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit CatfishFull verdict →