A television home screen should put the next useful app within a few remote presses, not bury it beneath promotional rows. The best Android TV launchers can reorganize shortcuts, simplify discovery, or foreground a personal library. Choosing one also means considering software restrictions, maintenance, privacy disclosures, and whether the household actually wants more customization or fewer decisions.
This guide compares seven genuine home screen launchers using developer documentation and current official listings. Projectivy leads the general recommendation, ATV Launcher Pro favors configurable app grids, and Dispatch serves Plex-heavy viewing. Older projects remain conditional picks rather than assumed equivalents. The comparison does not treat a sideloading utility, IPTV player, or phone launcher as a native television replacement.
Best Android TV Launchers: Quick Comparison
The opening comparison highlights five different home screen priorities rather than five interchangeable interfaces. Projectivy offers the general balance, ATV Launcher Pro emphasizes grids, Dispatch favors Plex, FLauncher provides open-source simplicity, and Primal adds profiles. Confirm maintenance, device support, and the actual purchase screen before choosing a launcher merely for its screenshots.
| Launcher | Best For | Cost Model | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projectivy Launcher | Balanced everyday replacement | Free; optional Premium | Visit Site |
| ATV Launcher Pro | Custom grids and widgets | $2.99 US listing | Visit Site |
| Dispatch | Existing Plex libraries | Free install; in-app purchases | Visit Site |
| FLauncher | Open-source simplicity | Free open-source project | Visit Site |
| Primal TV Launcher | Profiles and visual layouts | $4.99 US listing | Visit Site |
1) Projectivy Launcher
Projectivy Launcher organizes television apps and compatible content channels without the stock home screen’s advertising clutter. It offers extensive appearance controls, shortcuts, and optional Premium extras. I recommend it first for most households because it balances a usable starting layout with room to customize. Making it the Home destination still depends on the television’s software.
Features:
- Organized Categories: Group viewing, games, and utilities into categories, keeping frequently used applications easy to locate without filling every available screen position.
- Content Channels: Compatible application channels appear alongside shortcuts, preserving useful discovery rows while the household selects which supported sources deserve home screen space.
- Appearance Controls: Adjust spacing, backgrounds, and icons for viewing distance; advanced options depend on the installed version and the purchased Premium entitlement.
- Premium Backgrounds: Premium supports animated or video wallpapers; static artwork remains a sensible starting point when conserving a television’s limited processing resources.
- Device Shortcuts: Supported hardware exposes input and other device actions through shortcuts, but available integrations vary rather than giving every television identical controls.
- Layout Backup: I value backups because rebuilding arranged categories after a reset is tedious; confirm restoration behavior before relying on exported settings files.
- Optional Accessibility: Accessibility assists navigation and home redirection locally when enabled; its stated purpose does not establish the application’s overall data collection practices.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Useful app and content-channel organization | Home replacement varies with device software |
| Extensive appearance customization | Some visual features require Premium |
| Free core with optional Premium extras | |
| Backup options reduce layout rebuilding |
Pricing:
- Core launcher: Free to install from the official Google Play listing
- Premium: Optional one-time in-app purchase; confirm the localized amount before buying
- Entitlement: Developer guidance ties Premium restoration to the purchasing Google account
Link: https://projectivylauncher.com/
2) ATV Launcher Pro
ATV Launcher Pro suits viewers who want a configurable app grid rather than a media-heavy feed. Its current listing combines remote navigation, folders, tile layouts, wallpaper choices, and built-in widgets. I put it second for detailed app organization at a modest one-time price. System widgets and automatic Home redirection remain dependent on manufacturer restrictions.
Features:
- Remote Navigation: Directional-pad and game-controller support provide television-oriented access to apps and settings, while compatible Android hardware can also accept optional touch input.
- Flexible Grids: Editable rows, section styles, and tile arrangements prioritize readable shortcuts, making the layout practical for households with different preferences and viewing distances.
- Folders and Hiding: Folders and hidden-app controls reduce clutter; password-protected launcher areas discourage casual access without replacing account restrictions or operating-system parental controls.
- Built-In Widgets: Weather, clock, system information, and favorite-application widgets add glanceable information, with connectivity and configured locations affecting features needing current online data.
- Custom Wallpapers: Image and video backgrounds personalize the screen, although still artwork avoids unnecessary animation when the television already feels constrained by limited resources.
- Layout Restoration: I favor backup tools for customized grids, provided the exported configuration is retained safely before resets or other major television software changes.
- Home Redirect: Optional accessibility watches foreground apps and Home presses for redirection; operating-system policies can block this while leaving ordinary manual launcher use available.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Detailed grid and folder controls | Manufacturer limits may affect system widgets |
| One-time purchase rather than a subscription | Home Redirect is not universally supported |
| Useful built-in widget selection | |
| Supports remote and game-controller navigation |
Pricing:
- Pro purchase: $2.99 on the official US Google Play listing
- Payment model: One-time paid app; the listed price is not a monthly charge
- Local checkout: Google Play may display a different currency, tax treatment, or regional price
Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.dstudio.atvlauncher.pro
3) Dispatch
Dispatch takes a media-first approach, connecting an existing Plex library to a modern television feed instead of focusing only on app icons. Its listing includes movie, show, collection, and cast browsing. I rank it third for Plex-centered households, not as the default recommendation for everyone. It does not supply films, acquire shows, or replace streaming subscriptions.
Features:
- Plex Connection: An existing Plex library supplies displayed media, so usefulness depends on the reader’s server, configured accounts, library organization, and authorized content access.
- Unified Feed: A feed-based home screen puts personal media ahead of a plain app grid, creating another navigation model for households invested in Plex.
- Collection Browsing: Movie, show, and collection views explore established libraries by content grouping instead of repeatedly opening separate screens to locate the next title.
- Media Details: Cast, production-crew browsing, and media information add context to library items without supplying the underlying films or granting additional content playback rights.
- Watchlist Maintenance: Recent release notes address newer Plex API syncing, illustrating why connected features require ongoing maintenance whenever an external service changes integration behavior.
- Fit Before Purchase: I would assess navigation before buying upgrades, since a Plex feed offers limited advantage when viewing mainly happens inside unrelated streaming apps.
- Permission Choice: Optional accessibility supports remote actions and foreground-app redirection locally; the developer says ordinary use remains available without enabling that additional permission.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Designed around an existing Plex collection | Less compelling without a Plex library |
| Modern content-led television interface | Paid options need checking inside the app |
| Detailed movie and collection browsing | |
| Recent maintenance addresses Plex API changes |
Pricing:
- Installation: Free to install; Google Play lists in-app purchases
- Paid options: Check the current in-app offers and renewal terms on your own account
- Media access: Launcher installation does not include a Plex server, content purchases, or streaming subscriptions
Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spauldhaliwal.dispatch
4) FLauncher
FLauncher is an open-source, Flutter-based Android TV launcher with configurable categories, straightforward rows or grids, and support for opening sideloaded apps. I include it for readers who prefer a small, inspectable project over extensive visual extras. Its Google Play listing was last updated in April 2023, so current-device compatibility and ongoing maintenance deserve particular attention.
Features:
- Public Source: Source code and documentation are publicly inspectable, allowing technically interested readers to understand the implementation instead of trusting anonymous repackaged application downloads.
- Categories and Sorting: Custom categories and manual ordering create a purposeful homescreen, keeping essential viewing apps separate from utilities opened only during occasional television maintenance.
- Rows or Grids: Category presentations offer horizontal rows or denser grids, with the practical arrangement depending on screen size, viewing distance, and household remote preferences.
- Sideloaded App Access: Installed apps lacking a television entry can appear through the launcher, but opening them does not provide remote navigation for touch-oriented interfaces.
- Basic Utilities: Clock, navigation sounds, and Android settings or app-information shortcuts add convenience without building an elaborate connected-media discovery system around ordinary app access.
- Wallpaper Files: Personal backgrounds use the device’s file-selection workflow, so a compatible file picker may be needed before locally stored artwork becomes the wallpaper.
- Maintenance Caveat: I would retain the stock home screen while evaluating FLauncher, since older updates and early-development documentation cannot establish reliability on newer televisions.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free project with inspectable source | Store update history stops in April 2023 |
| Simple category and sorting controls | Older documentation limits compatibility assurance |
| No advertising in the launcher interface | |
| Can expose installed non-TV app shortcuts |
Pricing:
- Google Play: Free installation where available for the device
- Project repository: Free source code and project information
- Ongoing cost: No paid launcher plan advertised; third-party viewing services remain separate
Link: https://gitlab.com/flauncher/flauncher
5) Primal TV Launcher
Primal TV Launcher combines customizable home layouts with profiles, app tiles, wallpapers, and compatible Watch Next content. Its listing advertises no ads or in-app purchases. I place it fifth for shared televisions where separate launcher arrangements matter more than the simplest interface. Profile PINs protect launcher areas, not every route through Android or an installed app.
Features:
- Separate Profiles: Different profiles provide distinct app arrangements on a shared television, helping family members avoid repeatedly moving each other’s shortcuts or preferred settings.
- Custom Layouts: Editable layouts and tiles personalize the home screen beyond fixed rows, although extra options require more initial arrangement than a minimalist launcher.
- Watch Next Rows: Participating apps contribute Watch Next content; missing rows can reflect absent application integration rather than a fault in the installed launcher itself.
- Wallpaper Choices: Daily changing and custom wallpapers add variety, with online backgrounds requiring connectivity and personal static images providing a less network-dependent decoration option.
- Widget Support: Compatible widgets add home screen information, although operating-system and manufacturer restrictions determine which third-party widgets actually run on the selected television.
- PIN Boundaries: I treat profile and application PINs as convenience controls; other Android access paths still require stronger account restrictions and device-level parental settings.
- Optional Shortcuts: Optional accessibility detects remote presses for app shortcuts and recent-app actions, with the documented purpose distinct from any broad device-wide security guarantee.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Separate layouts for shared-TV profiles | More setup choices than minimalist launchers |
| Flexible tiles and wallpaper choices | PIN controls are not system-wide parental protection |
| No ads or in-app purchases advertised | |
| Compatible Watch Next content integration |
Pricing:
- App purchase: $4.99 on the official US Google Play listing
- Additional purchases: No in-app purchases advertised by the developer
- Regional amount: Confirm the final price and account eligibility in your local Play Store
Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dxidev.primaltvlauncher
6) Sideload Channel Launcher 4
Sideload Channel Launcher 4 provides custom tiles, profiles, widgets, wallpapers, and app organization for an Android TV home screen. I reserve it for readers who specifically want its shortcut-oriented customization rather than presenting it as a newer all-purpose winner. The official store shows a July 2023 update, making compatibility checks especially important before a paid installation.
Features:
- Shortcut Tiles: Custom tiles organize selected installed apps on the home screen without supplying channels, subscriptions, viewing rights, or the applications’ underlying media content.
- Profile Layouts: Profiles provide different home screen arrangements when several people want distinct shortcuts while sharing the same underlying Android television and installed applications.
- Background Styling: Custom wallpapers and animated GIFs personalize the screen, but animation remains optional when the main objective is simply clearer and faster app access.
- Clock and Widgets: Clock and widgets add information beside shortcuts, with third-party widget availability dependent on Android implementation and restrictions imposed by the television manufacturer.
- Image Selection: The developer’s revised image and icon selection avoids storage permission, although other application functions can still have separate requests for additional access.
- Admin Controls: I would protect arranged layouts with the admin PIN, not assume it prevents access through settings, another launcher, or separately installed applications.
- Remote Shortcuts: Optional accessibility detects presses for app launching and recent-app actions; enable it only when those conveniences justify additional access on the television.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Extensive custom tile presentation | Last listed update is July 2023 |
| Multiple launcher profiles | Older software may not suit newer TV restrictions |
| Wallpaper, clock, and widget options | |
| One-time app purchase with no ads advertised |
Pricing:
- App purchase: $4.49 on the official US Google Play listing
- Advertising: Developer advertises an ad-free launcher interface
- Purchase decision: Verify device eligibility and local price before committing to this older release
Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dxidev.sideloadchannel4
7) Emotn UI
Emotn UI emphasizes a simple app shortcut screen, wallpapers, screensavers, and weather rather than an extensive media library feed. I include it as a conditional visual option for readers comfortable checking an official developer download themselves. Its public page is less transparent about current maintenance and device compatibility, so it ranks behind the better-documented Play Store choices.
Features:
- Simple Shortcuts: An uncluttered shortcut layout aims to reduce interactions, offering an alternative for viewers who mainly want to open a few familiar installed applications.
- Online Wallpapers: High-resolution online backgrounds give the home screen visual emphasis, with availability dependent on a working internet connection and the developer’s wallpaper service.
- Personal Photos: Personal backgrounds and screensavers offer individual styling; only display photographs that household members are comfortable having visible on the shared television screen.
- Changing Backgrounds: Time-dependent changes add visual variety without moving shortcuts, but wallpaper novelty should remain secondary to legible icons and predictable everyday remote navigation.
- Weather Display: Weather adds glanceable information, with connectivity and location configuration affecting usefulness; inspect relevant permissions rather than assuming decorative functions have no data implications.
- Ad-Free Claim: I separate no-advertisement claims from a comprehensive privacy audit, because the public product page cannot establish every possible collection practice or network behavior.
- Download Verification: Check requirements on the recognized developer site before installation, avoiding similarly named stores or repackaged files whose authenticity cannot be reliably established.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Minimal app-shortcut presentation | Maintenance information is less transparent |
| Personal and online wallpaper options | Official download requires additional compatibility diligence |
| Weather and screensaver conveniences | |
| Developer advertises no launcher advertisements |
Pricing:
- Developer download: Offered on the official website; review the displayed terms before installation
- Paid plans: No clear paid-plan schedule established by the public product page
- Total cost: Separate streaming apps and services keep their own purchase or subscription requirements
Link: https://app.emotn.com/ui/
How We Ranked Android TV Home Screen Replacements
This ordering prioritizes a launcher’s documented purpose over screenshots alone. General household usability comes first, followed by remote-oriented organization, meaningful customization, recent maintenance, transparent payment models, and clear limitations. Specialized Plex browsing earns a different recommendation from a basic icon grid. These are source-based editorial judgments, not measured startup benchmarks or hands-on results across television models.
- Everyday fit: Projectivy earns the general recommendation; other positions reflect specialized needs rather than assuming every household wants the same home screen experience.
- Remote design: Navigation must suit sofa viewing; displaying a phone app does not automatically make its underlying interface workable with the television’s supplied remote.
- Maintenance signals: Recent updates strengthen maintenance confidence; FLauncher and Sideload Channel Launcher 4 receive caveats because their listings show noticeably older store releases.
- Cost clarity: Free installation, one-time prices, and optional purchases are separated, leaving unverified upgrade amounts to the reader’s account and current purchase screen.
- Permission boundaries: Accessibility and developer privacy declarations inform recommendations without becoming independent security testing or guarantees across different devices and future software versions.
Choose Between an App Grid and a Media Feed
Start with what makes the current home screen frustrating. Too many rows suggest a simpler grid, whereas repeated trips into a Plex library may justify a content feed. Separate family arrangements introduce another requirement: profiles. Resist paying for customization that will remain unused, and assess visibility from the normal seating position before selecting a denser tile layout.
- Few favorite apps: Large familiar shortcuts often solve navigation problems sooner than animations, content discovery, or nested folders that introduce several additional remote button presses.
- Large collections: Dispatch matters most when a Plex library supplies much of the household’s viewing, rather than when everything starts inside independent subscription services.
- Detailed organization: ATV Launcher Pro offers folders, editable rows, and widgets; those choices should remain comfortable to navigate from the sofa with the supplied remote.
- Shared television: Primal profiles maintain different arrangements, while account restrictions remain responsible for stronger parental safeguards and control of television purchases by younger viewers.
- Visual restraint: Keep wallpaper simple for readable shortcuts; add visual extras only when they improve navigation instead of distracting from the household’s chosen viewing apps.
Install a Launcher Without Breaking the Stock Home Screen
Installation and becoming the default home screen are different operations. An app may install successfully yet open only when selected from the stock interface. Android TV manufacturers and Google TV versions expose different controls, so use only options actually available on the device. Keeping the original launcher intact provides a familiar fallback when an update changes behavior.
- Check eligibility: Confirm support on the television’s official listing and account before purchasing or transferring an application downloaded for a different type of Android device.
- Open manually first: Try the app normally, checking shortcut visibility, Back navigation, and settings access with the supplied remote before changing any default Home behavior.
- Use supported settings: Use an available home-app chooser; a missing setting does not justify disabling protected system packages merely to force a different default launcher screen.
- Review optional access: Read accessibility purposes, leaving access disabled initially and enabling it only when a desired redirection or remote shortcut actually needs the added permission.
- Preserve a fallback: Avoid root changes, bypasses, or stock-launcher removal, retaining a familiar settings route when updates or incompatible behavior disrupt use of the alternate interface.
Why Home Buttons, Widgets, and App Rows Can Behave Differently
A launcher controls its own interface, not every rule enforced by the television. Home presses may still return to Google’s or the manufacturer’s screen, widgets may be restricted, and content rows depend on application integrations. Distinguish those boundaries from a broken installation before resetting anything. A simpler layout can remain useful even when automatic replacement is unavailable.
- Home returns elsewhere: Review settings and redirection options, recognizing that operating-system updates can restrict behavior that worked with the same installed launcher.
- Widgets are missing: Some televisions restrict system widgets; test built-in options before assuming every widget installed elsewhere on Android should appear on the home screen.
- Content rows are empty: Watch Next needs participating apps; missing integration cannot be created merely by rearranging shortcuts or choosing another visual theme for the launcher interface.
- Phone apps need touch: A shortcut only opens an app; choose native TV software when focus, text entry, or playback cannot be operated with the television’s remote.
- Browsing is separate: See our Android TV browser picks for web access; launchers cannot repair website navigation or protected video playback compatibility by changing the homescreen.
Read Launcher Privacy Claims Before Granting Extra Access
An ad-free interface describes what appears on the screen, not everything an application does. Store privacy panels are developer declarations, and a locally used accessibility feature does not settle the app’s broader collection practices. Background downloads, weather, and connected libraries can involve network activity. Inspect the current disclosures and request only the conveniences the household actually needs.
- Separate the claims: Projectivy and FLauncher store disclosures list possible collection; no advertising must never become an unsupported promise of zero data because screens look uncluttered.
- Understand accessibility: Review the remote actions or foreground events used, remembering optional access need not be enabled to evaluate the launcher’s ordinary interface.
- Check connected accounts: Verify destinations and requested library access before connecting Plex, and never enter existing credentials into an unfamiliar application claiming similar functionality.
- Limit decorative services: Weather and online backgrounds should justify permissions and connectivity; choose static local artwork when decorative services do not help the household’s intended home screen.
- Protect shared access: Launcher PINs protect profiles or layouts; device and streaming-account restrictions handle stronger boundaries for children, purchases, and sensitive content on a shared television.
Best Android TV Launchers: Final Verdict
Choose the interface that shortens the path to your own viewing, not the one with the busiest feature list. Projectivy is the most balanced recommendation, ATV Launcher Pro is the grid-focused purchase, and Dispatch is the Plex specialist. Keep the stock launcher available, verify device restrictions, and evaluate ordinary navigation before enabling optional permissions or committing to a paid upgrade.
- Projectivy Launcher: Best overall for configurable categories, compatible content channels, and a free starting point.
- ATV Launcher Pro: Best for app grids, folders, and widgets through a modest one-time purchase.
- Dispatch: Best for a content-led home screen built around an existing Plex library.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Android TV launcher for most people?
Projectivy Launcher is the strongest starting point here because it combines configurable app categories, compatible content channels, visual customization, and a free core. ATV Launcher Pro better suits grid-focused organization, while Dispatch is more specialized for an existing Plex library. Device-specific Home restrictions still apply.
Can these launchers replace the Google TV home screen?
Some devices provide a supported home-app setting or allow a launcher’s documented optional redirection feature; others retain the stock screen when Home is pressed. Installing a launcher does not guarantee default replacement. If replacement is blocked, open it manually and leave the original launcher enabled.
Which Android TV launchers are free?
Projectivy provides free core functionality with an optional Premium purchase, and FLauncher is a free open-source project. Dispatch installs free but lists in-app purchases. ATV Launcher Pro, Primal TV Launcher, and Sideload Channel Launcher 4 are paid apps; their regional checkout amounts may differ.
Will an Android TV launcher work on Fire TV, Roku, or LG webOS?
Do not assume it will. This comparison targets Android TV and Google TV; Fire TV has different platform restrictions, while Roku and LG webOS cannot install these Android launchers natively. Our streaming-device comparison explains the platform choices before purchasing hardware for Android applications.
Can a launcher make sideloaded phone apps work with a remote?
No. It may expose a missing shortcut and launch the installed app, but it cannot redesign touch gestures, add directional focus, or fix unsupported video playback. Android’s television design requirements concern the application itself. Prefer a native TV version when the phone interface needs a touchscreen.
Can Google TV Apps-only mode remove every advertisement?
No. Google’s built-in Apps-only mode reduces personalized recommendations without requiring another launcher, but sponsored content and promotional teasers can still appear. It also changes access to some features. Consider it before installing a replacement, but do not treat it as a guaranteed ad-free home screen.
