
The free version of Nova Launcher is great for getting your feet wet and seeing what Nova is all about without spending any money. More scroll effects: Different transitions between homescreen pages.Icon swiping: Execute specific commands by swiping on an app icon rather than tapping it.Great for passive apps that run in the background and are never launched directly. Hidden apps: The ability to prevent apps from showing up in the app tray.Custom drawer groups: Folders or tabs within the app drawer.Unread Counts (requires the TeslaUnread Plugin): See how many pending emails, SMS messages, Facebook notifications, and more you have waiting.Gestures: Execute certain commands or other actions with a simple swipe or pinch.While the free version is good for simply replacing your current launcher, Nova Prime unlocks the full potential the launcher has to offer, with a handful of features that aren’t available in the free version: There are two different versions of Nova Launcher available: free and Prime (which is $4.99). That makes Nova the perfect launcher for everyone–from the novice user looking to get a little more pep out of their handset to the most advanced tweakers. Not only that, but it gives you the ability to tweak almost everything about the home screen experience. Nova Launcher is generally considered to not only be the most feature-rich of all the custom launchers out there, but also the fastest. The quickest and easiest way to have a better (and more stock-like) Android experience if the manufacturer’s launcher is giving you issues is with a custom launcher. While many of the popular manufacturers-like Samsung, LG, and HTC-include very robust launchers on their handsets, they can also be very resource-heavy, and sometimes even sluggish.


The launcher-which manages your home screen and app drawer-has come a long way since the early days of Android, and has transitioned from a basic home screen into a sort of dashboard for the entire Android experience. RELATED: What Custom Android Launchers Are and Why You Might Want to Use One
