Pivit vs PowerToys Run
PowerToys Run is the launcher most Windows users meet first, because it arrives inside a Microsoft utility suite they already trust. Microsoft has since reworked it into Command Palette, with a new design and an in-app extension gallery.
It is free, open source, and good at what it does. The question is not whether it is worth using — it is whether your launcher should also understand what is on your screen, and whether you want the launcher, the window manager and everything else to be separate utilities you assemble.
At a glance
| Feature | Pivit | PowerToys Run |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Built for Windows 10 and 11 | Windows only |
| Pricing | Free forever, Pro £8/month with AI included | Free and open source |
| AI | Included on Pro — 70+ models, no API key, no add-on | No built-in chat; separate PowerToys tools can use your own key |
| App and screen context | Reads your current app, screen, clipboard and media | Not offered |
| Extensions | Plugin SDK with typed commands and settings | Extension gallery, added in 2026 |
| Gesture launcher | Pivit Wheel — hold, flick, release | Not offered |
| Window management | Free, in the same app | FancyZones, a separate utility the palette can trigger |
| Cloud sync | On Pro | Not offered |
| Source | Closed source | Open source, MIT licensed |
Comparison last checked 21 July 2026. PowerToys Run is a product of its respective owner and its features change often — check their site for the current state.
Where Pivit is stronger
- AI chat that reads your current app, screen, clipboard and media, then acts on it — PowerToys has no equivalent
- One app instead of several: launcher, window management, calculator, search and system controls in the same place
- The Pivit Wheel, a gesture launcher for the commands you run dozens of times a day
- Cloud sync, so a second machine matches the first without exporting config files
- Settings and themes designed as one product rather than per-utility
Where PowerToys Run is stronger
- Free, open source and maintained by Microsoft
- No account and no subscription, which matters on locked-down work machines
- Arrives alongside a suite of other genuinely useful Windows utilities
Which should you pick?
Choose Pivit if: You want the launcher to be one finished product — and the place you ask questions about what you are working on, not just a faster way to open Notepad.
Choose PowerToys Run if: You want something free, open source and Microsoft-maintained, you are happy running several utilities side by side, and you have no interest in AI inside your launcher.
Common questions
Command Palette is Microsoft's reworked version of PowerToys Run, with a new interface and, since 2026, a built-in extension gallery. It plays the same role in the PowerToys suite.
For most of what a launcher does, yes. Pivit's Basic plan is free forever and covers the launcher, calculator, window management, web search, system controls and all eight themes. Only AI chat and cloud sync need Pro. PowerToys is free in full, and open source.
Command Palette has no built-in AI chat. Other tools in the PowerToys suite can call an AI service if you supply your own key, but that is a separate utility rather than something you can ask about the window in front of you.
Yes. They coexist fine as long as they do not share a hotkey. PowerToys Run defaults to Alt + Space, so pick something else for Pivit if you keep both.
For everyday snapping and window arrangement, Pivit's window management covers the same ground from the command bar. FancyZones goes deeper on custom zone layouts.
Try Pivit on Windows
Free on Windows 10 and 11. The launcher, calculator, window management and themes cost nothing.