Best Alfred Workflows for Mac: Gallery on 5.8
Alfred’s real power on macOS is not the launcher. It is workflows. With a Powerpack license you chain triggers, actions, and scripts into custom commands: rename files, jump a GitHub repo, convert units, flip Dark Mode. This is the 2026 shortlist of Alfred workflows for Mac, installed from the official Gallery wherever a Gallery page exists.
Two facts before the list. Powerpack is £34 (single) or £59 (Mega Supporter, lifetime upgrades), re-checked on the Alfred shop 2026-10-17. The shop title is still “Buy the Alfred 5 Powerpack.” Workflows themselves are free. The base Alfred app without Powerpack cannot run them. Alfred 5.8 (2026-09-11) is the build that runs this Gallery on macOS 27 Golden Gate. A Powerpack bought in 2026, and every Mega or Legendary license, includes a free upgrade to Alfred 6. The v6 page still says “This Autumn” (checked 2026-10-17). Six is not the download yet.
This page is the workflow gallery. The replacement field is Alfred alternatives for Mac. The two-launcher duel is Raycast vs Alfred. The first-person swap story is I Replaced Spotlight, Alfred, and Siri.
TL;DR
| Job | Install |
|---|---|
| Math, units, currency | Calculate Anything (GitHub) or the Gallery Unit Converter + Currency Converter |
| Find other workflows | Workflow Finder |
| GitHub repos / PRs | GitHub (2,916 stars, pushed 2026-10-03) |
| Menu bar commands | Menu Bar Search |
| VS Code / Cursor projects | VSCode Workspace Explorer |
| Skip workflows entirely | Dottie (Apple Silicon agent, 134 tools) |
How to install Alfred workflows on Mac in 2026
The official source is the Alfred Gallery. Search, then Install in Alfred. Gallery workflows update from Alfred Preferences. The Gallery workflow itself searches the catalog from the bar.
Packal is still up. It is no longer the place the Alfred team points to. Prefer Gallery. GitHub remains valid when a workflow has no Gallery page, which is the case for Calculate Anything (last GitHub push 2024-02-20, 600 stars, api.github.com 2026-10-17) and the GitHub workflow.
You need Powerpack. Full license types: alfredapp.com/help/powerpack/license-types.
Alfred 5.8 on macOS 27, and the Alfred 6 upgrade
Alfred 5.8 shipped 2026-09-11, ahead of macOS 27 Golden Gate, which that post says was announced for 2026-09-14. Alfred says they ran Golden Gate through the beta and validated Alfred 5, so Gallery workflows you already installed keep working. Update from the Preferences Update tab or alfredapp.com. Alfred 6 is a separate autumn release. It is not required for Golden Gate. Launcher field, not the workflow list: Alfred alternatives for Mac.
On 2026-10-02 Alfred posted a first sneak peek that points at alfredapp.com/v6. The new piece for this page is Alfred UI: a fully macOS-native toolkit for workflows. The examples they built with it are Launchpad, Brain, Text Transform, and an SF Symbols browser. Brain is optional AI. You choose the LLM and use your own API key. The same page says the DMG is under 6 MB and the app runs private and local. That build is not on the download button. The shop still sells Alfred 5. More sneak peeks are promised. Do not wait on 6 to install the Gallery list below.
If you buy a Powerpack in 2026, you get Alfred 5 now and a free Alfred 6 upgrade when it launches. Mega Supporter and Legendary licenses get the same free upgrade. Preferences migrate from 5 to 6.
Before a clean macOS 27 install, run the Gallery Backup Preferences workflow. Keyword start backup loads a launchd agent and keeps a configurable number of daily copies. Restore with restore backup (Alfred restarts). That is the workflow the 5.8 release notes point at.
Snippets and workflows also gained new Dynamic Placeholders on 2026-09-21. Five content types, on top of the earlier date and time placeholders:
| Placeholder | What it inserts |
|---|---|
{clipboard} / {clipboard:3} | Current clipboard, or an older clipboard item |
{snippet:keyword} | Another snippet, nested |
{random:Andrew, Vero} / {random:1..100} / {random:UUID} | A list pick, a number, or a UUID |
{cursor} | Moves the caret after the snippet expands |
{query} | The argument the previous workflow object passed |
Placeholders inside a workflow
Those placeholders also run inside a workflow, not only a saved snippet. Alfred’s 29 September 2026 guide builds one snippet at runtime. The objects, in order:
- A Snippet Trigger on the keyword
hello. - A Keyword Input with an empty keyword and Argument required, so Alfred asks for free text (the guide uses a new member’s name).
- An Argument and Variables utility that stores that text.
- A List Filter for a fixed choice (the guide uses a membership type).
- A Copy to Clipboard output that pastes the expanded snippet into the frontmost Mac app.
That is still a graph you design once. It does not pick the steps from a sentence. ChatGPT Desktop is the other wrong tool for this job: it chats, and Work clicks the GUI. The native split is Dottie vs ChatGPT Desktop on Mac.
Workflow vs agent (so you pick the right tool)
Workflows are deterministic. Same keyword, same steps. You built the graph. That is why they feel instant and why they break when an app path changes.
Agents pick tools from a sentence. Dottie is a native Mac AI agent (Apple Silicon, macOS 15.4+) with 134 system tools. You say “rename every PDF on the Desktop with today’s date.” You do not wire a File Action. Cumulative downloads 1,634 (api.dottie.ai, 2026-10-17). Latest desktop 2026.9.14. Why that agent has no client fee: Why I Made My Mac AI Assistant Free Forever. If the job is one native window for many chat models, pay once, that is BoltAI vs Dottie (Essential $79 / Pro $99 / Pro+ $199, Cloud Sync 512MB / 1GB / 5GB, boltai.com/pricing 2026-10-11). BoltAI will not file the PDFs. If the job is a wake word rather than a keyword, that is Siri alternative for Mac. Siri AI shipped with macOS 27 on 2026-09-14. It is not on Tahoe.
Typing what you say is a third job. A workflow does not do that, and neither does an agent unless you asked it to type. The Mac dictation shortlist (Apple Dictation, Superwhisper, Wispr Flow, MacWhisper) is best AI dictation apps for Mac. MacWhisper Pro is €64 once on that vendor’s site (2026-10-03). Superwhisper’s offline models are the Apple Silicon path.
Keep Alfred for keywords you fire twenty times a day. Use Dottie for ad-hoc Mac work you will not productize. They do not conflict. First 10 minutes: Getting Started with Dottie on Mac. What the agent is: What Is Dottie Desktop.
Three model paths if you try Dottie:
| Path | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local (MLX / Ollama) | Privacy, offline, zero API cost | Open weights on Apple Silicon |
| BYOK | You already pay OpenAI / Anthropic / xAI / Cerebras | Your key, provider ToS |
| Dottie Pro ($20/mo) | Managed models without key plumbing | Same email as desktop register |
Productivity
1. Calculate Anything
The one most people install first. Type math, unit conversions, currency, dates, percentages, and crypto into the bar. Replaces a calculator, a conversion site, and a timezone lookup for a lot of queries.
Install: github.com/biati-digital/alfred-calculate-anything (600 stars; last push 2024-02-20; api.github.com 2026-10-03). Not in the Gallery as of that check.
Gallery stand-ins if you want first-party updates: Unit Converter and Currency Converter, both by the Alfred team.
2. Workflow Finder
Search and jump to workflows you already installed. Essential after you pass about ten.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/mayjunejuly/workflow-finder
Creator tools sit next to it: Workflow Actions (Alfred team) searches installed workflows by recently edited.
3. Menu Bar Search
Fuzzy-search the menu bar of the front Mac app. Faster than hunting a buried command when you know it exists.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/benziahamed/menu-bar-search
4. Strong Password / Password Generator
Generate a password from the bar instead of opening a manager for a throwaway account. Prefer a manager for anything you will reuse.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/vitor/strong-password or fedecalendino/password-generator. 1Password users: Alfred’s 1Password workflow.
Developer
5. GitHub
Search repos, issues, and pull requests from the launcher. Open in Finder, browser, or Terminal.
Install: github.com/gharlan/alfred-github-workflow (2,916 stars, pushed 2026-10-03; api.github.com, 2026-10-17). That day’s commits point “my pulls/issues created” at the matching dashboard tab, and open /issues/assigned and /pulls/authored directly (#170, #168). Gallery-adjacent: Gitfred.
6. VSCode Workspace Explorer
Lists VS Code workspaces and recent folders; opens the one you pick. Same idea works if you live in Cursor.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/acidham/vscode-workspace-explorer
7. Run Command
Run a shell command without opening Terminal. Quick git, npm, and Homebrew one-liners.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/vitor/run-command. Homebrew search: chrisgrieser/homebrew-search.
8. Color Picker
Pick a color from screen, get hex / RGB / HSL.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/zeitlings/color-picker
Search and reference
9. World Clock
City times without a separate menubar clock app.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/fedecalendino/world-clock
10. UTF / Unicode Search
Search and copy Unicode symbols, emoji-adjacent characters, and math.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/adamkiss/utf-search. Companion: What Unicode Character Is This.
11. Dash
Search Dash docs from the bar. If you already pay for Dash, this is the integration.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/kapeli/dash
System
12. Switch Appearance
Flip macOS light/dark appearance from a keyword.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/alfredapp/switch-appearance (Alfred team).
13. Clipboard History Extender
Alfred’s built-in clipboard history is a Powerpack feature. The Gallery extender adds filters and extras on top.
Install: alfred.app/workflows/alfredapp/clipboard-history-extender. Snippets: Rich Snippets.
14. Watch List
Queue local files, folders, and streams; play them from the bar. Needs ffmpeg and yt-dlp (Alfred can prompt Homebrew).
Install: alfred.app/workflows/vitor/watch-list
AI
15. Do not bolt ChatGPT onto Alfred first
Community “ask ChatGPT from the bar” workflows exist. They need an API key and they return text. That is not Mac automation.
If the reason you opened this page is “I want AI in my launcher,” try Raycast AI (from $8/mo, keyboard-only) or Dottie if the job is actually doing things on the Mac. Head-to-head: Raycast AI vs Dottie. Open weights on Apple Silicon, separate from a chat workflow: run local AI models on Mac. GitHub Latest is Ollama 0.40.6 (published 2026-10-16). The notes cover a Windows runner fix, GGUF q2_0, Clef in Ollama’s cloud, and --ask question keys. They do not add an Apple Silicon tok/s figure. MLX-by-default is still 0.40.0. If the comparison you wanted was ChatGPT Desktop versus a native Mac agent, that page is Dottie vs ChatGPT Desktop.
Where to find more
- Alfred Gallery: official catalog, signed/notarized binaries, in-app updates
- Alfred Forum: where new workflows get tested before Gallery
- GitHub: still the home for Calculate Anything and the GitHub workflow
- Packal: legacy directory; use only if Gallery has no match
Vítor’s old monorepo (vitorgalvao/alfred-workflows, 2,394 stars, archived, last push 2025-06-17, api.github.com 2026-10-17) is deprecated. Current workflows live on alfred.app/workflows/vitor or the Alfred team page.
Natural language instead of workflows
Every new capability in Alfred is a workflow you find, install, and memorize. That is the right model for a command you fire all day. It is the wrong model for a one-off Finder job.
Dottie takes the other path. Instead of gh myrepo, you say “open my dottie-landing repo.” Instead of a timezone workflow, you ask “what time is it in Tokyo?” Instead of a VS Code picker, “open the dottie project in VS Code.”
What Alfred does with workflows, Dottie does with 134 built-in tools and natural language: files, apps, System Settings-adjacent actions, Safari, calendar, Mail, clipboard, voice with a wake word.
The honest split: Alfred (and Raycast scripts) are deterministic. Dottie is probabilistic. Keep the keyword for sequences that must fire identically. Use the agent for variable inputs. They run side by side. Product definition: What Is Dottie Desktop. Broader field: Alfred alternatives, Raycast alternatives, Keyboard Maestro alternatives. If the search was Microsoft Copilot rather than an Alfred workflow, that page is Copilot alternatives for Mac: Cowork stays in Microsoft 365, and the Mac app does not call Finder.
Which Alfred workflows should you install first?
If you just bought Powerpack, start with four:
- Calculate Anything (or the two official converters)
- Workflow Finder
- GitHub if you are a developer
- Menu Bar Search
Everything else waits until you hit a job you wish you had.
Related posts
- Alfred alternatives for Mac
- Raycast vs Alfred on Mac
- Run local AI models on Mac: Ollama 0.40.6 on Apple Silicon
- Dottie vs ChatGPT Desktop on Mac: chat app vs native agent, not a workflow
- BoltAI vs Dottie: pay-once multi-model chat, not a workflow and not Finder
- Best AI dictation apps for Mac: type a paragraph, do not build a workflow
- Siri alternative for Mac: wake word vs a closed command set
- I Replaced Spotlight, Alfred, and Siri
- Getting Started with Dottie on Mac
- Why I Made My Mac AI Assistant Free Forever: why the agent has no client fee
- What Is Dottie Desktop
- Keyboard Maestro alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Alfred workflows for Mac in 2026?
Start with Calculate Anything (math, units, currency), Workflow Finder, the GitHub workflow, Menu Bar Search, and VSCode Workspace Explorer. Install from the official Alfred Gallery at alfred.app when a Gallery page exists. Calculate Anything and the GitHub workflow still live on GitHub.
Do Alfred workflows require the Powerpack?
Yes. Workflows, clipboard history, snippets, and themes need the Alfred Powerpack. Re-checked 2026-10-17, the shop lists £34 for a single license and £59 for Mega Supporter with lifetime upgrades, and the page title is still Buy the Alfred 5 Powerpack. A 2026 purchase, and Mega or Legendary licenses, include a free upgrade to Alfred 6. Alfred 6 is still a preview, not a download. The base Alfred app is a free launcher only.
Where do I download Alfred workflows in 2026?
The official source is the Alfred Gallery at alfred.app. Search and use Install in Alfred so updates come from Preferences. Packal still loads but is no longer the official catalog. GitHub is the fallback for workflows with no Gallery page.
Are Alfred workflows still worth it on Mac in 2026?
Yes, for keywords you fire every day. They are fast and deterministic. They are not worth it for one-off Finder jobs you will not productize. For those, a Mac agent such as Dottie runs the same class of file, app, and system tasks from natural language without a workflow graph.
Is there a free alternative to Alfred workflows on Mac?
Raycast ships clipboard history, snippets, and community extensions on the free tier. Dottie is free and open source on Apple Silicon and replaces many ad-hoc workflows with 134 native Mac tools. Both can run next to Alfred. Powerpack is still a one-time £34 if you want to stay in Alfred.
Can I use Alfred workflows and Dottie together?
Yes. They do not conflict. Keep Alfred for instant keywords. Use Dottie for variable, multi-step Mac work you do not want to encode as a workflow. Dottie needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15.4 or later.
How do I update Alfred workflows?
Gallery workflows update inside Alfred Preferences. Outdated items show an arrow; right-click and choose Update from the Alfred Gallery. GitHub-installed workflows need a manual re-download unless the author ships an updater, which the Gallery style guide discourages.
Do Alfred workflows work on macOS 27?
Yes on Alfred 5.8, released 2026-09-11 for macOS 27 Golden Gate. Update from Alfred Preferences or alfredapp.com. Workflows you already installed keep working. Alfred 6 is a separate autumn upgrade, still unreleased as of 2026-10-17. The v6 page still says this autumn. A Powerpack bought in 2026 includes it free. Back up preferences with the Gallery Backup Preferences workflow before a clean install.
Is Alfred 6 out, and does it replace these workflows?
No. On 2026-10-02 Alfred published a first sneak peek. The v6 page, checked again 2026-10-17, still says this autumn and shows Alfred UI, a native macOS toolkit for workflows, with examples named Launchpad, Brain, Text Transform, and an SF Symbols browser. Brain is optional AI: you choose the LLM and bring an API key. The same page says the DMG is under 6 MB and the app runs private and local. The shop still sells Alfred 5 at £34 or £59. Gallery workflows on Alfred 5.8 keep working on macOS 27.
Can Alfred placeholders run inside a workflow on Mac?
Yes. Alfred's 29 September 2026 guide wires dynamic placeholders through a Snippet Trigger, a Keyword Input, an Argument and Variables utility, a List Filter, and a Copy to Clipboard output. The snippet is built when you run it and pasted into the frontmost app. That is still a workflow you design. It does not decide the steps from a sentence, and it is not ChatGPT Desktop.