Last updated: · written by the FileLocator team
These comparisons exist because the “which one?” question usually has a surprising answer: the two tools solve different problems. Before picking, decide what you search for most — filenames (you remember what the file is called) or contents (you remember what it says). That single choice settles most of these match-ups.
Not sure where to begin? Read Everything vs Windows Search first: it explains why built-in search feels broken and whether you need anything else at all.
Each one tested on the same 1.2 million-file library, with a clear “choose X if…” verdict.
Everything finds filenames instantly across every NTFS drive; Windows Search finds words inside documents, but only in the folders it indexes. One answers “where did that file go?”, the other “which file said that?”
Reviews: Everything review · Fix slow Windows Search
Raw search power against workflow integration. Everything is a search engine you open; Listary is search woven into Explorer and every open/save dialog. They solve different problems, which is why many power users run both.
Reviews: Everything review · Listary review
Two free content searchers. Agent Ransack reads Office files and PDFs and previews every hit without touching them; grepWin does regex search and replace across plain text, with backups.
Reviews: Agent Ransack review · grepWin review
Match your job to the winner, then read the comparison for the trade-offs.
| If you need to… | Pick | Price | Why | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Find any file by name, instantly | Everything | Free | Reads the NTFS file table; results as you type | Everything vs Windows Search |
| Search words inside indexed documents, nothing to install | Windows Search | Built in | Already wired into Explorer, Start and Outlook | Everything vs Windows Search |
| Jump to folders from open/save dialogs | Listary | Free / ~$20 | The dialog integration nothing else matches | Everything vs Listary |
| Search inside Word files and PDFs, with previews | Agent Ransack | Free | Office and PDF support, boolean and regex | Agent Ransack vs grepWin |
| Find and replace text across a whole project | grepWin | Free | Regex replace with capture groups and backups | Agent Ransack vs grepWin |
The roundups rank every tool we test, with a pick for each kind of user.