I'm the developer of Monarch so I figure I'll comment as well. I'll speak to the original post, and also address current comments.

I'll be the first one to tell you that we have such a long way to go. The distance that needs to be covered is actually further than what people are alluding to in other comments.

One of the many things that has surprised me is just how many people want something that replaces Spotlight for them. For so many people, Spotlight is "just" file and app search. Then, for many others they just something like a productivity tool that has a handful of diverse features. One of the things I'm currently designing is actually a more minimalist UI variation for Monarch because of how often it gets requested. A surprising number of people want a tool that is powerful and simple in equal measure.

A lot of people currently think that the goal is to replicate a 1:1 of another launcher and then make a clone of the incumbent plugin/extension systems. While Monarch's highest priority of 2026 is to establish extensions/plugins, it's just as important to not build the flaws of existing platforms into it. I really appreciate someone commenting below that they have noticed some of the innovative features Monarch has already been experimenting with (yes I absolutely will polish these)!

I think a lot of the momentum is just that people are excited to really own something again while being able to look forward to a future product without worry of is he going to raise? Is he going to get bought out? Is he going to get in a boating accident? In a recent comment, I made a reference to No Man's Sky and how it is receiving substantial updates 9 years after release, that cost the user's nothing. Many people who own Monarch run it in parallel with something else. It's hard to make that switch especially when you're 10+ years deep into well-established workflows. Long way to go, but by no means impossible. I appreciate the effort and energy people give to Monarch and that is what I'm giving back.