How to Compare and Switch Between LaunchBox and Peel on Android TV

Updated 2026-11-02

Switching between LaunchBox and Peel as Android TV launchers on TV box.

Introduction

If you have spent any time on an Android TV box, you know that the stock Google launcher is tidy but limited. LaunchBox and Peel both offer richer, more customizable alternatives, but they solve different problems. LaunchBox focuses on a curated game and media library, while Peel emphasizes a personal, ad-free home screen. Learning how to swap between them is worth the effort because the right choice changes how fast you find apps, manage playlists, and keep your TV looking simple.

This guide covers what each launcher actually does, how to install it on a stock Android TV box, and the concrete trade-offs that matter in daily use. By the end, you’ll be able to switch cleanly and decide which one fits your routine.

What LaunchBox really does (and doesn’t do)

LaunchBox is a third-party launcher that brings a game-centric experience to Android TV. It offers a built-in store with games you can buy or download, a media browser for videos and music, and deep integration with streaming services like Plex and Kodi. On most modern Android TV boxes—Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi TV Box U9, the newer Jessical M3—the installed version of LaunchBox runs smoothly thanks of its optimized boot process and minimal background overhead.

What it does not do is provide a generic “dashboard” where any app appears arranged by date. Instead it promotes its own content hub. That is a strength if you play games or want a simple media player built in, and a weakness if you mostly use standard Android TV search and sideloading. The launcher also keeps a small set of default system defaults intact, such as the quick settings shade and voice assistant triggers, unlike more aggressive replacements.

The installation footprint is modest. You download the official LaunchBox package from its site, sideload it via the Settings > Apps menu on the box, and the installer handles the rest. Updates come through the launcher itself, and the app list stays small enough that an older 4 GB‑RAM box does not choke.

What Peel offers as an alternative

Peel is a cleaner, more conservative Android TV launcher that builds the entire home screen around a customizable grid of app icons. Its standout feature is the “clean screen” mode: you can hide the top bar, remove suggested apps, and display only the icons you place yourself. Many users find this closer to the aesthetic of the old Android TV overlay than to the busy look of the default launcher.

Peel also includes a built-in app organizer, a quick launcher shortcut panel, and simple widget support for timers and weather. Because it does not force a game hub, it feels lighter and is easier to revert back to stock UI if you prefer it. On a box like the Nvidia Shield, Peel loads fast and rarely drops frames during icon transitions, which matters when you use the remote a lot.

Peel is not without limits. It lacks a large native content store, so if you rely on deep integration with Plex or a specific game marketplace, LaunchBox may serve you better. Peel’s icon picker is also less visually polished than LaunchBox’s asset packs.

Why the launcher switch matters for your TV box

Choosing between LaunchBox and Peel changes the everyday feel of your viewing experience. Here is a quick side-by-side view of the trade-offs that actually show up after a few weeks of use:

Content discoverability: LaunchBox wins with its built-in store and media integrations; Peel wins with a transparent, ad-free icon grid.
Performance impact: Both load quickly on a Shield‑class box, but LaunchBox adds a small runtime cost from its game hub processes; Peel feels slightly lighter.
Customization depth: LaunchBox provides deeper skins, themes, and auto-updating of its store front; Peel lets you manually drag and drop icons with simpler presets.
Voice and quick settings: LaunchBox preserves more of the stock Android TV assistant features; Peel keeps the default quick settings menu mostly intact.

If you want a media center, LaunchBox is the more complete option. If you prefer a minimal, fast launcher that looks like a clean slate, Peel is the safer daily driver.

Step-by-step: installing LaunchBox

Download the LaunchBox APK from the official release page on your desktop or phone. Do not grab random versions from unofficial mirrors.
On the Android TV box, go to Settings > Apps > Install from unknown sources and enable that permission for the source you just downloaded.
Open the installer, confirm the download, and let it finish. The first launch will install a few service processes and a default game hub screen.
Spend ten minutes walking through the onboarding prompts and deciding whether you want the media browser enabled. You can toggle it off later in the launcher settings.
Add the first few apps you actually use—Plex, YouTube, a game store title—so you can see how the icon density feels.

After installation, restart the box once. LaunchBox will finish syncing its store index, which usually takes a few minutes on a connected network.

Step-by-step: installing and tweaking Peel

Find Peel’s APK on the project’s GitHub or official mirror page.
Enable unknown sources in Settings > Apps > Install from unknown sources, then sideload Peel just like you did for LaunchBox.
Boot into Peel and run the initial layout wizard. Choose a 4-by-4 icon grid to start; you can add rows later.
Configure the clean-screen option in Home Screen Settings: turn off suggestions, hide the top status bar, and remove any default app tiles you don’t need.
Install your favorite launchers, streaming apps, and media players. Peel will remember icon placements across reboots.

Peel’s onboarding flow is simpler than LaunchBox’s store tour, which makes the switching moment easier.

When to stick with stock or how to revert

Both LaunchBox and Peel support easy removal. In practice, the simplest answer is: uninstall the one you did not want, and set the other as the default launcher in Settings > System > Choices > Launch screen. You can also leave a minimal stock launcher behind and layer Peel over it as a second user profile, though Android TV does not natively split users per-user UI in the same way as regular Android phones.

If you only tried the launcher for a weekend and decided it was more noise than value, uninstall it. Uninstalling is immediate, and the box returns to factory behavior within a minute. Nothing is permanently damaged.

Making the swap

For most people, the cleanest path is removing the first launcher and keeping the chosen one as the main interface. Here is a quick decision flow:

Do you spend most of your time launching games or watching media from a built-in store? → choose LaunchBox.
Do you want the smallest, fastest icon grid with no forced content? → choose Peel.
Are you worried about losing your current app order? → make a screenshot of your home screen first, then uninstall the old launcher last.

Once the chosen launcher is set, you can always reinstall the other from its APK in the same way. The two packages coexist peacefully on the same box.

Final thoughts

Switching between LaunchBox and Peel on Android TV is less about technology and more about the visual and functional rhythm you want every morning. LaunchBox gives you a richer content hub and a tighter media center, at the cost of a slightly heavier footprint. Peel gives you a clean, fast, almost invisible home screen with very little onboarding friction, but lets you build your own layout. For most TV box owners, a single switch after testing both for a week delivers a noticeably smoother experience than staying with the stock launcher forever. The launcher you pick becomes the lens through which you reach for apps, so take the time to try each one before you commit.