Desktop Search Engines Comparisons

Desktop Search Engine	Network?	E-mail	Features
Comparison Chart - Desktop Search Engines
Copernic Desktop Where to Buy (free, http://www.copernicdesktop.com)	yes, including e-mail on Exchange servers	Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Thunderbird; indexes Outlook e-mails on the fly	Stand-alone application. Adds icon or optional search box to Windows toolbar. Configuration includes many options, including index timing and storage. Searches most file types, but not inside zipped files. Can search EXIF data and comments inside image and media files. Indexes Outlook contacts. Previews files; selected file is opened in its original application. Requires Windows XP/2000/NT; does not work with older versions. Latest version offers option of new IE toolbar that adds RSS feed reader, highlighting and customizable ticker.
Yahoo! Desktop Where to Buy (free, http://desktop.Yahoo!.com)	no	Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird	Search results display file previews with original formatting, but show .pdf files as images. Can search news folders, Yahoo Messenger and inside zipped files. Indexes Outlook contacts. Searches music, image, media files only by file name. Can export results to Excel or text file. Search strings limited to 39 characters. Uses Yahoo! Search to search web from Yahoo! Desktop. (Also integrates well with Yahoo! Toolbar for web browser.)
X1 Enterprise Search Where to Buy (free, http://www.x1.com)	yes	Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Lotus Notes (including off-line and archived mail)	Similar to Yahoo! Desktop but can index a network. Searches Outlook calendar, tasks as well as contacts. Fee-based add-ins are available for searching Exchange servers, Microsoft SharePoint Team Services sites, etc. Bundled with Yahoo! Toolbar, and includes web search button.
Google Desktop 4 Where to Buy (free, http://desktop.google.com/)	no, but has option of remote computer access	Outlook; free plug-in available for GMail, Outlook Express; Enterprise version (free) can search Lotus Notes.	Desktop search results are mixed with web search results; no filters or previews. Free plug-ins integrate Google Desktop with Firefox or Opera; developers continue to add free plug-ins for many purposes.