I was in a similar situation a few weeks back and even though Nova was set to not auto update and blocked internet access, I want to try something new. Someone suggested Octopi and I’m glad I made the switch. Has all the features from Nova that I loved and used. A little finicky but overall I’m happy with it. It has 2 in app purchases that are more support the Dev than unlock special features.
I can barely tell the difference between Nova and Octopi so easy to transition to and set up. Good luck in the search.
You can turn off titles on the home screen but I don’t see anything in the settings for the app drawer. However, I did just try while writing this, to rename an app and leave a space for the name and it accepted that. While it would be a pain to do for every app, it is possible.