Fences AlternativesTop Desktop Customization Tools and other similar apps like Fences

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Portals: Desktop Organization

    72 likes

   Create containers (aka Portals) on your desktop which show the contents of a specified folder. Divide your desktop into folders then use Portals to display the contents of the folders in an organized fashion - you can even hide the folders away somewhere else.

   20 Portals: Desktop Organization alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   More about Portals: Desktop Organization  

   

   Is this a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   2comments

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   Portals: Desktop Organization vs Fences Comments

    

   Ross Patterson

   Positive comment•Aug 24, 2021

   0

   It looks like windows native.

   Guest

   Positive comment•Jan 11, 2023

   0

   Free and beautiful. A must have.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   

   

   • Portals: Desktop Organization is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
   • Portals: Desktop Organization is Lightweight and CustomizableFences is not according to our users
2. 

   

   Tokri

    20 likes

   Desktop basket utility for collecting text, files, images, and URLs with drag and drop. Supports moving or copying between apps via keyboard shortcuts. Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Flatpak. Minimalist, open-source, local temporary file management solution.

   19 Tokri alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application type

   • File Manager

   Origin

   • India

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Flatpak

   

   

   

   More about Tokri  

   

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4. 

   

   Desktop Fences+

    14 likes

   Organizes desktop icons into virtual fences with customizable design options, enhanced visual effects, and right-click interactions. Works on Windows, portable via USB, lightweight, supports multiple monitors, runs offline, and requires no registration for core features.

   16 Desktop Fences+ alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Application Launcher

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   More about Desktop Fences+  

   

   Is Desktop Fences+ a good alternative to Fences?

    
5. Ad

   

   

   iCollections

   Create custom containers on Mac desktop, group icons, files, folders, and applications, display photo slideshows or static images, customize appearance, snap to grid, integrate with Finder, choose icon sizes, and enjoy an unclutt...

   https://naarakstudio.com

   Learn More
6. 

   

   Floxtop

    9 likes

   AI-powered Mac file organizer with smart renaming. Automatically sorts files by content and suggests intelligent filenames. Supports 50+ languages. 100% private, offline, no subscriptions.

   32 Floxtop alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • File Manager

   Origin

   • Germany
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac

   

   More about Floxtop  

   

   Is Floxtop a good alternative to Fences?

    
7. 

   

   Nimi Places

    55 likes

   Organizes desktop into customizable containers showing folder contents as icons/thumbnails on a scrollable surface. Has lots of management features: e.g. labelling; sort by category; time & location based settings. Thumbnails are displayed for supported Open Documents, PSD images & PDFs.

   25 Nimi Places alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free Personal
   • Proprietary

   Application types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Application Launcher

   Origin

   • Portugal
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   More about Nimi Places  

   

   Is Nimi Places a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   7comments

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   Nimi Places vs Fences Comments

    

   Top Positive Comment

   Guest

   Feb 7, 2018

   3

   Free, and it works almost the same. Just has a little more setup than Fences does.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   Top Negative Comment

   Guest

   Apr 25, 2018

   6

   This performs ONE of Fences' secondary functions: displaying the contents of directories OTHER THAN the Desktop as virtual containers on the Desktop. IT IS NOT for organizing Desktop icons/files or setting up automatic rules for categorization of new Desktop icons/files.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   Guest

   Positive comment•Mar 5, 2020

   -2

   Nimi Places is not an exact replica of Fences, but(!) it will give you the look and feel. Instead of everything being on your desktop, it links it a folder. I am just going to change my behavior a tad and just know that my files, when placed in the fence, are not stored on the actual desktop. I still have easy access to move the files between the desktop to fence and vice versa, which is most important to me.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

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   3 of 7 comments

   

   

   • Nimi Places is Free Personal and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
   • Nimi Places is LightweightFences is not according to our users
8. 

   

   iTop Easy Desktop

    16 likes

   Automates desktop organization for Windows by grouping files, apps, and folders into customizable boxes, supporting appearance adjustments, instant hotkey access, multi-page desktops, double-click hiding, Folder Portal, and fast search functionality.

   29 iTop Easy Desktop alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • Hong Kong SAR China

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   +3

   

   More about iTop Easy Desktop  

   

   Is iTop Easy Desktop a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   4comments

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   iTop Easy Desktop vs Fences Comments

    

   bitoolean

   Positive comment•Dec 7, 2023

   0

   It automatically manages new icons added to the desktop by installers repetitively every time that software gets updated by remembering which container they are assigned to and thus avoiding having to manage duplicates manually.

   phantasmrevolutionary

   Positive comment•Jun 26, 2023

   1

   CoodeDesker, StarDock Fences and iTop Easy Desktop are the only softwares for desktop (professional-looking specifically) organization via containers that are worth trying. iTop Easy Desktop might be the worst of those 3, but it's the one that has a free option.

   heartily

   Positive comment•Oct 10, 2024

   0

   Best free alternative to Fences.

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   3 of 4 comments

   

   

   • iTop Easy Desktop is Freemium and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
   • iTop Easy Desktop is CustomizableFences is not according to our users
10. 

    

    Sideslide

     17 likes

    SideSlide is an advanced, portable, unobtrusive, dockable, skinnable, instantly accessible, highly configurable Desktop Extension on Steroids! Clean desktop clutter and make your computer friendlier and faster than ever before.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    • Application Launcher
    • Desktop Customization

    Origin

    • Israel

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    More about Sideslide  

    

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    4comments

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    Sideslide vs Fences Comments

     

    Guest

    Positive comment•Nov 25, 2022

    0

    Very full featured program with a steep learning curve, but it's worth it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    Guest

    Negative comment•May 11, 2020

    1

    Because it's not similar and easy to use like Fences that is a very intuitive application

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    Guest

    Positive comment•Apr 21, 2021

    0

    It's a very comprehensive program with lots of features that can change the way you work with Windows.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

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    3 of 4 comments

    

    

    • Sideslide is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
11. 

    

    Sparkle AI

     8 likes

    Sparkle uses AI to create a unique folder system and organize every new file (and all your old ones) into the right place. It manages your Downloads, Desktop, and Documents folders so you don't have to.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • File Manager

    Origin

    • United States

    Platforms

    • Mac

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about Sparkle AI  

    

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12. 

    

    Folderview Screenlet

     6 likes

    Folderview Screenlet is a Linux alternative to Fences (which is for Windows).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • Desktop Customization

    Origin

    • Portugal
    • EU

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Screenlets

    

    

    More about Folderview Screenlet  

    

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13. 

    

    iCollections

     12 likes

    Create custom containers on Mac desktop, group icons, files, folders, and applications, display photo slideshows or static images, customize appearance, snap to grid, integrate with Finder, choose icon sizes, and enjoy an uncluttered, personalized workspace.

    22 iCollections alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Origin

    • Thailand

    Platforms

    • Mac

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about iCollections  

    

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    1comment

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    iCollections vs Fences Comments

     

    Jim Bol

    Positive comment•May 3, 2022

    0

    Runs on Mac, has beautiful drawers that auto-shrink, can use (different levels of) transparency, is even more easy to use than Fences on Windows.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    

    

    • iCollections is Paid and ProprietaryFences is also Paid and Proprietary
    • iCollections is CustomizableFences is not according to our users
14. 

    

    Coodesker

     4 likes

    Automatically organize your desktop shortcuts icons and running tasks.

    17 Coodesker alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    • Desktop Customization
    • Application Launcher

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about Coodesker  

    

    Is Coodesker a good alternative to Fences?

     

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    3comments

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    Coodesker vs Fences Comments

     

    phantasmrevolutionary

    Positive comment•Jun 26, 2023

    0

    by far the best alternative to Stardock Fences, better even than Stardock Fences itself.

    Guest

    Positive comment•Sep 2, 2025

    0

    Very easy to use and customize, it's lightweight, cheap, available on Steam or their website for a one time purchase, and pretty much does everything Fences does but better.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    AnomalousDoggo

    Positive comment•Mar 11, 2026

    0

    It's really lightweight, fast and does what it supposed to. I've been looking to replace Fences for about a year or two now, on and off and I'm telling you, this should be at the top of this list.

    

    

    • Coodesker is Paid and ProprietaryFences is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Coodesker is Lightweight and Privacy focusedFences is not according to our users
15. 

    

    DeskSweep

     4 likes

    Boost your productivity by eliminating clutter—DeskSweep automatically organizes your desktop by moving files to a designated folder, ensuring a clean and distraction-free workspace.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • Desktop Customization

    Origin

    • United Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about DeskSweep  

    

    Is DeskSweep a good alternative to Fences?