Fences AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Application Launchers

The best Application Launcher alternative to Fences is Nimi Places. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Nimi Places or Sideslide. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Fences and nine of them are Application Launchers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Application Launcher alternatives to Fences are Coodesker, XLaunchpad, ToolBox and xBar for Windows.

filter to find the best alternatives

Fences alternatives are mainly Application Launchers, but if you're looking for Desktop Customization Tools or File Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Windows + Free, Desktop Customization, Linux, Free and Windows. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Fences.
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Alternatives list

  1. Nimi Places icon

    Nimi Places

     55 likes
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    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.

    23 Nimi Places alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Nimi Places screenshot 1
     
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    7
    79
    Comments about Nimi Places as an Alternative to Fences
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    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
    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
    -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
    Fences Icon
    Nimi Places icon

    • Some users think Nimi Places is a great Fences alternative, some don't.

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

    Sideslide

     17 likes
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    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.

    24 Sideslide alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Sideslide screenshot 1
     
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    4
    11
    Comments about Sideslide as an Alternative to Fences
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    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
    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
    Fences Icon
    Sideslide icon

    • Some users think Sideslide is a great Fences alternative, some don't.

    • Sideslide is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Desktop Fences+ icon

    Desktop Fences+

     10 likes
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    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.

    14 Desktop Fences+ alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Desktop Fences+ screenshot 1
     

    • Desktop Fences+ is the most popular Open Source alternative to Fences.

    • Desktop Fences+ is Free and Open SourceFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Desktop Fences+ is LightweightFences is not according to our users
  5. Coodesker icon

    Coodesker

     3 likes
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    Automatically organize your desktop shortcuts icons and running tasks.

    17 Coodesker alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Coodesker screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Coodesker as an Alternative to Fences
    phantasmrevolutionary
    Positive
    0

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

    Guest
    Positive
    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.
    Fences Icon
    Coodesker icon
    • Coodesker is Paid and ProprietaryFences is also Paid and Proprietary
    • Coodesker is LightweightFences is not according to our users
  6. XLaunchpad icon

    XLaunchpad

     34 likes
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    XLaunchpad gives you instant access to all your shortcuts. Arrange apps in XLaunchpad any way you like by dragging icons to different locations or by grouping apps in folders. Simply drag one icon over another to create a folder.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Warning

    Platforms

    • Windows
    XLaunchpad screenshot 1
     
  7. ToolBox icon

    ToolBox

     7 likes
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    ToolBox is an application launcher for Windows operating systems with many amazing features. Easy to install, you can get going in minutes. Its drag & drop interface creates shortcuts to almost anything; applications, drives, folders, even simple files.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Organized Desktop
     
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    13
  9. xBar for Windows icon

    xBar for Windows

     1 like
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    A Central Hub for User-Categorized Shortcuts to Apps, Files & Folders, Quick Access to Drives & System Folders with PC Info & Resource Monitoring Dashboards and One-Click Access to Common Windows Operations.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    xBar for Windows with Black Theme and Docked on the Right, Showcasing 15% Transparency
     
  10. Dragthing icon

    Dragthing

     7 likes
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    DragThing is the original dock designed to tidy up your Macintosh desktop.

    It puts all your documents, folders, and applications just a single click away. Highly flexible, it allows multiple docks, each customised to suit your exact needs.

    It stores frequently-used clippings su.

    70 Dragthing alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Dragthing screenshot 1
     
  11. WFolder icon

    WFolder

     1 like
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    Windows application for creating widgets, which can be linked to folders (except the Recycle Bin), creating notes (WNotes), or creating shortcut containers (WLinks). From within the widgets, you can interact with files and other folders.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    WFolder screenshot 1
     
9 of 9 Fences alternatives