Free Fences AlternativesTop Desktop Customization Tools and other similar apps like Fences

The best free alternative to Fences is Portals: Desktop Organization. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Fences and 18 is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Fences are Nimi Places, iTop Easy Desktop, Sideslide and Desktop Fences+.

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Fences alternatives are mainly Desktop Customization Tools, but if you're looking for Application Launchers 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. Portals: Desktop Organization icon

    Portals: Desktop Organization

     69 likes
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    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.

    19 Portals: Desktop Organization alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portals: Desktop Organization screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Comments about Portals: Desktop Organization as an Alternative to Fences
    Ross Patterson
    Positive
    0

    It looks like windows native.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Free and beautiful. A must have.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Fences Icon
    Portals: Desktop Organization icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Portals: Desktop Organization is a great Fences alternative.

    • Portals: Desktop Organization is the most popular Windows alternative to Fences.

    • Portals: Desktop Organization is the most popular free alternative to Fences.

    • 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. 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
  4. iTop Easy Desktop icon

    iTop Easy Desktop

     14 likes
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    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.

    26 iTop Easy Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    iTop Easy Desktop screenshot 1
     
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    4
    6
    Comments about iTop Easy Desktop as an Alternative to Fences
    bitoolean
    Positive
    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
    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
    0

    Best free alternative to Fences.

    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Fences Icon
    iTop Easy Desktop icon

    • Most users think iTop Easy Desktop is a great Fences alternative.

    • iTop Easy Desktop is Freemium and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • iTop Easy Desktop is CustomizableFences is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    iTop Easy Desktop icon
    iTop Easy Desktop

    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 ...

    https://www.itopvpn.com
    Learn More
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Folderview Screenlet icon

    Folderview Screenlet

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

    13 Folderview Screenlet alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Screenlets
    Folderview Screenlet screenshot 1
     
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    20

    • Almost everyone thinks Folderview Screenlet is a great Fences alternative.

    • Folderview Screenlet is the most popular Linux alternative to Fences.

    • Folderview Screenlet is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
  10. ICU - Icon Configuration Utility icon

    ICU - Icon Configuration Utility

     11 likes
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    Restore your desktop when the icons get “rearranged”.

    Melba23 and I found we were working on very similar ideas to restore the Desktop icons to their normal place if they became “rearranged”. Vista seems to like this doing on occasion just for fun – but we all know some applicat.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ICU - Icon Configuration Utility screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about ICU - Icon Configuration Utility as an Alternative to Fences
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    It only keeps the icons arranged, don't let you make fences which I think is the best feature of it.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Fences Icon
    ICU - Icon Configuration Utility icon

    • Some users think ICU - Icon Configuration Utility is a great Fences alternative, some don't.

    • ICU - Icon Configuration Utility is Free and Open SourceFences is Paid and Proprietary
  12. 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
     
  13. Aicono icon

    Aicono

     1 like
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    Say goodbye to desktop chaos – Aicono uses cutting-edge AI to automatically group and arrange your icons!

    15 Aicono alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Aicono screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Aicono as an Alternative to Fences
    Tetramatrix
    Positive
    1

    I like Aicono because it runs locally, is completely free, and uses the latest AI to automatically group and arrange icons. It’s highly customizable, offers a manual fallback, lets you fine-tune the layout with a real-time WYSIWYG interface, and integrates smoothly with local Llama, Ollama, and any OpenAI-compatible local server.

    Fences Icon
    Aicono icon
    • Aicono is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Aicono is LightweightFences is not according to our users
  14. 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
  15. TopTabs icon

    TopTabs

     1 like
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    Windows desktop organiser.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Desktop with 1 open tab and a collapsed tab
     
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    3
    Comments about TopTabs as an Alternative to Fences
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Toptabs has far more useful features, better customisation and is FREE

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    This is how Fences should have been! It can show over other programs, instead of only under and the icons are way better customizable

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Toptabs is more practical and very easy to use and after tuning some options it feels as natural as water

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Fences Icon
    TopTabs icon
    • TopTabs is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
12 of 18 Fences alternatives