Fences AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Application Launchers

The best Application Launcher alternative to Fences is Desktop Frames +, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Fences and 13 are Application Launchers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Application Launcher alternatives to Fences are Nimi Places, Sideslide, Coodesker and Deskepty.

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Fences alternatives are mainly Application Launchers, but if you're looking for Desktop Customization Tools or Shell Extensions you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free, Linux, Mac, Windows, Desktop Customization and Free. 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. 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.

    23 Desktop Frames + alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  2. Nimi Places icon
     56 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.

    29 Nimi Places alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    7
    Nimi Places vs Fences Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

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

    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.

    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.

    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
  3. Sideslide icon
     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.

    28 Sideslide alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    4
    Sideslide vs Fences Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    Guest
    Negative
    1

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

    Guest
    Positive
    0

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

    3 of 4 comments
    • Sideslide is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Sideslide is an Application Launchers Fences is a Desktop Customization Tool
  4. Coodesker icon
     5 likes

    Automatically organize your desktop shortcuts icons and running tasks.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
    |
    3
    Coodesker vs Fences Comments
    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.

    AnomalousDoggo
    Positive
    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
  5. Deskepty icon
     2 likes

    Clean up your desktop. Launch apps, games, and folders instantly from a hidden panel that appears when you need it.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  6. XLaunchpad icon
     34 likes

    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
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Warning

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  7. ToolBox icon
     8 likes

    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

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  8. DeskRipple puts expandable folder icons directly on the Windows desktop. They sit alongside your regular desktop icons, open into shortcut panels on hover or click, and collapse to a single icon when the pointer moves away.

    22 DeskRipple alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  9. 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

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  10. Dragthing icon
     7 likes

    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.

    76 Dragthing alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  11. WFolder icon
     2 likes

    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

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
12 of 13 Fences alternatives