Fences AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Desktop Customization Tools

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.

   19 Portals: Desktop Organization alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Shell Extension

   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. 

   

   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.

   15 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?

    
4. 

   

   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.

   24 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
5. Ad

   

   

   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. 

   

   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.

   27 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.

   Show more comments

   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
7. 

   

   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.

   24 Sideslide alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application types

   • Application Launcher
   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • Israel

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   More about Sideslide  

   

   Is Sideslide a good alternative to Fences?

    

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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
8. 

   

   Folderview Screenlet

    6 likes

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

   14 Folderview Screenlet alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • Portugal
   • EU

   Alerts

   • Discontinued

   Platforms

   • Linux
   • Screenlets

   

   

   More about Folderview Screenlet  

   

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10. 

    

    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
11. 

    

    DeskSweep

     3 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?

     
12. 

    

    DeskFrame

     6 likes

    Organize your desktop into frames.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    • Desktop Customization

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about DeskFrame  

    

    Is DeskFrame a good alternative to Fences?

     
13. 

    

    Aicono

     2 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • Desktop Customization

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    

    +3

    

    More about Aicono  

    

    Is Aicono a good alternative to Fences?

     

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    1comment

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    Aicono vs Fences Comments

     

    Tetramatrix

    Positive comment•Oct 10, 2025

    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.

    

    

    • Aicono is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Aicono is LightweightFences is not according to our users
14. 

    

    ToolBox

     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

    Application types

    • Desktop Customization
    • Application Launcher

    Origin

    • Greece
    • EU

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    

    +1

    

    More about ToolBox  

    

    Is ToolBox a good alternative to Fences?

     
15. 

    

    DesktopShelves

     Like

    DesktopShelves helps you fight the clutter on your desktop by organizing files on shelves. A shelf the size of 5 icons holds 20 files.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    • Desktop Customization

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac

    

    

    

    More about DesktopShelves  

    

    Is DesktopShelves a good alternative to Fences?