Fences AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Shell Extensions

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Portals: Desktop Organization

    74 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.

   33 Portals: Desktop Organization alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Proprietary

   Application type

   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • United States

   

   

   

   More about Portals: Desktop Organization  

   

   Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   2comments

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   Portals: Desktop Organization vs Fences Comments

   Positive comment by Ross Patterson · Aug 24, 2021

   It looks like windows native.

   Positive comment by Guest · Jan 11, 2023

   Free and beautiful. A must have.

   2 of 2 comments

   

   

   • 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

    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.

   35 Nimi Places alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free Personal
   • Proprietary

   Application typeApplication types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Application Launcher

   Origin

   • Portugal
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • Portugal
   • EU

   

   

   

   More about Nimi Places  

   

   Good alternative?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 by Guest · Feb 7, 2018

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

   Top Negative Comment by Guest · Apr 25, 2018

   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.

   Positive comment by Guest · Mar 5, 2020

   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
4. 

   

   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 typeApplication types

   • Application Launcher
   • Desktop Customization

   Origin

   • Israel

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • Israel

   

   More about Sideslide  

   

   Good alternative?Is Sideslide a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   4comments

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   Sideslide vs Fences Comments

   Negative comment by Guest · May 11, 2020

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

   Positive comment by Guest · Nov 25, 2022

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

   Positive comment by Guest · Apr 21, 2021

   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
5. 

   

   Coodesker

    5 likes

   Automatically organize your desktop shortcuts icons and running tasks.

   Cost / License

   • Paid
   • Proprietary

   Application typeApplication types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Application Launcher

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   +1

   

   More about Coodesker  

   

   Good alternative?Is Coodesker a good alternative to Fences?

    

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   3comments

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   Coodesker vs Fences Comments

   Positive comment by Guest · Sep 2, 2025

   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.

   Positive comment by phantasmrevolutionary · Jun 26, 2023

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

   Positive comment by AnomalousDoggo · Mar 11, 2026

   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.

   3 of 3 comments

   

   

   • Coodesker is Paid and ProprietaryFences is also Paid and Proprietary
   • Coodesker is Lightweight and Privacy focusedFences is not according to our users
6. 

   

   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

   • Portugal
   • EU

   

   

   More about Folderview Screenlet  

   

   Good alternative?Is Folderview Screenlet a good alternative to Fences?

    
8. 

   

   xBar for Windows

    1 like

   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

   Application typeApplication types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Application Launcher

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   +1

   

   More about xBar for Windows  

   

   Good alternative?Is xBar for Windows a good alternative to Fences?

    
9. 

   

   Maktaby

    1 like

   Maktaby groups your shortcuts, folders and files into resizable, snap-able boxes that float above the Windows desktop instead of being buried in it — then adds the two things a plain desktop organizer never has: widgets you write yourself and live wallpapers.

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Desktop Customization
   • Shell Extension

   Origin

   • Egypt

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • Egypt

   

   

   

   +4

   

   More about Maktaby  

   

   Good alternative?Is Maktaby a good alternative to Fences?

    
10. 

    

    piDock

     Like

    A lightweight Windows desktop organizer with AI-powered cleanup, movable docks, and an encrypted vault — free 7-day trial, no account needed.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application typeApplication types

    • Desktop Customization
    • Shell Extension

    Origin

    • Canada

    Platforms

    • Windows

    • Canada

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about piDock  

    

    Good alternative?Is piDock a good alternative to Fences?