Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AnyChart VS Open Shell

Compare AnyChart VS Open Shell and see what are their differences

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AnyChart logo AnyChart

Award-winning JavaScript charting library & Qlik Sense extensions from a global leader in data visualization! Loved by thousands of happy customers, including over 75% of Fortune 500 companies & over half of the top 1000 software vendors worldwide.

Open Shell logo Open Shell

Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start...
  • AnyChart Home Page of AnyChart JS Charts
    Home Page of AnyChart JS Charts //
    2025-03-10

Founded in 2003, AnyChart is one of the global leaders in interactive data visualization, offering award-winning, flexible JavaScript (HTML5) charting libraries with numerous chart types and features, great API & documentation, and enterprise-grade support.

Cross-browser JS charts and graphs, maps, stock charts, and Gantt charts powered by AnyChart have helped thousands of companies including industry leaders — from startups to corporate giants such as AT&T, Bosch, BP, Citi, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, Merck, Novartis, Oracle, Reuters, Samsung, Tencent, UBS, Volkswagen, Yahoo, 3M & many others — gain better insight, make right decisions, and improve their enterprise performance based on robust, insightful data visualization.

Whether you need to enhance your website with better reporting, embed dashboards into your on-premises and SaaS systems, or build an entirely new product, AnyChart covers all your data visualization needs. The company's products include massive out-of-the-box capabilities, combined with flexibility & simplicity.

Loved by thousands of happy customers, including more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies across all industries and over half of the top 1,000 software vendors worldwide.

In 2019, AnyChart launched a technology alliance partnership with Qlik, adding three new product extensions for Qlik Sense. The partnership enables the Qlik community to be provided with more than 30 new chart types and many valuable features natively in the Qlik environment.

  • Open Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-07

AnyChart

$ Details
freemium $49 / One-off (Next Unicorn license for startups)
Platforms
JavaScript Web Qlik Windows Mac OSX Linux Android iOS TypeScript PHP Google Chrome Safari Opera Firefox Java iPhone Mobile Laravel ReactJS React Native Angular Python Node JS Cross Platform
Release Date
2003 May
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Florida
Founder(s)
Anton Baranchuk
Employees
10 - 19

Open Shell

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

AnyChart features and specs

  • Chart types
    70+ (bar, line, Gantt, candlestick, waterfall, sunburst...)
  • Data formats
    Multiple (JavaScript API, XML, JSON, CSV, HTML table, Google Sheets...)
  • Integrations
    Seamlessly runs with any language, framework, and database (multiple integration templates are available)
  • Docs
    The documentation and API reference are very detailed and everything is explained in detail in a simple and clear way, with numerous readymade chart samples
  • Browser support
    Supports all browsers, including IE6+ along with mobile browsers
  • Dependencies
    None
  • Product history
    AnyChart has been operating from 2003 and the team is very experienced with a long history of releasing high-quality products.
  • Open source
    The open source code is hosted on GitHub under different licenses depending on the library
  • Flexibility
    Extremely flexible and customizable Any part of a chart can be changed and customized.
  • Interactivity
    Events can be distributed to chart elements which respond to user actions. Event listeners are simple JavaScript functions which are very easy to use and understand

Open Shell features and specs

  • Customization
    Open Shell provides extensive customization options, allowing users to modify the Start menu to fit their preferences, from design to functionality.
  • Familiar Interface
    It offers a classic start menu which is familiar to users of older Windows versions, making it easier for them to navigate.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, it allows for community contributions, making it more transparent and potentially more secure.
  • No Cost
    Open Shell is free to use, providing a cost-effective solution for users who want a different Start menu experience without paying for software.
  • Regular Updates
    The project is fairly well-maintained, receiving updates that add new features and fix potential issues, improving user experience over time.

Possible disadvantages of Open Shell

  • Compatibility Issues
    There could be compatibility problems with certain Windows updates or third-party applications, requiring troubleshooting and fixes.
  • Learning Curve
    While it offers many customization options, new users might find the settings and customization process overwhelming and confusing initially.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project, it relies heavily on community support rather than professional customer service, which can be a drawback for users needing prompt assistance.
  • Resource Usage
    Though generally lightweight, Open Shell can consume additional system resources, which might be impactful on less powerful machines.

Analysis of Open Shell

Overall verdict

  • Open Shell is considered a good tool for those who desire a more traditional Start Menu experience on modern Windows versions. It is reliable, versatile, and generally well-received by the community for resurrecting the familiar interface from previous Windows iterations.

Why this product is good

  • Open Shell (formerly known as Classic Shell) is appreciated for its ability to bring back the classic Start Menu functionality to Windows, particularly for users who prefer the interface design and usability of older versions of Windows. It provides a customizable menu, various skins, and additional enhancements for the Start Button, File Explorer, and Internet Explorer. The software is lightweight, free, and open source, allowing for a high degree of personalization and adaptability.

Recommended for

  • Users who prefer the classic Windows Start Menu.
  • Individuals who are not satisfied with the default Start Menu on newer Windows versions.
  • Users seeking a highly customizable and lightweight menu solution.
  • Technical users who appreciate open-source software and want to tweak their system appearance and functionality.
  • Anyone upgrading from older Windows versions who wants to maintain a consistent user interface experience.

AnyChart videos

Heatmap Chart using AnyChart with Python

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Creating Interactive Charts with AnyChart library for Your Android App
  • Tutorial - How to Create a Gantt Chart in Qlik Sense using AnyGantt Extension by AnyChart

Open Shell videos

Classic Menu for Windows 10 with Open Shell

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AnyChart and Open Shell)
Data Dashboard
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100
Charting Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
LMS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AnyChart and Open Shell

AnyChart Reviews

  1. alairedeforest
    Fast, effective charts

    Probably the best JS chart library on the market right now.

    Competitors: CanvasJS
    Pros:    Extremely simple|Fast|Affordable
    Cons:    Not free

15 JavaScript Libraries for Creating Beautiful Charts
AnyChart is a lightweight and robust JavaScript charting library with charts designed to be embedded and integrated. AnyChart allows you to display 68 charts out-of-the-box and provides features to create your own chart types. You can save a chart as an image in PDF, PNG, JPG or SVG format.
Top 10 Visual Analytics Provider For 2021
AnyChart provides products for those who are slightly well-versed with HTML and JavaScript. Their products provide robust JavaScript charting libraries with APIs, documentation, and enterprise-grade support. Developers can integrate a variety of charts into their mobile, desktops, or web products. Their component is compatible with any database and runs on any platform....
Top 10 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Every Data Visualization Need
AnyChart is a robust, lightweight and feature-rich JS chart library with rendering in SVG/VML. It actually gives web developers a great opportunity to create any different charts that will help to make decisions based on what is seen.
Source: hackernoon.com

Open Shell Reviews

We have no reviews of Open Shell yet.
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing AnyChart and Open Shell, you can also consider the following products

Chart.js - Easy, object oriented client side graphs for designers and developers.

Fences - Keep your desktop organized with Fences. This is a simple software program that allows you to sort the tabs on your desktop and create files that are easily recognizable to you.

Highcharts - A charting library written in pure JavaScript, offering an easy way of adding interactive charts to your web site or web application

Classic Shell - Classic Shell was developed for Windows 8 since that was the first version of the popular operating system to forgo the iconic Start menu.

D3.js - D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. D3 helps you bring data to life using HTML, SVG, and CSS.

Start Menu X - Start Menu X with Start Button. Power users know how inconvenient and time-consuming it is to launch programs from the system menu.