Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Classic Shell VS AnyChart

Compare Classic Shell VS AnyChart and see what are their differences

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Classic Shell logo 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.

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.
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • 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.

Classic Shell

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

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

Classic Shell features and specs

  • Customizable Start Menu
    Classic Shell allows users to customize the Start Menu to a significant extent, including changing the style and appearance to resemble earlier versions of Windows (XP, Vista, and 7).
  • Performance Enhancements
    The software is lightweight and generally does not consume significant system resources, making it a performance-efficient alternative to the default Start Menu.
  • Enhanced Usability
    It brings back certain features and functionalities that are familiar and preferred by users, enhancing overall user experience, particularly for those transitioning from older Windows versions.
  • Frequent Updates
    Classic Shell is regularly updated to ensure compatibility with new Windows updates, providing a reliable solution over time.
  • Free of Cost
    Classic Shell is available for free, making it an accessible option for anyone looking to improve their Start Menu without financial investment.

Possible disadvantages of Classic Shell

  • Limited Official Support
    As Classic Shell is developed primarily by volunteers, official support may be limited compared to commercial software.
  • Complexity
    The extensive customization options might be overwhelming for less tech-savvy users, leading to a steeper learning curve.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    Although updated frequently, there can be temporary compatibility issues with the latest Windows updates, requiring users to wait for the next release.
  • Lack of Modern Features
    Classic Shell aims to replicate older versions of Windows Start Menus, which might lack some of the modern features available in the default Windows Start Menu.
  • Discontinued Development
    Official development of Classic Shell was discontinued in December 2017. While community forks like Open-Shell continue the project, the lack of official development could be seen as a disadvantage.

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

Analysis of Classic Shell

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Classic Shell is considered a good tool for those who want to enhance their Windows experience with more customization and a nod to classic Windows aesthetics. It's reliable, widely used, and addresses some of the usability concerns people have with newer Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Classic Shell is popular among users who prefer the familiar interface and user experience of older versions of Windows, particularly Windows 7 or even XP. It offers customization options for the Start Menu, Explorer, and other UI elements, allowing a more personalized and comfortable experience for those who are not fond of newer Windows UI changes.

Recommended for

    Classic Shell is recommended for users who miss the classic Windows Start menu and layout, those who find the new Windows designs less intuitive, and individuals who want more control over their interface customization. It's particularly suitable for people transitioning from older Windows versions to newer ones who wish to maintain a certain level of familiarity.

Classic Shell videos

Classic Shell with Windows 10!

More videos:

  • Review - Classic Shell Review | Make Windows 8 Like Windows 7 with Classic Shell
  • Review - Classic Shell 4.0.2 Review

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

Category Popularity

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

Classic Shell Reviews

We have no reviews of Classic Shell yet.
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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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Classic Shell seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 18 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Classic Shell mentions (18)

View more

AnyChart mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of AnyChart yet. Tracking of AnyChart recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

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

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.

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

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.

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

Start Menu Reviver - Free Download! Recover and update your computer with Driver Reviver and Registry Reviver. Easily update software, unlock new functionality and remove hardware device errors and clean, repair and optimize your registry in a few simple mouse clicks!

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.