Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Classic Shell VS bbLean

Compare Classic Shell VS bbLean and see what are their differences

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.

bbLean logo bbLean

Alternative Windows shell
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • bbLean Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-03-31

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

bbLean videos

Blackbox for Windows | bbLean for Windows

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Classic Shell and bbLean)
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
OS & Utilities
70 70%
30% 30
LMS
100 100%
0% 0
Personalization
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Classic Shell and bbLean. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Classic Shell seems to be a lot more popular than bbLean. While we know about 18 links to Classic Shell, we've tracked only 1 mention of bbLean. 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)

  • Scrollbars Are Becoming a Problem
    There's a great add-on called... ClassicShell http://classicshell.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • What software would be used to remove the red elements and change the layout of the tray icon?
    Windows Classic Shell is what I have used for over a decade. It brings back the old start menu and can be customized. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Microsoft is turning Windows 11's Start Menu into an advertisement delivery system
    ClassicShell is no longer being developed. OpenShell succeeded it. (c.f., http://classicshell.net/). Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is it possible to install windows 8.1 on the surface pro 5?
    Http://classicshell.net/This lets you pick UI goodness you want. Source: over 1 year ago
  • looking for a taskbar replacement
    Other, non-rainmeter options that I'm aware of include TranslucentTB and Classic Shell (note: Open Shell is the newer version, but I'm unsure if it has the same features). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

bbLean mentions (1)

  • A forgotten webpage: Stardock.com - This year in skinning (2002) - Windows XP skins
    I used to love this stuff, I had a sick bblean setup. Now I'm old and lazy and I leave everything default and make my desktop background a solid color. Source: almost 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

Open Shell - Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start...

WindowBlinds - WindowBlinds is a computer program that allows users to skin the Windows graphical user interface.

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.

Cairo Shell - Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows.

StartIsBack - StartIsBack returns Windows 10 and Windows 8 a real fully featured start menu and start button, behaving exactly like the ones in Windows 7. It's totally awesome and easy solution for your new Windows woes.

Talisman Desktop - Talisman Desktop is a configurable Windows shell replacement introduced in 1997 by Lighttek...