Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Classic Shell VS Cairo-Dock

Compare Classic Shell VS Cairo-Dock 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.

Cairo-Dock logo Cairo-Dock

Cairo-Dock / GLX-Dock 3. 4 is now available. Cairo-Dock 3. 4 is finally released! One year after the 3.
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • Cairo-Dock Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

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

Cairo-Dock videos

Cairo Dock on Linux Mint Cinnamon

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Classic Shell and Cairo-Dock)
Note Taking
69 69%
31% 31
App Launcher
0 0%
100% 100
LMS
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Classic Shell and Cairo-Dock. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Classic Shell should be more popular than Cairo-Dock. 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)

  • 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

Cairo-Dock mentions (3)

  • With Latte Dock no longer being maintained, what's another good Dock to use for KDE?
    Have you tried Cario-Dock? Its not a native KDE app, but it does support KDE integration. I installed it on KDE Neon after the Latte Dock announcement. No crashes, and it has a lot of features. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Some Skeuomorphic Icons and Themes for Linux Devices
    If you like Macs, the dock program Cairo-Dock has a bunch of built in themes, including one to look like the OSX style dock with the cool reflections: https://glx-dock.org. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How can I get this type of look on a Dock?
    The closest thing you can do this is with cairo dock. It take some time, to customize it to make it look like what you see in the picture. It was a trend a decade ago, but not sure how much the package is maintained right now. For alternative you can check out docky which works pretty well with Gnome and its cousins, and if you are using KDE I better advice you to stick with latte dock. Source: about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Classic Shell and Cairo-Dock, 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...

RocketDock - RocketDock is a Mac OS X dock clone.

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.

DockbarX - DockbarX is a standalone dock that groups and launches applications.

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.

ObjectDock - ObjectDock is the most popular animated dock for Windows.