
Fences
Start Menu X
Start Menu Reviver
Open Shell
StartAllBack
Power8
StartIsBack
Classic Shell was developed for Windows 8 since that was the first version of the popular operating system to forgo the iconic Start menu.

1-Click Deploy
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Which is more popular?
Based on our record, Classic Shell seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 18 times since March 2021.
Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.
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| Website | classicshell.net | cloudploy.com |
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In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.


No description of Classic Shell yet.
Add an API key. Your agent deploys from Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP client. Bring your own Ubuntu/AWS server or provision Hetzner/DigitalOcean/AWS at cost. Flat plan for the control plane; compute at the provider’s rate. Free forever: 1 small server, 1 app.
What each product offers, as listed by its team.


Possible disadvantages
Possible disadvantages
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.


Overall verdict
Why this product is good
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.
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Walkthroughs and reviews on video.
Classic Shell with Windows 10!
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How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.


Share your experience with using Classic Shell and CloudPloy. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.


There's a great add-on called... ClassicShell http://classicshell.net/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
Windows Classic Shell is what I have used for over a decade. It brings back the old start menu and can be customized. Source: over 3 years ago
ClassicShell is no longer being developed. OpenShell succeeded it. (c.f., http://classicshell.net/). Source: almost 4 years ago
Tracking CloudPloy since Sep 2026.
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Start Menu X with Start Button. Power users know how inconvenient and time-consuming it is to launch programs from the system menu.
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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!
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Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start...
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StartAllBack is software that helps to customize the start menu to Windows 7 & 8.
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