Software Alternatives & Startups

Polychromatic VS ShellNewHandler

Compare Polychromatic VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

Polychromatic

Graphical front end and tray applet for configuring Razer peripherals on GNU/Linux.

Rating
0 reviews
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Polychromatic should be more popular than ShellNewHandler. It has been mentioned 4 times since March 2021.

social mentions
4 vs 2
Gaming popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Polychromatic
ShellNewHandler
Website github.com sourceforge.net
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Polychromatic 5 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Polychromatic offers a user-friendly graphical interface to manage Razer devices, making it accessible for users who prefer not to use command-line tools.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Polychromatic allows users to contribute to its development, customize it according to their needs, and ensure transparency.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Polychromatic runs on Linux, which provides a solution for Linux users who own Razer devices and want to control their features without relying on proprietary software.
  • Community Support
    Polychromatic benefits from active community support, where users can get help, share ideas, and stay updated on the latest developments.
  • Integration with OpenRazer
    It integrates with OpenRazer, providing comprehensive support for controlling a wide range of Razer hardware features.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited to Razer Devices
    Polychromatic is specifically designed for Razer hardware, limiting its usefulness to owners of these products.
  • Linux-Only
    The software is only available for Linux, which can be a drawback for users on other operating systems who want similar functionality.
  • Dependency on OpenRazer
    As it relies on OpenRazer, any issues or limitations within OpenRazer can directly affect the performance and capabilities of Polychromatic.
  • Potential for Software Conflicts
    Running Polychromatic alongside official Razer software (if available for dual-boot systems) might lead to conflicts or unexpected behavior.
  • Updates and Maintenance
    Being community-driven, the frequency and speed of updates and maintenance might vary, sometimes lagging behind official alternatives.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

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

Polychromatic
ShellNewHandler

No analysis of Polychromatic yet.

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Polychromatic 3 videos + Add
ShellNewHandler 0 videos + Add

Polychromatic Review | Show and Tell | Polychromatic Gameplay

More videos

  • - Polychromatic Review
  • - Polychromatic Xbox One Review

No ShellNewHandler videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Polychromatic
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Polychromatic and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Polychromatic 4 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions
  • Hardware Brand
    I've tried multiple different brands of keyboards and mice and all of them worked well with Linux, often even if Linux wasn't advertised on the box (I wouldn't bet on that though). More well known brands have better support e.g. Razer... Source: over 4 years ago
  • Razer blackwidow keyboard backlights
    I re-installed open-razer on Ubuntu and also installed Polychromatic. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Work towards a standard appindicator protocol has started (with support from GNOME and KDE)
    Some apps are still using appindicator like Polychromatic (https://github.com/polychromatic/polychromatic) and it's a buggy mess. I hope this time they make something good and not something totally crap that is going to be a problem for... Source: almost 5 years ago

View more

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to Polychromatic and ShellNewHandler

When comparing Polychromatic and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.