Software Alternatives & Reviews

PortableApps.com VS Classic Shell

Compare PortableApps.com VS Classic Shell and see what are their differences

PortableApps.com logo PortableApps.com

PortableApps.com is a website offering many free, commonly used Windows applications that have been...

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.
  • PortableApps.com Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-02
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

PortableApps.com videos

PortableApps.com Review

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PortableApps.com and Classic Shell)
Note Taking
62 62%
38% 38
LMS
60 60%
40% 40
Bookmarks
73 73%
27% 27
OS & Utilities
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PortableApps.com should be more popular than Classic Shell. It has been mentiond 149 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.

PortableApps.com mentions (149)

  • Ask HN: Recommended lightweight apps like Paint.NET, Notepad++, SumatraPDF etc.
    If I'm on windows I like portable applications. I always have: https://portableapps.com/ "Installed" and if I'm looking for a program I tend to go here: https://www.portablefreeware.com/ first. There's also sysmenu: https://www.ugmfree.it/ Which has way more programs, and let's not forget nirsoft: https://www.nirsoft.net/ Someone's already mention sysinternals. Much as I like Linux over windows, portable app have... - Source: Hacker News / 26 days ago
  • I wanna switch browsers, any recommendations
    Until you can makeup your mind about a different browser, do what I normally do & check out this site: https://portableapps.com/ by utilizing this platform the ONLY software that actually gets installed to a users computer is the portableapps setup file so you can utilize the application itself. Source: 5 months ago
  • Is there a way to package a desktop app so that it can run in "any" environment?
    I would ask over at portableapps.com. Source: 5 months ago
  • Why do people still use VBA?
    >no software install... https://portableapps.com I think there's even a Lazarus IDE available for every company user who. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Portable browsers
    Can you suggest me portable browsers other than Vivaldi, Opera, Floorp and Librewolf? I want the Browser to have an official portable version. I know that portableapps.com exist, but I don't know if I can trust them. Source: 7 months ago
View more

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PortableApps.com and Classic Shell, you can also consider the following products

SyMenu - SyMenu is a portable menu launcher and Start Menu replacement to organize your applications quickly...

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

The Portable Freeware Collection - One of the largest collections of free, portable software on the web.

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.

PStart - PStart is a simple tray tool to start user defined 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.