Software Alternatives & Startups

ShellNewHandler VS SideNote Pro

Compare ShellNewHandler VS SideNote Pro and see what are their differences

ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
SideNote Pro

Native Windows 11 AI assistant that stays beside your work. Connect your own cloud AI provider or local model without switching apps.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Free trial $49 / One-off (1 User 2 Devices)
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, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
2 vs 0
File Sharing popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

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

ShellNewHandler
SideNote Pro
Website sourceforge.net sidenotepro.com
Pricing —
Free trial $49 / One-off (1 User 2 Devices) Official pricing
Platforms —
Windows
Company — Startup from Estonia · 10 - 19 employees · 2026
Listed in

About ShellNewHandler and SideNote Pro

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

ShellNewHandler
SideNote Pro

No description of ShellNewHandler yet.

SideNote Pro is a native Windows 11 AI assistant designed to stay beside the applications you already use instead of requiring constant switching to a browser or separate AI workspace. It can stay always on top, dock to the right side of the desktop, retract into a compact edge handle, and be...

Read more about SideNote Pro

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

ShellNewHandler 0 features
SideNote Pro 8 features

No features have been listed yet.

  • Native Windows assistant
    Built for Windows 11 with an always-on-top, dockable desktop interface
  • Multiple AI providers
    Supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints
  • Local AI models
    Connects directly to Ollama and LM Studio running on the PC
  • Selected-text actions
    Summarize, rewrite, explain, translate or ask AI using global keyboard shortcuts
  • Documents & images
    Supports screenshots, images, PDF, Word, text and Markdown files
  • Local folder context
    Index selected folders locally and use relevant file content as AI context
  • Local-first privacy
    Conversation history, settings and folder indexes remain on the Windows PC
  • Docked drawer mode
    Stays beside your work and retracts into a compact right-edge handle when not needed

Analysis

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

ShellNewHandler
SideNote Pro

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

No analysis of SideNote Pro yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

ShellNewHandler 0 videos + Add
SideNote Pro 1 video + Add

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

AI beside your work, without the context switch.

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
ShellNewHandler
SideNote Pro
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing ShellNewHandler and SideNote Pro.

What makes your product unique?

SideNote Pro's answer:

SideNote Pro is designed as a native Windows companion rather than another AI destination. It can stay beside the application you are working in, remain always on top, dock to the edge of the desktop, and retract into a small handle when not needed. It also uses a bring-your-own-provider model, supporting both cloud AI services and local models through Ollama or LM Studio.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

SideNote Pro's answer:

SideNote Pro is aimed at users who want AI available inside their normal Windows workflow without constantly switching to a browser or separate workspace. It combines a native Windows interface with global shortcuts, selected-text actions, documents, images, local folder context, multiple AI providers, and local model support. Users choose their own AI provider instead of being tied to a bundled subscription.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

SideNote Pro's answer:

Windows 11 users who regularly use AI while working in applications such as browsers, Office tools, creative software, development environments, and other desktop applications. It is particularly suited to people who want quick access to cloud or local AI models without interrupting their existing workflow.

What's the story behind your product?

SideNote Pro's answer:

SideNote Pro started from a simple frustration: using AI for small tasks often meant leaving the application being worked in, finding the browser, switching to an AI tab, asking the question, and then returning to the original task. The goal became to keep the assistant beside the work instead. What began as a compact chat window gradually expanded with selected-text actions, documents, images, local folder context, multiple providers, local AI models, and a dockable Windows interface.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

SideNote Pro's answer:

C#, .NET 10, WinUI 3, Windows App SDK, and OpenAI-compatible APIs. SideNote Pro is a native Windows 11 x64 desktop application.

User comments

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

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

ShellNewHandler 2 mentions
SideNote Pro 0 mentions
  • 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

Tracking SideNote Pro since Sep 2026.