Software Alternatives & Reviews

Synapse VS Classic Shell

Compare Synapse VS Classic Shell and see what are their differences

Synapse logo Synapse

Synapse is a semantic launcher written in Vala that you can use to start applications as well as find and access relevant documents and files by making use of the Zeitgeist engine.

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.
  • Synapse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Synapse videos

Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod Disc Red eTap | Review | Cycling Weekly

More videos:

  • Review - Cannondale Synapse Review - Endurance Road Bike
  • Review - CANNONDALE SYNAPSE REVIEW (AFTER 9 MONTHS!)

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 Synapse and Classic Shell)
App Launcher
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
LMS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Synapse and Classic Shell

Synapse Reviews

Top Big Data Tools For 2021
Azure is a cloud computing platform that serves as a basis for many data solutions. As explained previously in another post on this blog, Synapse Analytics is a rebranded version of the Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Among the improvements included in the new version, it is worth noting that now it integrates with Apache Spark and makes it possible to combine data warehousing and...

Classic Shell Reviews

We have no reviews of Classic Shell yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Classic Shell seems to be a lot more popular than Synapse. While we know about 18 links to Classic Shell, we've tracked only 1 mention of Synapse. 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.

Synapse mentions (1)

  • Opportunistic, pragmatic Pop!
    Ditch Cosmic's launcher. It is underpowered. The best launcher to this day is still Synapse, even though it is not in active development anymore. It still has great potential and could easily be extended to really fit into Pop while providing some new functions nothing else has. Source: over 2 years ago

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
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Synapse and Classic Shell, you can also consider the following products

Gnome Do - Simple, sleek, swift, smart. Do. GNOME Do allows you to quickly search for many items present on your desktop or the web, and perform useful actions on those items. GNOME Do is inspired by Quicksilver & GNOME Launch Box.

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

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

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.

Gnome-Pie - Gnome-Pie is a circular application launcher for Linux.

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.