Software Alternatives & Reviews

Classic Shell VS StartIsBack

Compare Classic Shell VS StartIsBack and see what are their differences

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.

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.
  • Classic Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • StartIsBack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21

Classic Shell

Categories
  • OS & Utilities
  • Note Taking
  • LMS
  • Bookmarks
Website classicshell.net  
Details $

StartIsBack

Categories
  • OS & Utilities
  • Note Taking
  • LMS
  • Bookmarks
Website startisback.com  
Details $-

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

StartIsBack videos

StartisBack++ 2.6.2 | Review | Full Version | Full Function | 2018

More videos:

  • Review - Customize Windows 10 With StartIsBack++ And Visual Styles
  • Tutorial - StartIsBack Windows 8 App Review - How to Get the Windows 7 Start Menu in Windows 8

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Classic Shell and StartIsBack)
Note Taking
55 55%
45% 45
LMS
52 52%
48% 48
OS & Utilities
53 53%
47% 47
Bookmarks
64 64%
36% 36

User comments

Share your experience with using Classic Shell and StartIsBack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Classic Shell should be more popular than StartIsBack. It has been mentiond 18 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.

Classic Shell mentions (18)

  • Scrollbars Are Becoming a Problem
    There's a great add-on called... ClassicShell http://classicshell.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 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: 11 months 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: almost 2 years ago
View more

StartIsBack mentions (10)

  • PSA: If anyone wants a better start menu experience on Windows, install Open Shell
    If you use Windows 10, startisback is by the same dev as StartAllBack: http://startisback.com/. Source: about 1 year ago
  • I made Windows 10 look like Windows 8.1
    Just a sec, I made Windows 10 look like Windows 8.1 with Startisback (get it at startisback.com if you don't have it). Source: over 1 year ago
  • Glad to say I stayed with vegas pro since i started editing about 7 years ago. Just finished cutting 1000+ clips from EOS r6 10bit clog3 and a7iii 8bit final time of 1 and half hour in my laptop and it never had a single hic-cup. Might be due to the last build 636 update that it is much stable now.
    Haha..got you there....its a windows 10 and I added startallback (https://startisback.com) for that sweet windows 7 logo only. I hate that boxy logo design of win 10. It's a msi prestige 15 11th gen i7 with 16gb ram. Video cards are Intel Iris Xe and Nvidia 1650. The intel graphics tends to do better when selected as primary for vegas pro since it runs parallel with nvidia and can decode faster that way. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Everyday Im reminded I will lose Windows 8.1 in less then a year. I saw some people posting their setups so I thought it might be a not bad idea to post mine.
    Non-free: https://startisback.com/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Honestly, Windows 11 is not that impressive.
    StartAllBack, startisback.com, 30-day trial and $4.99 after that. I wasn't totally satisficed with it. When Start11 added the Windows 10 start menu, I went back to it. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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.

Start8 - Start8 returns the familiar Start menu to Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system.

Start Menu Reviver - 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!

Start11 - Start11 is a program that gives you the flexibility to customize your PC’s start menu and Windows taskbar with a tile-based interface that scrolls between large display images.

Power8 - Start menu replacement for Windows