Best Starling Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from start menu customization software ranked against Starling on the same published basis.
- 1Starling vs Seelen UI
- 2Starling vs Launchy
- 3Starling vs Open-Shell Menu
- 4Starling vs Start Menu X
- 5Starling vs ExplorerPatcher
- 6Starling vs Start Menu Reviver
- 7Starling vs StartIsBack
- 8Starling vs Cairo Desktop Environment
- 9Starling vs ViStart
- 10Starling vs Power8
- 11Starling vs Keypirinha
- 13Starling vs Start Menu 8
- 14Starling vs Start Everywhere
- 15Starling vs StartAllBack
- 16Starling vs Fluent Search
- 17Starling vs Windhawk
- 18Starling vs Listary
- 19Starling vs Win9xplorer
- 20Starling vs PExplorer
- 21Starling vs Wox
Starling alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seelen UI | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 2 | Launchy | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Open-Shell Menu | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 4 | Start Menu X | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 5 | ExplorerPatcher | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 6 | Start Menu Reviver | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 7 | StartIsBack | 7.4 | No | — | Windows |
| 8 | Cairo Desktop Environment | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 9 | ViStart | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 10 | Power8 | 7.0 | No | — | Windows |
| 11 | Keypirinha | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 13 | Start Menu 8 | 6.8 | No | — | Windows |
| 14 | Start Everywhere | 6.8 | No | — | Windows |
| 15 | StartAllBack | 6.7 | No | — | Windows |
| 16 | Fluent Search | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 17 | Windhawk | 6.6 | No | — | Windows |
| 18 | Listary | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Windows |
| 19 | Win9xplorer | 6.5 | No | — | Windows |
| 20 | PExplorer | 6.2 | No | — | Windows |
| 21 | Wox | 6.2 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
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Questions about Starling alternatives
What is the best alternative to Starling?
Seelen UI, number 1 in start menu customization software with a score of 8.3 out of 10. The others here: Launchy, Open-Shell Menu, Start Menu X and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Starling?
Seelen UI is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.