Fences AlternativesOnly apps categorised as File Managers

The best File Manager alternative to Fences is Portals: Desktop Organization, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Fences and six of them are File Managers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting File Manager alternatives to Fences are Tokri, Nimi Places, Sparkle AI and Floxtop.

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Fences alternatives are mainly File Managers, but if you're looking for Desktop Customization Tools or Application Launchers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows + Free, Mac, Linux, Free, Desktop Customization and Windows. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Fences.
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Alternatives list

  1. Portals: Desktop Organization icon

    Portals: Desktop Organization

     69 likes

    Create containers (aka Portals) on your desktop which show the contents of a specified folder. Divide your desktop into folders then use Portals to display the contents of the folders in an organized fashion - you can even hide the folders away somewhere else.

    19 Portals: Desktop Organization alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portals: Desktop Organization screenshot 1
     
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    2
    13
    Comments about Portals: Desktop Organization as an Alternative to Fences
    Ross Patterson
    Positive
    0

    It looks like windows native.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Free and beautiful. A must have.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Fences Icon
    Portals: Desktop Organization icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Portals: Desktop Organization is a great Fences alternative.

    • Portals: Desktop Organization is the most popular Windows alternative to Fences.

    • Portals: Desktop Organization is the most popular free alternative to Fences.

    • Portals: Desktop Organization is Free and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Portals: Desktop Organization is Lightweight and CustomizableFences is not according to our users
  2. Tokri icon

    Tokri

     12 likes

    Desktop basket utility for collecting text, files, images, and URLs with drag and drop. Supports moving or copying between apps via keyboard shortcuts. Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Flatpak. Minimalist, open-source, local temporary file management solution.

    19 Tokri alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flatpak
    Tokri screenshot 1
     

    • Tokri is the most popular Mac & Linux alternative to Fences.

    • Tokri is the most popular Open Source alternative to Fences.

    • Tokri is Free and Open SourceFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Tokri is Lightweight and Privacy focusedFences is not according to our users
  4. Nimi Places icon

    Nimi Places

     55 likes

    Organizes desktop into customizable containers showing folder contents as icons/thumbnails on a scrollable surface. Has lots of management features: e.g. labelling; sort by category; time & location based settings. Thumbnails are displayed for supported Open Documents, PSD images & PDFs.

    24 Nimi Places alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Nimi Places screenshot 1
     
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    7
    79
    Comments about Nimi Places as an Alternative to Fences
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    3

    Free, and it works almost the same. Just has a little more setup than Fences does.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    6

    This performs ONE of Fences' secondary functions: displaying the contents of directories OTHER THAN the Desktop as virtual containers on the Desktop. IT IS NOT for organizing Desktop icons/files or setting up automatic rules for categorization of new Desktop icons/files.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    Nimi Places is not an exact replica of Fences, but(!) it will give you the look and feel. Instead of everything being on your desktop, it links it a folder. I am just going to change my behavior a tad and just know that my files, when placed in the fence, are not stored on the actual desktop. I still have easy access to move the files between the desktop to fence and vice versa, which is most important to me.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 7 comments
    Fences Icon
    Nimi Places icon

    • Some users think Nimi Places is a great Fences alternative, some don't.

    • Nimi Places is Free Personal and ProprietaryFences is Paid and Proprietary
    • Nimi Places is LightweightFences is not according to our users
  5. Sparkle AI icon

    Sparkle AI

     8 likes

    Sparkle uses AI to create a unique folder system and organize every new file (and all your old ones) into the right place. It manages your Downloads, Desktop, and Documents folders so you don't have to.

    29 Sparkle AI alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Sparkle AI screenshot 1
     

    • Sparkle AI is the most popular commercial alternative to Fences.

    • Sparkle AI is Paid and ProprietaryFences is also Paid and Proprietary
  6. Floxtop icon

    Floxtop

     3 likes

    AI-powered Mac file organizer with smart renaming. Automatically sorts files by content and suggests intelligent filenames. Supports 50+ languages. 100% private, offline, no subscriptions.

    29 Floxtop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Floxtop screenshot 1
     
  7. WFolder icon

    WFolder

     1 like

    Windows application for creating widgets, which can be linked to folders (except the Recycle Bin), creating notes (WNotes), or creating shortcut containers (WLinks). From within the widgets, you can interact with files and other folders.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    WFolder screenshot 1
     
6 of 6 Fences alternatives