SpringDeskSpringDesk or Fences?
Fences from Stardock is the best-known desktop organizer for Windows. If you're looking for an alternative, maybe because of the subscription, here is how SpringDesk compares, what it does differently, and when Fences is the better choice.
I make SpringDesk, so I'm not neutral. I've stuck to facts you can check and linked my sources for Fences at the bottom. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell me and I'll fix it.
The short answer
SpringDesk suits you if you're on Windows 11 and want a desktop organizer made for it: clear glass boxes that look like part of Windows, new files that sort themselves with no rules to set up, Space to look inside a file and typing on the desktop to find one, all for one payment that costs less than a year of Fences.
Fences suits you if you need Windows 10, custom sorting rules (by name, date or where a file came from), colors and icon tint for each fence, or Peek, which brings your fences above open windows. It has been around much longer and has more settings.
Price
| SpringDesk | Fences 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (US) | US$7.99 once; US$4.99 until January 1, 2027 | US$9.99 a year, or US$29.99 for a permanent Fences 6 license |
| Updates | Included | Subscription: every version while it's active. Permanent license: Fences 6.x; the next major version is a paid upgrade |
| Free trial | 7 days | Yes |
| Where to get it | Microsoft Store | Stardock's website, Steam |
| Multiple PCs | Installs on the Windows PCs signed in with your Microsoft account | Separate 5-PC plans |
Prices in other countries follow the Microsoft Store's local pricing.
Features side by side
| SpringDesk | Fences 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Boxes for desktop icons | Yes; they snap to a grid and never overlap | Yes (fences) |
| Tabs | Yes | Yes |
| Roll up to the title bar | Yes | Yes |
| Show a folder on the desktop | Folder boxes | Folder Portals |
| Sort new files automatically | By file type, ready from the first run; nothing to set up | Rules you set up, by file type, name, time and target |
| Preview a file with Space | Pictures, video, music, text and PDFs | — |
| Type on the desktop to search | Yes, or Ctrl+Alt+Space from anywhere | — |
| Bring boxes above windows | — | Peek (Win+Space) |
| Hide all icons quickly | Windows' own "Show desktop icons" hides the boxes too | Quick-hide |
| Look | Clear glass that follows the wallpaper, live wallpapers included; frosts over at lower transparency. Light and dark | Shaded areas; color, transparency, tab style and icon tint per fence |
| Windows | Windows 11 | Windows 10 and 11, including ARM |
| Languages | English, Chinese | 11 languages |
A dash means I couldn't find the feature in that product's documentation in October 2026.
What SpringDesk does differently
The desktop stays sorted by itself
SpringDesk sorts your desktop into boxes on its first run. After that, a file you save or download to the desktop goes straight to a tab for its type: documents, spreadsheets, slides, PDFs, pictures, and optionally videos, archives, installers and links. Anything it can't place waits in the Inbox. There are no rules to write; the trade-off is that you can't sort by name or date the way Fences rules can.
Space to preview, typing to search
Select an icon and press Space to see a picture, video, song, text file or PDF without opening an app, as on a Mac. Click the desktop and start typing to find anything in any box, including inside folder boxes.
Made for Windows 11
Boxes are clear glass: only their edges catch the light, the wallpaper shows through, live wallpapers included, and on a busy wallpaper you can lower the transparency to frost them over. Right-clicking gives you Windows' own menu, and drag and drop, cut, copy, paste and F2 work as they do on the desktop. SpringDesk keeps a separate layout for each resolution and scaling, so your boxes come back where they were after Remote Desktop or a new monitor, and it backs up your layout every day.
Where Fences is ahead
- Windows 10 and ARM PCs. SpringDesk is Windows 11 only.
- Rules. Fences can sort by name, date and more; SpringDesk sorts by type only.
- Customizing each fence. Colors, icon tint, Chameleon (icons that fade into the background) and more styling options.
- Peek and quick-hide. Bring fences over your windows with Win+Space, or hide everything with a double-click.
- Track record. Fences has been around for many years. SpringDesk is new: it reached the Microsoft Store in October 2026.
Switching from Fences
- Quit Fences. If it's still running, SpringDesk will ask you to quit it first, because two organizers can't manage the same desktop.
- Get SpringDesk from the Microsoft Store and start it. It sorts your desktop into boxes for apps, files, folders and downloads.
- Rearrange from there: drag icons between boxes, rename boxes, drop one box onto another to make tabs.
Fences layouts can't be imported, but your files are in your Desktop folder either way, so nothing needs to move. SpringDesk never moves or deletes your files; it only shows them.
Try SpringDesk free for 7 days
Then a one-time purchase. No account, no ads, no data collected.
Questions
Is there a Fences alternative without a subscription?
Yes. SpringDesk is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store (US$7.99, or US$4.99 until January 1, 2027) with a 7-day free trial. Free options include Nimi Places, Portals and the open-source Desktop Frames+; see desktop organizers for Windows 11, compared.
Can I import my Fences layout into SpringDesk?
No. SpringDesk sorts your desktop into boxes by type on its first run, and you rearrange from there. Your files themselves stay in your Desktop folder.
Can I run Fences and SpringDesk at the same time?
No. Both manage the desktop icons and would get in each other's way, so SpringDesk asks you to quit Fences before it starts.
Does SpringDesk work on Windows 10?
No, SpringDesk needs Windows 11. Fences supports both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Sources
- Stardock, Fences 6 product page: features, system requirements, languages (checked October 22, 2026)
- BetaNews, Fences 6.0 release: US$9.99 a year or US$29.99 permanent
- XDA Developers, Fences 6 hands-on: what the one-time license covers
- Neowin, Stardock releases Fences 6 with tab support
Fences and Stardock are trademarks of Stardock Corporation. SpringDesk is not affiliated with Stardock.