Alternatives to Microsoft Gadgets

  • Rainmeter

    Rainmeter is a desktop customization platform. Through Rainmeter, you can enhance your Windows computer at home or work with skins: handy, compact applets which float freely on your desktop, much like Windows Sidebar gagdgets, or dashboard widgets f…

    Open Source Free Windows

    Rainmeter icon

  • Start8

    Return the Start Button to Windows 8 With these features: - Search for Windows 8-style (Modern UI) apps- Pin desktop and Metro apps to the start menu- Jump List support- Unified Search for apps, settings and files- Boot directly to the Windows 8 des…

    Commercial Windows

    Start8 icon

  • XWidget

    XWidget is a free desktop customization platform. It’s light, handy with powerful visual widget editor and very subtle animations. The Android page is found here: http://android.xwidget.com/

    Free Android Tablet Windows Android

    XWidget icon

  • KDE Plasma Workspaces

    Plasma Workspaces is the umbrella term for all graphical environments provided by KDE. Plasma separates components into "data engines" and their visualization counterparts. This is intended to reduce the total programming effort when there are multi…

    Open Source Free Linux

    KDE Plasma Workspaces icon

  • 8GadgetPack

    8GadgetPack makes it possible to use gadgets on Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10.

    Free Windows

    8GadgetPack icon

  • AveDesk

    AveDesk is a program that will give you the possibility to have icons on your desktop which could update themselves. Each icon of Avedesk is in fact a desklet, a little plug-in that can virtually do anything. A desklet can be just a regular shortcut…

    Free Windows

    AveDesk icon

  • Amnesty Generator

    Easily convert millions of web widgets, games and videos – designed to live on home pages, blogs or social network profiles – into gadgets for your Sidebar. If you like widgets on the web, you’ll love them on your Sidebar.

    Open Source Free Mac Windows

    Amnesty Generator icon

  • Winstep Xtreme

    An integrated workspace environment, Winstep Xtreme is a powerful suite of desktop enhancement utilities that merge incredible usability and performance with breathtaking eye candy. The Winstep Xtreme suite includes the following applications: Nexus…

    Commercial Windows

    Winstep Xtreme icon

  • ThemeWidgets

    Theme Widgets has eight small apps that run on your PC desktop. The apps cover different tasks such as: clock, calculator, weather, notes, calendar, timer, stopwatch and a whiteboard. This will hopefully grow over time. They all run independently so…

    Free Windows

    ThemeWidgets icon

  • gDesklets

    gDesklets is an architecture for "desklets", which are tiny applets sitting on your desktop in a symbiotic relationship of eye candy and usefulness. You can populate your desktop with status meters, icon bars, weather sensors, news tickers... whatev…

    Open Source Free BSD Linux

    gDesklets icon