I've used the two best Start menu replacements — here's what I recommend

Summary

• Start11 offers extensive customization options for appearance and organization, making the Start menu and taskbar much richer.
• StartAllBack, while lacking in options compared to Start11, still offers color and transparency settings and dynamic taskbar elements.
• StartAllBack enhances File Explorer with a Windows 10-style ribbon menu and consistent dark mode, making it a strong alternative to Start11.

As many users have found themselves unhappy with the Start menu on Windows 11, a lot of options have popped up to help you replace it with a better alternative. Two of the top options you'll find out there are Start11 and StartAllBack, both of which have a long legacy as Windows Start menu replacements.

We've tested both of these products extensively, and now, we're here to tell you which one you should choose. For that, let's take a closer look at what which one does better and see what makes the most sense for your needs.

Customization and looks

Start11 has so many options

Right off the bat, looks are one of the main reasons you're probably getting one of these apps, and in that regard, Start11 comes out ahead in terms of the sheer number of options available. Start11 has seven Start menu styles, many of which include multiple sub-styles. Those include a Windows 7 style, one inspired by Windows 8, a Windows 10 style, and multiple different takes on the Windows 11 Start menu. You can adjust the color and transparency of the menus, or even add a custom texture from the ones included (or even use your own image for the background).

All of that also applies to the taskbar, and you can customize them separately for a fully custom look. On top of that, Start11 integrates with Stardock's WindowBlinds, so you can also choose from a myriad of custom themes for the Start menu and taskbar if you have that app, too. That app does cost $20, though, so it's not a great selling point.

StartAllBack is no slouch, either, to be fair. It too offers color and transparency settings, plus you can choose the type of blur effect you want the Start menu and taskbar to have (including none at all), so you have plenty of options for how things look. The taskbar also has some interesting options, such as dynamic transparency or the ability to show taskbar elements as segments, with the empty space being transparent.

However, StartAllBack lacks the sheer amount of options that Start11 has. At the end of the day, all the StartAllBack menu options are essentially the Windows 7 style with different looks, and you can't set a custom texture as the background for the taskbar or Start menu.

StartAllBack still looks great though

That being said, I do want to highlight StartAllBack's overall appearance, because it still looks great. For example, the dynamic transparency option makes it so that the taskbar stops being transparent if there's a full-height app open, which actually makes the taskbar look better in most situations. When nothing is open, it's fully transparent and you can enjoy your desktop background to its fullest, but when there's a full screen app, seeing the desktop background on the taskbar alone doesn't make a lot of sense, so it becomes visible again.

I also absolutely have to mention the super-smooth animation when opening the Start11 Start menu, at least when using the Windows 10-style design. It's easily the most pleasant experience I've had opening the Start menu, which sounds weird to say, but it's true.

Does that make up for Start11's outstanding amount of variety? No, but both options are still great in their own respects.

Winner: Start11

Productivity

The Start menu options in Start11 make it a powerhouse

Start menu replacements are about more than just looks, and when it comes to productivity, both of these apps have a lot to offer, but Start11 kind of runs away with this one. What they have in common is that both let you bring back the Windows 7-style Start menu, which you may find more productive. Both also let you greatly customize the list of links to system settings and folders, so you can either have them as simple links or as menus, making it so that they open a dropdown menu directly on the Start menu.

But from here, there really isn't much of a competition, especially because Start11 v2 introduced a handful of Start menu designs that change the game completely. Start11's styles based on Windows 11 let you do so much with the Start menu. You can create groups of apps on the Start menu so you can have them separated based on their purpose, like having a group for your image editing tools or one for your social apps. But then you can also create tabs in these groups, so, and even create multiple pages to have more groups and icons in. This can effectively turn the Start11 Start menu into the launchpad for any and all apps on your PC while keeping them all organized and tidy.

But that's not all. You can add folders from your PC to the Start menu and have them appear as groups, so you have quick access to your files, too. You can even make sub-folders open as menus so you barely have to open File Explorer to find what you're looking for. You can apply custom filters to folders in the Start menu so you only see specific content, too. You have everything you want right in the Start menu organized in the way you prefer. The possibilities are virtually endless here.

This, paired with Start menu styles like the Windows App style, which is my personal favorite, make Start11 an absolute powerhouse.

Winner: Start11

The extras

StartAllBack also makes File Explorer better

While both Start11 and StartAllBack focus primarily on enhancing the Start menu and taskbar, I want to touch on one last point that strongly favors StartAllBack. Start11 doesn't change much aside from the Start menu and taskbar, though it also includes some additional search settings, and it can even integrate with another tool called Everything Search, which is a lightweight and fast search engine for your local files, replacing the native Windows search. However, that's about it.

StartAllBack, though, includes some enhancements I absolutely love. Most notably, it can make the Windows 11 File Explorer so much better. If you don't like the Windows 11 command bar, you can replace it with a Windows 10-style ribbon menu, except the icons are all fully updated to match the Windows 11 style, and it looks fantastic with the modern File Explorer. You can also use the Windows 7 command barm but I see no reason to use anything other than the Windows 10 ribbon.

Not only that, but StartAllBack goes the extra mile and even fixes the inconsistent dark mode in File Explorer. With this app, file transfer dialogs and Properties windows all follow the dark mode setting, something Microsoft still hasn't done on its own for some reason. I love the extra consistency this tool brings to Windows 11.

Winner: StartAllBack

Start11 is better, but both are excellent

And StartAllBack is a bit cheaper

It's fairly obvious based on all of the above that Start11 is the objectively better app when it comes to replacing and improving on the Start menu in Windows 11. In fact, that's the option I've stuck with after using and reviewing both of these tools. What seals the deal for me is how much more quickly I can access anything I want using the Start11 Start menu and its never-ending customization options. It's a true productivity tool, and if you can spare the $7 it costs, it's an easy recommendation.

That being said, I love StartAllBack, too. I love the smooth animations and the customization options it offers, while less varied, are well thought-out. Plus, the enhancements to File Explorer are a big bonus. And it's worth noting StartAllBack has a slightly cheaper $5 license.