DeskBox vs Paddock

DeskBox is a free Windows app for organizing desktop files in boxes, mapped folders, stacks, and groups. File boxes support drag and drop, renaming, deletion, opening, and locating items in File Explorer. Mapped folders appear on the desktop without changing the original folder location. Similar files can be stacked manually or automatically, and grouped boxes can be switched with the mouse wheel or Ctrl+Tab. A cleanup flow lets users select files individually, include the public desktop, and resume an interrupted cleanup. Built-in boxes cover files, to-dos, notes, and music controls. DeskBox says files, to-dos, notes, and cache remain on the computer and are not uploaded to the cloud by default. Its built-in boxes have no feature restrictions, ads, or subscriptions; the app is listed as GPL-3.0-only with free personal use. It supports Windows 10 version 21H2 or later and Windows 11, with some materials and animations reduced on Windows 10. Direct installers support x64 or ARM64.

Paddock is a free, open-source Windows desktop icon organizer that groups icons into styled zones. Users can create resizable areas and set each zone’s transparency, background color, corner radius, and title visibility. Icons can be sorted by name, modification date, file type, or file size, in either direction. Zones can be hidden or shown from the tray icon or with the default Ctrl+F12 shortcut, then rolled up to their title strips. Named layout profiles can be saved, switched, and exported as .paddock files for sharing. Paddock adds native Windows context menus such as Open, Open With, and Properties. Items moved into zones are stored in hidden folders under the Desktop; removing a zone or dragging an item out returns them without deleting or overwriting files. It requires Windows 10 version 1903 or later, or Windows 11.