MonitorDock vs SmartTaskbar

MonitorDock replaces taskbars on secondary monitors with individual docks and can optionally replace the primary monitor's taskbar too. Each monitor can have its own pinned apps, and running windows appear only on the monitor where they are located. Users can drag items to reorder them, pin apps or close windows from a right-click menu, and configure clicks to minimize windows. Bar height is configurable from 32–72px, while icon size ranges from 16–48px. MonitorDock can hide secondary Windows taskbars and keep windows from those monitors off the primary taskbar. It can start with Windows and runs in the system tray; double-clicking its tray icon opens the Control Panel. The v1.1.0 release says the dock hides while a fullscreen app is active on its monitor, then returns when fullscreen ends. The project is free and licensed under GNU GPL v3.0. Requirements are Windows 10/11 (64-bit). The README recommends a Windows installer and also documents building from source with the .NET 9 SDK. Settings and crash logs are stored under %AppData%\MonitorDock.

SmartTaskbar is a free Windows utility that changes whether the taskbar is shown or hidden. In Auto Mode, it hides the taskbar when the focused window intersects it. Double-clicking the tray icon switches between Show and Auto-Hide, while the taskbar status stays unchanged when the pointer is over the taskbar. Auto Mode follows Windows Auto-Hide behavior, so closing Start or Search may hide the taskbar before SmartTaskbar brings it back. Some applications with special maximization logic may not make the taskbar appear when the pointer moves to its position; the project suggests WIN+T as a workaround. Release notes say the hook can sometimes fail and advise restarting Explorer and SmartTaskbar or rebooting. Auto Mode may not work on Windows 10 versions released in 2019 or earlier, for which the notes suggest the Win10_1809 installer. The privacy statement says the app collects no user data, uses no telemetry, and stores settings offline locally, though it accesses the Registry to monitor and set taskbar settings. The project lists an MIT license and links to a Microsoft Store version described as less functional and stable.