RetroBar vs Taskbar Hide

RetroBar is a free Windows taskbar replacement that recreates Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, or Vista styles. It includes a notification area with balloon notifications, a task list supporting UWP apps and drag reordering, and a Quick Launch toolbar. Users can choose built-in themes, install custom themes, and adjust layout and appearance. The taskbar can sit on any screen edge, span multiple rows, and appear on multiple monitors. Additional options include a modern Start button, optional clock, auto-hide, Vista-style window thumbnails, and an input-language and keyboard-layout switcher. RetroBar supports Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11, and requires Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime. It comes as an installer or portable version. The installer can obtain the runtime when needed, but it is unsigned and Windows Defender may require confirmation.

Taskbar Hide is a free application for Windows 10 and 11 that hides and shows the taskbar. It provides a system tray icon and menu, as well as a command-line interface with start, show, hide, toggle, stop, help, and autostart commands. The app prevents multiple instances from running. Its project describes the executable as approximately 600 KB, self-contained, and built with static CRT linking. Downloads are available for Windows x64 and ARM64 as an MSI installer or a portable ZIP. The ZIP can be extracted and run without installation; the MSI configures PATH for command-line access. Autostart commands add or remove an entry in the current user's Windows Run registry key. The project says it is compatible with YASB and other custom status bars using the Shell_TrayWnd class name. One operational detail: CLI commands to show, hide, or stop the app require its GUI to be running. The repository is published under the MIT license.