Everything vs Open-Shell (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Open-Shell grades higher than Everything: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Open-Shell grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Open-Shell
Free classic-style Start menu and Explorer tweaks for Windows
Free
Which one is for you
Pick Everything if
- Fits if you know roughly what a file is called but not where you put it
- Works for drives holding hundreds of thousands of files, or millions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, as it only runs on Windows
- Not for you if you mostly search for words inside documents, because contents aren't indexed and that search is slow
- Tight if you pick the Lite build, which drops the servers and stops the command-line tool and SDK working
- Watch out: NTFS indexing needs the Everything service or admin rights, and FAT drives and network shares are added by hand
Pick Open-Shell if
- Fits if you want the old Windows Start menu back
- Works for people who like skins and a customised start button
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a help desk, as support is GitHub issues, Discussions, Gitter and Discord
- Watch out: the GitHub page warns against versions older than 4.4.196 on Windows for ARM because login can fail after reboot
- Watch out: the classic copy dialog applies to Windows 7 only
- Skip it if you use a Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAEverythingGood | 3.0GPAOpen-ShellVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFreeware, a plain download, with no paid edition anywhere. The developer asks you to think about donating, and that's the whole sales pitch. | AFree, which is below anything in the category. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free: the installer, the portable ZIP and the Lite build, in 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM. Nothing is held back for a paid version. | AFree outright with no cap, released on GitHub. |
| Features | CFinding files by name is one job and Everything covers it: 250,000 files indexed in about 5 seconds, results that update as files change, wildcards, filters and regex, a command line and an SDK. But it indexes names, not contents, so searching inside files is slow. | BClassic Start menu, Explorer toolbar and status bar, skins and custom start buttons, with stable and nightly builds. The classic copy dialog works on Windows 7 only. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating is on record, but there's nothing to set up: install it and start typing. Two fiddly bits sit in the listing, mind. NTFS indexing wants the Everything service or administrator rights, and network shares have to be added by hand. | BNo rating on record. Install it and the menu replaces the default. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, a single operating system, from XP through Windows 11. Its HTTP server does let you search your files from a browser on a phone or another computer on the same network. No Mac or Linux version. | DWindows only. Windows only; no Mac, Linux, phone or web version. |
| Best for | finding any file by name on Windows | a classic Start menu on Windows |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Everything and Open-Shell. How we grade
Price against what you get
Everything has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Open-Shell has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Open-Shell scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other desktop utilities on the chart, none scores higher than Everything for less, and none scores higher than Open-Shell for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Open-Shell is open source, according to its own site.
- Everything also covers file management.
- Open-Shell also covers launcher.
In commonFree planWindows
At a glance
| Everything | Open-Shell | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Everything is freeware with no paid edition. The developer asks users to consider donating. | The whole project is free; releases are published on GitHub. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | voidtools PTY LTD | Open-Shell |
| Price read from | voidtools.com | open-shell.github.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Everything
- Windows only; the FAQ lists Windows XP through Windows 11.
- It indexes file and folder names, not contents. Searching inside files is possible but slow.
- NTFS indexing needs the Everything service or administrator rights, and FAT volumes and network shares must be added as folder indexes by hand.
- The Lite build removes the HTTP and ETP/FTP servers and IPC, so the command-line tool and SDK do not work with it.
Open-Shell
- Windows only. The classic copy dialog applies to Windows 7 alone.
- The GitHub page warns against installing versions older than 4.4.196 on Windows for ARM, because login can fail after a reboot.
- Support is through GitHub issues, Discussions, Gitter and Discord rather than a vendor help desk.
Key features
Everything
- Instant filename search
- Starts by listing every file and folder on the PC and narrows the list as you type. Only names are indexed: about 250,000 files on a fresh Windows 11 install take about 5 seconds.
- Real-time index updates
- Results update as files change. NTFS indexes are kept current through the USN Journal, so changes made while Everything was closed are picked up when it restarts.
- Search syntax
- Supports boolean operators, wildcards, file-type and location filters and optional regular expressions. A content: function searches inside files, but contents are not indexed, so it is slow.
- Low resource use
- The vendor quotes about 35 MB of RAM and under 14 MB of disk space for roughly 250,000 files, and about 100 MB of RAM for 1,000,000 files.
- HTTP and ETP/FTP servers
- Search and open your files from a web browser on another computer, phone or tablet on the local network. Version 1.4 includes the servers; for version 1.5 they are separate plugins.
- Command line and SDK
- The ES command-line tool queries a running copy of Everything, and the SDK gives other programs a DLL and Lib interface to it over IPC.
Open-Shell
- Classic Start menu
- A classic-style Start menu for Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11.
- Explorer toolbar
- Adds a toolbar to Windows Explorer.
- Explorer status bar
- Shows file size and disk space in the Explorer status bar.
- Skins and custom start buttons
- The project site has guides for skinning the Start menu and for custom Start buttons.
- Stable and nightly builds
- A stable release and a nightly build are both offered for download.
Plans
Everything
Everything$0
Freeware in installer, portable ZIP and Lite builds, with 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM downloads. Donations are optional.
Open-Shell
Free$0
All components, with stable releases and nightly builds on GitHub.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Everything or Open-Shell?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Everything and Open-Shell are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Everything or Open-Shell?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Everything and Open-Shell have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.