Microsoft PowerToys vs StartAllBack (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft PowerToys grades higher than StartAllBack: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft PowerToys grades higher on the free plan and features. StartAllBack grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft PowerToys
Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11
Free
StartAllBack
Windows 11 taskbar, Start menu and Explorer restyling tool
Free trial · from $4.99 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft PowerToys if
- Fits if you want window layouts, a launcher and key remapping from one free install
- Works for people who rename files in bulk or resize images from the right-click menu
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac or Linux, or on Windows 10 older than version 2004
- Not for you if you need key remaps at the log-in screen, per keyboard, or with PowerToys closed
- Tight if you wanted AI pasting to just work: it's off by default, and online providers need your own API key and may charge
- Watch out: FancyZones can't snap some apps, and elevated apps need PowerToys run as administrator
Pick StartAllBack if
- Fits if you miss the older Windows taskbar and Start menu
- Works for businesses that want group-policy control over the Start menu
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are on Windows 10 or earlier, as that is a different product, StartIsBack
- Watch out: after the 30-day trial the Start menu goes blank until you activate a key
- Not for you if you use Mac or Linux, as it is Windows only
- Watch out: new versions for new Windows releases may need a licence upgrade payment, and activation is tied to your hardware
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMicrosoft PowerToysGood | 2.4GPAStartAllBackFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. Every utility is free and open source under the MIT licence, a download anyone can run, with no paid edition to be nudged towards. | A$4.99 once for personal use, far under the category's cheaper quarter. Businesses pay $50 for 10 PCs. |
| Free plan and trial | AAll of it is free, from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet, with no cap anywhere. The one thing that can cost money is pasting with AI, and only if you connect an online model provider that charges for usage. | CA 30-day trial with no feature limits, and no card is mentioned. After that, a limited mode with a blank Start menu. |
| Features | BMore than 30 utilities in one install, covering jobs people usually buy separate apps for: window layouts, a launcher, key remapping, bulk renaming, a colour picker, OCR off the screen. What keeps it off top marks is the rough edges, like remaps that stop when PowerToys isn't running. | CRestores taskbar labels and placement, a Start menu, Explorer commands and old-style context menus. It does one job on Windows 11 only, and Windows 10 and 8 need StartIsBack. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and there's setting up to do: you enable the utilities you want, draw FancyZones layouts in its grid or canvas editor, and define your own remaps. Apps running elevated need PowerToys run as administrator before FancyZones will snap them. | BNo rating on record. You install it and the taskbar changes, with options to adjust. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only: Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, on x64 or ARM64. Advanced Paste can connect to OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Mistral or Ollama, and it installs through WinGet. Nothing for Mac or Linux. | DWindows 11 only for this product. No other platform and no integrations. |
| Best for | a free box of Windows extras from Microsoft | an older-style Windows 11 taskbar and Start menu |
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: Microsoft PowerToys and StartAllBack. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft PowerToys is open source, according to its own site.
- StartAllBack can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft PowerToys also covers launcher, window management, file management and keyboard and mouse remapping.
- StartAllBack also covers menu bar app.
In commonWindows
At a glance
| Microsoft PowerToys | StartAllBack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $4.99 one-time for a personal license |
| Free plan | Every utility is free and open source; there is no paid edition. Optional AI pasting can incur usage charges from the model provider you connect. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day trial with no feature limits; afterward it runs in a limited mode with a blank Start menu |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Stanislav Zinukhov (StartIsBack) |
| Price read from | learn.microsoft.com | startisback.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Microsoft PowerToys
- Windows only: it needs Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or newer on a 64-bit x64 or ARM64 processor.
- Paste with AI is off by default and needs a model provider; online providers require your own API key and may charge for usage.
- Keyboard Manager remaps apply only while PowerToys is running, do not work on the log-in screen and cannot differ between keyboards.
- FancyZones cannot snap some listed apps, and apps running elevated need PowerToys to run as administrator.
StartAllBack
- Windows 11 only for StartAllBack; Windows 10 and 8 use StartIsBack versions.
- After the 30-day trial the Start menu goes blank and a reminder appears at every boot until a key is activated.
- New versions for new Windows releases may need a license upgrade payment, according to the vendor's FAQ.
- Activation is tied to the PC's hardware, and one key activates a limited number of computers.
Key features
Microsoft PowerToys
- FancyZones
- A window manager for custom zone layouts. Hold Shift while dragging a window to snap it into a zone, or let Win+arrow keys move windows between zones. Layouts are built in a grid or canvas editor.
- Command Palette
- A launcher opened with Win+Alt+Space that starts apps, runs commands, searches files and the web, calculates and switches windows. Community extensions install from a built-in Extension Gallery.
- Keyboard Manager
- Remaps single keys and shortcuts, globally or for one app, and can map a key or shortcut to a text sequence, an app launch or a URI.
- Advanced Paste
- Pastes clipboard content as plain text, Markdown, JSON or a file, extracts text from images with local OCR, and can transform text through an optional AI provider that you configure.
- File Explorer tools
- PowerRename renames files in bulk with search and replace or regular expressions, Image Resizer resizes images from the right-click menu, and File Locksmith shows which processes are using a file.
- Screen and text tools
- Color Picker samples colors anywhere on screen, Text Extractor copies on-screen text with OCR, Screen Ruler measures pixels, and ZoomIt zooms, annotates and records the screen for presentations.
StartAllBack
- Taskbar restore
- Shows labels on task icons, sets icon size and margins, and moves the taskbar to the top, left or right edge.
- Start menu
- Brings back a Start menu that opens programs and system places in one click, with its own search.
- File Explorer and Control Panel
- Restores a revamped ribbon and command bar, a bottom details pane and the older search box.
- Context menus
- Replaces the Windows 11 menus with rounded acrylic ones that the vendor says open faster.
- Styles and recoloring
- Offers Windows 7, Windows 8 and third-party taskbar and Start menu styles and recolors UI in many windows apps.
- Light footprint
- The vendor says it uses less RAM and starts fewer processes than the default shell.
Plans
Microsoft PowerToys
PowerToys$0
All utilities, installed from GitHub, the Microsoft Store or WinGet. Free and open source under the MIT license.
StartAllBack
Personal$4.99
one-time, personal use
License key stated to work with any StartIsBack version, including StartAllBack. Personal use only; the site also mentions a family pack.
Business, 10 PCs$50.00
one-time for 10 PCs
Required for business use. Adds group policies, priority email support and future optional updates; 100 PCs is $450 and 1,000 PCs is $3,000.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft PowerToys or StartAllBack?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft PowerToys is free, and StartAllBack starts at $4.99 one-time for a personal license.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft PowerToys or StartAllBack?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft PowerToys has a free plan. StartAllBack does not, though it has a free trial.
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.