Windows 11 customization tools are some of the coolest pieces of software out there, and while I love many of them, I've recently found myself checking out
Start11 is another popular Windows customization tool that I really like, but for this article, I wanted to highlight why Windhawk may be a better option for you. So here are a few reasons you might want to go with Windhawk instead.
4 It's free
That price is hard to beat
Start11 isn't exactly an expensive piece of software, costing just $10 for a lifetime license, but when it comes to saving money, it's very hard to beat free software. Everything about Windhawk is free. Windhawk itself is just a platform for mods, and the mods are developed by the community at large, so it's a big collaborative effort that benefits everyone at no real cost.
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There aren't even any ads in the app. Windhawk is completely free, and as far as I can find, there's not even an option to donate to the project that's immediately visible. You can find a donation link on GitHub, but it's not nmentioned on the official website.
3 Community-led and open-source
From the community, for the community
Another great thing about Windhawk is that, unlike lots of proprietary software such as Start11, it's completely open-source and development is entirely up to the community. Mods can be submitted by anyone, and any mod listing has the source code available directly on Windhawk so you can see exactly what the mod is doing to your system. Transparency is the foundation of trust, and Windhawk clearly delivers on that front.
What's more, each and every mod also has an easily accessible option to fork that specific project. If you see a mod with a cool idea but you don't like the execution for some reason, you can take it and modify it yourself to make it that much better, and then contribute it back to the community. More options are always good.
2 Plenty of visual customization
It's not just the Start menu
Start11 is a fantastic app for customizing the Start menu, and it also includes some taskbar customization to make things more consistent. It's really hard to beat Start11 when it comes to customizing the Start menu, but Windhawk does have some great options, such as the ability to view the All apps list next to the pinned area, even giving you the option to choose which side the list appears on. You can also go for a more Windows 10-style menu, and even get some very unique options that Start11 doesn't have, like the Rose Pine theme that's very minimalistic.
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Improve your Windows 11 experience
Likewise, Windhawk offers some options for the taskbar that match a lot of what Start11 provides, and in some ways even exceeds it. You can change the text size for app labels on the taskbar, and change the size of the items on the taskbar themselves. You can even customize the task on the taskbar clock, change its font and color, and even include headlines from an RSS feed.
But in the end, what makes Windhawk even cooler is that there's something it does that Start11 doesn't. One of the more popular mods for the software is a styler for the notification center, and while it doesn't have as many options as the Start menu or taskbar stylers, it does let you make the notification center, quick actions panel, and so on completely transparent. You also have the option to turn the calendar portion and the notification portion into a singlew area, rather than having a divider. It's pretty good stuff I've never seen in any other app.
1 There's so much more to it
Windhawk does so much
While the visual customizations are one of the coolest parts of Windhawk and Start11 is the visual customization, Windhawk's mods extend well beyond just the visual aspects. Some of the mods in Windhawk do seriously useful stuff, like being able to scroll over the tab bar in your browser to switch between tabs quickly, or using a middle click to close an app on the taskbar. I also like the mod that lets you adjust the volume by scrolling over any area of the taskbar.
There are also some mods that are more for fun, like the Slick Window Arrangement mod that just gives your windows a bit of momentum when you drag them around, and it also helps them snap to the edge of the screen. It's not necessarily useful to me, but it does make things feel a but more lively.
And those are just some of the top mods I've seen. I've heard of some people using Windhawk to fix issues with the taskbar where app icons sometimes randomly disappear, which Microsoft refuses to fix itself. There's a lot more to dive into than the mods I've tried myself.
Give Windhawk a whirl
I'm not trying to say Windhawk is necessarily the be-all-end-all of Windows customization, but the options afforded to you with this app and the relative ease of use make thisone of the best ways to customize your Windows PC, if you ask me. There are mods for all kinds of purposes, and when everything is completely free and totally transparent, there really isn't much to be lost by trying it. Start11 does still have some features that might make it better for some users, but Windhawk is complete enough that I think a lot of people ought to save money by using it.
