1
Also covers desktop customization and open source
FluentFlyout adds media controls and a taskbar widget to Windows 11, with a flyout for playback controls.
Alternatives
The Best Forge Alternatives in 2026
24 alternatives0 free · 24 open source
Looking for something like Forge? Here are 24 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 24 are open source.
Forge adds window tiling and management controls to the GNOME Shell desktop.
Top picks at a glance
First suggestionFluentFlyoutFluentFlyout adds media controls and a taskbar widget to…Another optionAntApply Ant, a flat visual theme for GNOME and other…
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FluentFlyout | — | Yes | Web, Windows |
| 2 | Ant | — | Yes | — |
| 3 | Burn My Windows | — | Yes | Windows |
| 4 | ExplorerBlurMica | — | Yes | Windows |
| 5 | QTTabBar | — | Yes | Windows |
| 6 | Themix | — | Yes | — |
| 7 | Arc | — | Yes | Linux |
| 8 | AeroThemePlasma | — | Yes | Windows |
| 9 | AccentColorizer | — | Yes | Windows |
| 10 | Pokemon Terminal | — | Yes | — |
All Forge alternatives
2
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Apply Ant, a flat visual theme for GNOME and other GTK-based desktop environments.
3
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Burn My Windows adds window animations that visually disintegrate windows when they open or close.
4
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
ExplorerBlurMica adds background blur or acrylic Mica effects to Windows Explorer on Windows 10 and 11.
5
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
QTTabBar adds tabbed folder browsing to Windows Explorer for navigating multiple locations in one window.
6
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Themix GUI generates color variations for themes including GTK, Cinnamon, GNOME, Openbox, and Xfwm.
7
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Arc provides a flat GTK theme with transparent elements for desktop shells and applications.
8
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
AeroThemePlasma offers a KDE Plasma shell with a design based on the Windows 7 desktop.
9
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
AccentColorizer recolors Win32 controls in memory using an accent color without patching theme files.
10
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Pokemon-Terminal provides Pokémon-themed terminal themes, with topics listing shells and terminals including Bash and iTerm2.
11
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
The Pop OS Shell project provides a shell interface for its Linux desktop environment.
12
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
AGS provides a command-line scaffold for Astal and Gnim projects used to build desktop shells.
13
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
These dotfiles configure Hyprland with a dynamic tiling setup for Arch Linux and Fedora.
14
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Arrange desktop windows as leaves in a binary tree with bspwm, a tiling window manager that responds to X events.
15
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
labwc provides a Wayland compositor that stacks windows rather than tiling them.
16
Also covers desktop customization and open source · same kind of open-source project
Sway offers an i3-compatible tiling compositor for Wayland-based desktop sessions.
17
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
This repository contains the source for wearewaylandnow.com, an opinionated site about the Wayland desktop environment.
18
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Awesome Linux Ricing collects themes, tools, and applications for customizing Linux desktops.
19
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Polybar provides a desktop status bar with configuration options for displaying system information.
20
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Waywallen manages dynamic wallpapers on Linux desktops, according to its project description.
21
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
Hidamari lets Linux users set videos as wallpaper backgrounds on their desktop.
22
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
nwg-look edits GTK settings for desktop environments using the wlroots Wayland environment.
23
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
This repository collects aesthetic wallpapers for desktop backgrounds.
24
Also covers desktop customization, linux, and open source · same kind of open-source project
This repository collects Polybar themes in different styles, colors, and variants for desktop customization.
No alternatives match this filter.
Alternatives to similar tools
Arc24 alternativesPokemon Terminal24 alternativesPop!OS Shell24 alternativesWearewaylandnow24 alternativesExplorerBlurMica24 alternativesThemes24 alternatives
What is the best alternative to Forge?
Based on features, tags and platforms, the closest alternatives to Forge are FluentFlyout, Ant, and Burn My Windows.
Are there open-source alternatives to Forge?
Yes: FluentFlyout, Ant, Burn My Windows, and ExplorerBlurMica.
Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative